The Central Northside Neighborhood Council is continuing its efforts to expand the boundaries of the Mexican War Streets city historic district.

At the last City Planning meeting on January 22, the Historic Review Commission took public comment from Central Northside residents about the proposed changes and tabled the decision to give or deny recommendation to City Council until their next meeting on February 5.

The Mexican War Streets Society and the CNNC hope to have the city historic district match the national historic district boundaries drawn in 2003.

The boundaries proposed by the CNNC would expand the district north to Armandale Street and beyond and the eastern boundary from Sherman Avenue to Reddour Street.

After reviewing the boundaries, the HRC excluded several blocks, including Alpine Avenue and blocks of Sampsonia Way and Jacksonia Street, because there were not enough intact historic buildings or the buildings weren’t contiguous enough to be considered a historic district.

Though these streets are in the national historic district, including the additional blocks in the city’s district would be beneficial to the community who would be given more leverage in dictating infill housing and demolition projects on those streets because the HRC would need to review work being done.

“I think it’s important, especially with the infill, that we have some say in the character and scale of new construction in the neighborhood,” said Randi Marshack, CNNC vice president.