Cape’s Dam up for landmark status vote

The bid to grant Cape’s Dam local landmark status will go before the Planning and Zoning Commission tonight.

The first step toward landmark status occurred on Oct. 4, when the Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval of the request to name the dam and ditch engineering structure a local historic landmark. Approval by P&Z would be the second step, with the final step occurring with a city council vote. Tonight’s vote will follow a public hearing on the issue.

In 1985, Cape’s Dam and the ditch structure, known as the Mill Race, were deemed eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  According to the documentation submitted with the dam and ditch’s National Register nomination form, William Alexander Thompson, who settled in Texas in 1850, built a mill on the banks of the San Marcos River and had a dam and mill race built to power the mill. Thompson and his family had the dam rebuilt in 1867. The property remained in the Thompson family until 1909, when John Matthew Cape purchased it. Cape had the entire machinery plat rebuilt and a new wheel pit built to provide power for the Cape Gin Company. The gin went to electrical power in the 1940s, when the dam and ditch fell into disuse. 

The dam had been slated for removal after a vote by the city council in 2016, but any work toward that goal — which would have been provided free of charge to local taxpayers under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s (USFWS) Fish Pass Program has been postponed. USFWS has withdrawn financial support for the dam’s removal. 

The issue has sparked deep controversy within the community, most concerning what would happen to the mill race with the dam gone. Devoid of current, the short span of the mill race makes it attractive to novice canoers and kayakers and a favorite spot for the disabled to enjoy the water. Over time, the argument for keeping the dam grew to also involved questions over scientific findings concerning the fate of endangered species in that stretch of the river as well as its historical and recreational value.

During discussion at the Historic Preservation Committee, member Ryan Perkins noted that landmark status is a separate issue from funding a dam rebuild or other solutions. “Landmark status doesn’t solidify its existence for the rest of history,” he said, noting that some structures that were given landmark status have been torn down.

In other business tonight, P&Z will hold a public hearing and consider approval of a new restaurant conditional use permit for the sale of beer and wine for on-premise consumption at Toma Taco. The new restaurant is located on the corner of South LBJ Drive and Edward Gary Street, across from Yogurt In Love, in the building once occupied by OST Liquor. 

The commission will also hold a public hearing and consider approval of a permit to allow Jack’s Roadhouse to expand its area of service of mixed beverages to two patio areas. 

Planning and Zoning will meet at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 630 E. Hopkins St. P&Z meetings are also streamed online.