City of San Antonio - File #: 15-5185

• File #: 15-5185
• Type: City Code Amendments
• In control: City Council A Session
• On agenda: 10/29/2015
• Posting Language: An Ordinance amending Chapter 6, Buildings, Article VIII, Sections 6-155.1(a), 6-158(b), and 6-159 of the City Code, to change requirements for Board membership and to amend duties of the Director and the Building Standards Board relative to designated structures; and also amending Chapter 35, Unified Development Code, to revise the criteria for unreasonable economic hardship in cases seeking demolition of historic landmarks. [Erik Walsh, Deputy City Manager; Lori Houston, Assistant City Manager; Roderick Sanchez, Director, Development Services; Shanon Miller, Director, Office of Historic Preservation]

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
10/29/2015	1	City Council A Session	Motion to Approve	Pass

DEPARTMENT: Development Services Department and Office of Historic Preservation

DEPARTMENT HEADS: Roderick Sanchez and Shanon Shea Miller

COUNCIL DISTRICT(S) IMPACTED: City wide

SUBJECT:

Potential amendments to City Code Chapters 6 and 35 related to the process for the review and consideration of "dangerous structures" to determine the feasibility of repair or demolition to abate safety hazards.

SUMMARY:

District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevi?o has submitted a City Council Resolution (CCR) to amend the process for how city departments, the Development Services Department and the Office of Historic Preservation, and boards and commissions, the Building Standards Board (BSB) and the Historic Design and Review Commission (HDRC), review and determine the feasibility of repair or demolition of "dangerous structures'.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

City Code Chapters 6 and 35 currently outline the procedures for how Development Services and Historic Preservation work with the BSB and HDRC to address structures that are defined as "dangerous buildings" due to significant structural and/or safety defects. City Code also outlines the required makeup of the BSB as well as how the BSB and HDRC are utilized to review "dangerous structure" cases involving designated historic structures to determine the feasibility of repair or demolition of dangerous structures. Under the current procedures, Development Services and Historic Preservation work together to review dangerous structure cases and attempt to get the owner of the structure to repair the structure where feasible as demolition is regarded as the remedy of last resort.

Councilman Trevi?o's CCR recommended three changes to the current process in order to help ensure that properties, their owners and historic neighborhoods are afforded every opportunity to efficiently rehabilitate structures while maintaining safety throughout the community. In addition, as the HDRC is a recommending body while t...