DEPARTMENT: Development Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Michael Shannon
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 5
SUBJECT:
Zoning Case Z2017125-A HL
SUMMARY:
Current Zoning: “I-1 AHOD” General Industrial Airport Hazard Overlay District; “IDZ AHOD” Infill Development Zone Airport Hazard Overlay District with Uses Permitted in “C-2” Commercial District and “R-4 Residential Single-Family District.
Requested Zoning: To apply the “HL” Historic Landmark designation to all current zoning in the proposed area.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Zoning Commission Hearing Date: September 5, 2017. Postponed on June 6, 2017 Zoning Commission public hearing; continued from May 2, 2017 Zoning Commission public hearing. On July 18, 2017, these properties were continued for further collaboration with the Office of Historic Preservation. This case was continued again on August 15, 2017.
Case Manager: John Osten, Sr. Planner
Property Owner: Mahmood A Chughatai, Mariana Torres
Applicant: City of San Antonio, Office of Historic Preservation
Representative: City of San Antonio
Location: 550 Ruiz Street and 2418 South Presa Street
Legal Description: Properties located in NCB 1682 and 2182
Total Acreage: 0.2
Notices Mailed
Owners of Property within 200 feet: 50 notices were included into the 555 original notices
Registered Neighborhood Associations within 200 feet: Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association.
Applicable Agencies: Office of Historic Preservation
Property Details
Property History: The subject properties were annexed by the City of San Antonio in 1905 as part of 36 square mile of the City’s first boundary and are currently developed with non-residential uses.
Topography: The property does not include any abnormal physical features such as slope.
Adjacent Base Zoning and Land Uses
There are multiple zoning districts and land uses for the properties adjacent to the subject properties.
Overlay and Special District Information: All properties carry the "AHOD" Airport Hazard Overlay District, due to their proximity to an airport or approach path. The "AHOD" does not restrict permitted uses, but can require additional review of construction plans by both the Development Services Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. The property at Ruiz Street “IDZ” Infill Development Zone District which is a special zoning district.
Transportation
Thoroughfare: South Presa Street
Existing Character: Secondary Arterial Type B
Proposed Changes: None known
Public Transit: VIA bus routes # 36 and 242 stops along South Presa Street; 79 stops along Ruiz Street.
Traffic Impact: A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) is not required. The traffic generated by the proposed development does not exceed the threshold requirements.
Parking Information: Minimum and maximum off-street vehicle parking requirements for commercial uses are determined by the square footage of the structure. Minimum Requirement: 1 space per 300 square foot Gross Floor Area. Maximum Requirement: 1 space per 100 square foot Gross Floor Area
ISSUE:
None.
ALTERNATIVES:
Denial of the requested zoning change would result in the subject property retaining the present zoning district designation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff Analysis and Recommendation: Staff recommends Approval.
Criteria for Review: According to Section 35-421, zoning amendments shall be based on the approval criteria below.
1. Consistency:
Since the proposal is to add “HL” Historic Landmark as an overlay zoning district without proposing to change base zoning districts, a consistency review is not applicable.
2. Adverse Impacts on Neighboring Lands:
Staff has found no evidence of likely adverse impacts on neighboring lands in relation to this zoning change request.
3. Suitability as Presently Zoned:
Surrounding lots are developed with residential, commercial, and industrial uses. The proposed zoning request is consistent with the surrounding land uses.
4. Health, Safety and Welfare:
Staff has found no indication of likely adverse effects on the public health, safety, or welfare.
5. Public Policy:
The proposed request meets the San Antonio Comprehensive Plan’s goals and objectives of Historic Preservation and Cultural Heritage chapter.
6. Size of Tract:
The subject area is 0.2 acres in size.
7. Other Factors:
Statement of Significance by the Office of Historic Preservation:
Historic gas stations in San Antonio represent a dominant industry in our regional economy, a nationwide shift in transportation patterns to reliance on a personal automobile, and the growing emphasis on corporate branding through design, with the buildings themselves serving as advertisements for their parent company.
From Gulf to Humble and Magnolia to Texaco, the Texas economy relied heavily on the oil and gas industry in the early twentieth century. These companies all sold gas under their own brands, establishing filling stations with recognizable logos such as the Texaco star and the Magnolia Pegasus. The earliest of these simply had individual gas tanks set right on the sidewalk, but market demand and safety concerns quickly led to more sophisticated designs. Regional influences on the architectural styles of these structures are expressed through tile roofs, parapets, and stucco siding typical to Spanish Eclectic style stations. Typical branded stations exist as well, with excellent examples of Art Moderne, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival style stations scattered throughout the city. San Antonio’s last streetcars were removed in 1933, and the gasoline industry grew to meet the demand of the growing market of automobile owners. The moniker service station was applied beginning in the 1920s since most had garage bays for mechanical repairs in addition to a standard inventory of fluids, wiper blades, belts/hoses, filters, etc. Each of the thousands of filling stations across the state offered employment opportunities for local mechanics and attendants.
The Alamo City was already an established tourist destination when the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line, so filling stations were a necessary commodity for families on road trips, just like motor courts and motels. The first highways were built by the counties using tax funds from the state, and most of the longer roads were titled by which towns they connected, including Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, and Austin Highway. Over 14,000 automobiles were already operating in Texas by 19101, and over the next two decades street widening projects spread throughout the city as the number of vehicles sharing the road continued to multiply. Clubs like the Bexar County Highway League promoted public investment in infrastructure improvements and celebrated the arrival of major thoroughfares like the Old Spanish Trail, Glacier to Gulf Motorway, and Meridian Highway. State taxes on oil production and gasoline sales helped fund highway expansion, and the advent of the interstate highway system in the 1950s made travel more efficient than ever. Post-war suburban residential patterns relied on these new roads as the labor force commuted to central business districts. New, larger stations were constructed on access roads and over time, branded architectural designs fell out of favor as sleek, homogenous structures proliferated across the country.
Office of Historic Preservation Recommendation: Approval.
The Historic Design Commission Action: The Historic and Design Review Commission concurred that the proposed historic landmark designation meets criteria and is eligible for designation on August 17, 2016.