DEPARTMENT: Office of Historic Preservation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Shanon Miller, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
SUBJECT:
Briefing regarding potential amendments to the Unified Development Code relating to the establishment of Viewshed Protection Districts and public feedback regarding protection of views.
SUMMARY:
District 7 Councilwoman Sandoval and District 2 Councilman Shaw have submitted a City Council Resolution to initiate the process to consider additional San Antonio landmarks for viewshed protection and to enable the establishment of potential Viewshed Protection Districts. The CCR also directs OHP staff to study additional views and vistas of historic places, landmarks, and cultural resources for consideration for viewshed protection.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The UDC provides designation criteria and a list of sites that are eligible for viewshed protection. The list currently identifies 15 historic sites that are eligible for a single Viewshed Protection District.
According to the UDC, the district area must lie within a major entrance or front door of the eligible site. Currently there is only one Viewshed Protection District of this type in place: the “VP-1” Alamo Viewshed Protection District. This district is designed to prevent a tall building or structure from being erected to the east of the Alamo which would impact views of the front façade of the chapel.
Viewshed protection districts and view corridors are a common tool used by cities to safeguard iconic and historic views and vistas. San Antonio has uses Viewshed Protection Districts as a development tool since 2003.
ISSUE:
The current provisions of the UDC limit the types and opportunities for viewshed protection. For instance, the provisions do not currently allow for more than one view to be protected from a single site. The UDC also does not consider natural views and requires that protected sites be buildings with a “front door”. Other structures, such as bridges or public art pieces, are not currently considered.
Viewshed Protection Districts function as a zoning overlay and City Council has authority over zoning controls. With a district in place, individual projects within the district are reviewed for conformance with any imposed height restrictions as part of the development review process.
Any amendments to the designation criteria would not automatically result in a new district or associated regulations for the listed sites. With direction from Council, staff would further explore the best approaches for each site and work with the public to proposed and adopt any new zoning districts.
Staff has facilitated numerous opportunities for public input and will present the results of that process. Staff is also preparing UDC amendments that provide for a more substantive evaluation of proposed viewsheds and clarification of the implementation process.
Based on the feedback received, the potential districts warrant further exploration in terms of existing land use, economic impact, and unique approach for each. With direction from the committee, staff will conduct further analysis of several potential districts and present a more detailed recommendation at the next available committee meeting.
UDC amendments and a resolution to proceed with individual Viewshed zoning overlays will require City Council action following a committee recommendation.
ALTERNATIVES:
As an alternative, no UDC amendments would be made and the designation criteria would remain in place.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Costs associated with UDC amendments include legally-required notifications and publications. These costs are currently budgeted.
Professional services will be required to provide a survey and metes and bounds description for any new district. Consultant fees could range between $5,000 and $15,000 per site depending on the complexity and number of desired viewsheds for each site.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of proposed UDC Amendments and direction for staff explore selected potential viewshed protection districts to be presented at the next available meeting.