DEPARTMENT: Office of Historic Preservation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Shanon Miller, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Council Districts 1 and 7
SUBJECT:
A Resolution to develop a zoning overlay district with design standards in proximity to Woodlawn Lake.
SUMMARY:
The proposed resolution will direct staff to develop methods and standards by which to regulate building height in proximity to Woodlawn Lake, thus preserving outward views from the park, and initiate the related rezoning of affected properties.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City is celebrating the 100th-Anniverisary of Woodlawn Lake in 2018. In recognition of this important public resource, and following public interest in protecting existing outward views from Woodlawn Lake Park, Councilwoman Ana Sandoval has proposed that steps be taken to preserve the scenic and natural qualities of Woodlawn Lake.
In 2017, District 7 Councilwoman Sandoval and District 2 Councilman Shaw 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.
During 2018, Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) staff facilitated numerous opportunities for public input and began the process of drafting Unified Development Code (UDC) amendments which would expand opportunities for City Council to create new viewshed protection districts where appropriate.
ISSUE:
The current viewshed ordinance only allows for new viewshed districts for certain buildings in San Antonio. The addition of new sites that do not represent a building, such as Woodlawn Lake or the Hays Street Bridge, would require UDC amendments. As a regulatory tool, viewsheds are limited to very specific parameters defined by a singular point of origin and directional projection. In some instances, it has been found that a viewsheds may not be the best tool to guide general neighborhood scale for scenic and natural areas or unconventional sites. In the past, the City has utilized other zoning overlay types such as River Improvement, Mission Protection, or Corridor Overlays to guide building height and scale in sensitive areas.
With a zoning district in place that places controls for building height, individual projects within the district are reviewed for conformance with any imposed height restrictions as part of the development review process. This results in the ability to regulate building scale and positioning in proximity to a defined resource such as Woodlawn Lake.
With Council direction, staff would facilitate public input regarding potential UDC amendments and a zoning overlay that could be implemented to achieve the desired goal of preserving outward views from Woodlawn Lake Park. Potential UDC amendments and a request to rezone properties with any new zoning overlay would require future action by Council.
ALTERNATIVES:
As an alternative, no additional zoning overlays for Woodlawn Lake would be considered. No UDC amendments would be necessary.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance authorizes an expenditure of up to $12,190 for professional services associated with developing a zoning overlay district for Woodlawn Park. This amount is available in the City’s FY 2019 General Fund Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of a resolution to develop a zoning overlay district with building design standards in proximity to Woodlawn Lake.