DEPARTMENT: Office of Historic Preservation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Shanon Miller, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Districts 1 & 7
SUBJECT:
Staff briefing on viewsheds initiative and current proposal for Woodlawn Lake.
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. Staff will provide a briefing and recommended next steps for prioritized sites.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
During 2018, OHP staff facilitated numerous opportunities for public input and began the process of drafting UDC amendments which would expand opportunities for City Council to create new viewshed protection districts where appropriate. Also as a result of public input and review by a technical advisory committee, four sites were previously recommended by the Arts, Culture & Heritage Committee for further exploration: San Fernando Cathedral, Tower Life Building, Hays Street Bridge, and Basilica of the Little Flower / Woodlawn Lake.
ISSUE:
The current viewshed ordinance only allows 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, staff has determined that a viewshed is not the best tool to guide general neighborhood scale, scenic and natural areas, or unconventional sites (such as bridges or lakes). In the past, the City has utilized other zoning overlay types such as River Improvement or Corridor Overlays to guide building height and scale in sensitive areas.
With a zoning district in place with controls for building height, individual projects within ...
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