Partnering with our community to build and maintain a safer San Antonio  | August 2017
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Development Services Department
Mike Shannon,  PE,  CBO
Director
210.207.8259

Development  & 
Business Services Center
 
Main Address:
1901 S. Alamo San Antonio, TX 78204
 
Office Hours: 
7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday
 
Mailing Address:
PO Box 839966
San Antonio, TX 78283
85th Texas Legislative Special Session and DSD
The 85th Legislature recently wrapped up its 30-day Special Session on August 16, with just over 1,200 bills or resolutions filed.  The Development Services Department closely monitored four of the 20 items on Governor Abbott's charge for the session: permitting rules, annexation, tree ordinance regulations, and development rule changes. The only two of these items to pass were annexation and tree ordinance regulations.
 
The Annexation Bill, SB6, requires that any area being annexed by a municipality must be granted a vote to the people being annexed. Of particular interest to San Antonio, areas within 5 miles of a military installation and in the extraterritorial jurisdiction that vote "No" to annexation may  then be covered under land use regulations in a manner that was recommended by the military's joint land use study on compatibility.
 
The Tree Ordinance Regulation Bill, HB7, passed with minimal impact to San Antonio's existing tree ordinance. The primary focus of this bill was to limit municipal restrictions on tree removal from residential property and the allowance of credit for tree mitigation, both of which San Antonio currently allows.
 
It was a lively regular session and special session this year and we will be ready for the 86th legislature to begin in 2019.

Graffiti Abatement Program is on the Move
While we may disagree on who has the best tacos, the City of Austin and the City of San Antonio do agree that graffiti brings down property values and may invite crime.
 
In an effort to collaborate on an enhanced anti-graffiti program, last month the City of Austin sent leadership from several city departments, to include their Interim Assistant City Manager, Sara Hensley, to learn about San Antonio's graffiti program. 
 
The key to a successful program is to tackle graffiti through a three-pronged approach that includes education, eradication and enforcement.  San Antonio is always on the lookout for innovative solutions, and working with the City of Austin, we are able to collaborate with t he Graffiti Consultants who developed '10 Steps to a Graffiti-Free City'. 

During the visit, our partners, San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), joined the discussion.  

"Graffiti is everybody's business," said Deputy Chief Jeff Humphrey, SAPD. 
 
By Austin creating a more robust program, and San Antonio revamping a few strategies, taggers may soon find themselves looking elsewhere to leave their marks.

Mike Shannon welcomes Austin Leadership to
Development Services Department
Online Resources
The latest Rule Interpretation (RID) and Information Bulletins (IB) are provided below: 
 
RID 2017-004 - Illumination of Uses , posted 8/1/17
RID 2017-004 was created to clarify the intended purpose of code 35-392 (a) (1) Illumination of Uses, and prevent separate violations. As such, DSD replaced  the  word and with or.  This word change offers that  if either violation exists (lights not being concealed from the adjacent property or interfering with traffic) both can be enforced.

IB 230 - Open House Signs , posted 8/3/17
As a customer service initiative, the Development Services Department created IB 230 to inform our customers of the revised Chapter 28 City Sign Code. The revised sign code includes Open House Signs that will require a Temporary Sign permit (better known as the Temporary Weekend Sign Permit).

IB 132 has been revised to require the annual submittal of special inspector qualifications to the Building Official for review and approval, ensuring that qualified special inspectors are monitoreand approved by Development Services.  See the IB 132 - Special Inspections Program Update, below, for more information.

For a complete list of resources, visit the following sites:  
 

To further improve  the City of San Antonio's  S p ec ial  I ns p ec t i on  P rog ra m, and in accordance with the International Accreditation Services recommendations, the department's IB 132 has been revised to require the annual submittal of special inspector qualifications to the Building Official for review and approval.  

This revision is to  e nsu r e that qualified sp ec ial inspe c t or s a re b e i n g mon i tor e a nd approved by Development Services. It will help ensure that projects within the City of San Antonio that have special inspections are not only being inspected correctly, but are being conducted by qualified individuals.

When an application is submitted for review, and qualifications are met, the department will create a record of the applicant and issue an ID number to the applicant (SI#).  

For a full review of the changes to the updated IB 132, please feel free to visit our DSD website or email our Building Inspections Supervisor Ramiro Carrillo .

Our goal is to have all special inspectors in the system by Jan. 1, 2018. 

Performance Measures - FY 2017
The complete Performance Measures report is available online .

Permit Activity
SARA / Bexar County LID Training Available Sept. 17
There is still time to register for the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) and Bexar County Low Impact Development (LID) training courses for construction inspection and post-construction maintenance.  The special one-day training is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. 

The courses will be held at the Hilton Palacio del Rio from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Opportunities to take an exam for the applicable Registration or Certification credential will occur immediately following the training on Sunday or anytime between 9 a.m. and noon on Monday, Sept. 18. (The test typically takes an hour or less.)  Credentials are posted on the SARA website.
 
For more information, visit the SARA website at www.sara-tx.org.  Please direct questions regarding the courses to Lee Marlowe at (210) 302-3624.
Other Department News
- Customer Comments, New Hires, Recognition and more
Here's what you said about us...
Chris Gonzales, Project Manager and Crystal Kastner, PE, CBO, Sr. Engineer, Project Management,  Field Services
The  idea of having a special team to assist on major projects has been one of the best ideas. Chris Gonzales and Crystal Kastner both have been an amazing team to work with and help keep our project moving. The praise cannot  be enough. Thank you for making it smooth and understandable.

Jaime Perez, Planner, Plan Review
Jaime Perez was very helpful in getting me pointed in the right direction and walking me through the online scheduling process, he even stayed on the phone with me until the inspection scheduling was completed and showed up on the COSA system. I really appreciate his willingness to go the extra distance. All COSA employees are friendly and respectful but it is not often that we get someone who obviously loves  their  job.

Tyler Sorrells, AICP, Planner, Land Development
Extremely helpful. Very competent and took the time to satisfy my request.  My  issue was successfully and competently resolved.

Martha Banda, Plans Examiner II, Plan Review
I just wanted to commend Martha Banda on the excellent job she does. Ever since small issues came up with our project she has been right on top of it and has made my life easy as possible.
Martha has made it quite enjoyable.  She  is a great asset to your team please thank her for all of her hard work. 

Homer Callahan, Maintenance Crew Leader II, Graffiti, Field Services
100  % amazed.  Can't tell you how wonderful the service was. Homer and staff are top notch. They really helped out in our neighborhood I can't thank them enough. When I told one of my friends they said how awesome the city is for doing that. We can't thank you enough.

Angela Cardona, Planner, Land Development
Angela was very helpful in our phone calls leading up to re-zoning, and also followed up after the re-zoning was passed by City Council to let us know when the ordinance would be ready for our client. We appreciate her professional and helpful attitude and look forward to working with her again. 
Certifications

Congratulations to our DSD employees who received the following certifications: 



New Hires


Promotions

Job Opportunities

Development Services is recruiting for the following positions.  To learn more, or apply online, visit the DSD jobs at the City of San Antonio Career Center.