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Partnering with our community to
build and maintain a safer San Antonio | May 2017
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Development Services Department
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Michael Shannon
PE, CBO
Interim Director
210.207.8259
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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
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City Council Approves Sign
Code Updates
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The
Development Services Department (DSD) is pleased to announce that
after 25 years, the City Code Chapter 28 Sign Code was amended, and
will now be reviewed and updated with the Unified Development Code
cycle, once every 5 years starting in 2020. The Ordinance was
approved by City Council on May 4, 2017, and will go into effect
starting July 3.
This
was a big undertaking that stemmed from a September 2015 Council
Consideration Request. To ensure buy in from the community, DSD
facilitated 21 stakeholder meetings that included members of
neighborhood associations, billboard operators, the Real Estate
Council, San Antonio and Texas Sign Association, and many
others. These groups contributed more than 1,000 hours of
their time to help develop the updated chapter.
In an
effort to make sure the community is aware of the new changes, the
Development Services Department (DSD) will offer an education
campaign to help get the information out timely and accurately.
 Sign code highlights include:
-
increase the buffer from residential homes
- adds flexibility to relocate billboards due to government action
- increases enforcement for violations
- provides consistency for digital sign brightness measurements
- requires a permit for "garage sale" signs placed off
personal property (first two are included with cost of the
permit)
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clarifies removal or maintenance for safety purposes
- current signs that are legal today, will stay the same
As in
the past, DSD will host meetings with various groups, including the
neighborhood associations and sign stakeholders to make sure
all questions are answered regarding the new changes. We will also
offer an online overview, and distribute the highlights to all
impacted.
A
special "Thank You" to all the stakeholders that helped
us accomplish this change. Your support throughout the amendment
process is greatly appreciated.
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Additional
DSD Council Items Passed
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NCD
Weekly Permit Process - approved on May 18
The
Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) weekly permit process was
amended to include weekly reports that will be distributed to
registered neighborhood associations. The weekly reports
include notifications regarding preliminary plan review meetings
and permit applications. In addition, these weekly
reports will
be available online.
Neighborhood
Protection Policy - approved on May 4
The
amendment to Chapter 10, section 10-12, allows the building
official to withhold the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy
(COO) to businesses, as defined by the current International
Building Code adopted by the City of San Antonio, with violations.
With this change, a business with a history of having their
COO revoked at least twice in the past, by the building official,
can have their COO withheld for up to 1-year.
Street Names Code
Change - approved on May 4
City Council approved a change to Chapter 6, section 6-674,
Changing the Name of Street. This change approves a five-year
wait period for subsequent name changes to same street
segments. The amended change is as follows: 'From the
date of the respective City Council action, a segment of street
that City Council has approved for change of name or addition of
memorial designation may not be altered for a period of five (5)
years.'
For
more information, please visit the DSD website.
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Congratulations
to our new DSD Administrators
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The latest Information Bulletins (IB) are
provided below:
Plan Review optional
certifications are:
-Certification of IRC Compliance (excluding any structural)
-Certification for Foundation and Structural Framing (including any
tall walls or lintels, but excluding wall bracing)
-Certification of Braced Wall Design
-Certification of Energy Conservation Design
Inspection optional certifications
include Foundation, Framing, Wall
Bracing, Energy Conservation, Fire Blocking / Draft
Stopping, Notching and Boring / Life Safety Plan
For options not chosen,
the City will perform Plan Review and/or Inspections as appropriate
for those items. Plan Review will continue to review for
platting and for zoning as well as tree preservation for a
residential application.
IB
116 Preliminary Plan Review Meetings,posted 5/8 - The IB was
revised to change the contact phone number. In addition, the
application form was changed to add a request for someone to speak to
the overall plan review process.
For a complete list of
resources, visit the following sites:
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Performance Measures - FY 2017
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The complete Performance
Measures report is available online.
Permit Activity
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Building
Permits and Inspection Requirements
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Warmer days usually lead
to more construction of residential decks, fences, additions and
accessory sheds. Keep the following things in mind when
starting your project:
- Confirm that the contractor
is registered with the City of San Antonio.
- Permits are needed for certain types of
work:
- Inspections are required upon each stage in
the building process, we offer the following to help you
prepare:
When hiring a
contractor, verify the contractor's license with Development
Services, and research their recommendations online or open permit
status. Most reputable contractors will not ask for full payment
before the starting work.
For more information,
please visit the building permit
requirements overview web page, or call Sylvia Flood, Chief
Building Inspector for Residential Combination Team, at 207-2750. |
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Registered Contractor Search
Available Online
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The City of San Antonio
requires all City and State licensed contractors to be registered
with the Development Services Department (DSD) prior to the issuance
of any permit(s).
To help property owners
find a licensed contractor, DSD offers a 'Contractor Search' feature
available online. To use this feature, customers will need to use the
license type search feature, available on the DSD website. This
feature includes a drop down list of all license types registered
with the City. Once you select the type of contractor you are looking
for, click on the 'Find Record' button to obtain the list of
registered contractors. While the list offers business names and
addresses, it does not provide phone numbers; we suggest to Google
the company after selecting your business of choice.
 If additional help is needed, customers can
contact the Call Center and provide the name of the company, license
holder, or license number and our staff will confirm if the
contractor is registered and more importantly verify that the
contractor is active.
Please note if you are a
first time contractor registering with the City, you will need to
register in person. DSD offers help obtaining or renewing City issued
licenses or contractor registration during regular business hours.
Registration requirements vary depending on the type of license or
registration you hold. To learn more about obtaining a contractor
license, visit the registration web
page.
For more information,
you may email the DSD License Team or
call customer service at 210.207.1111. |
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SABCA
Training is Coming
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This
summer's SABCA Training will be held at the Hardberger Park Urban
Ecology Center. The topic will be: 2015 International Existing
Building Code (IEBC) Overview.
There
is still time to sign up for the June 20 training; this session will
run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Other Department News
- Customer
Comments, New Hires, Recognition and more
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Here's
what you said about us...
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 Dennis Attard, Sr. Electrical Inspector, Field
Services
I
cannot thank the City of San Antonio Development Services Department
(DSD) enough for ensuring that the company installing our solar panel
system completed all tasks within city codes and safety regulations
accordingly. A special thanks to Mr. Dennis Attard, one of the
electrical inspectors for our residence, who took the time to answer
all of our questions while providing informative responses and
recommendations. His feedback via a conference call also facilitated
the ability of one of the contracted electricians to fix the
deficiencies identified on our inspection card. What an asset Dennis
Attard is to the SA DSD Electrical Inspection team - we are so
appreciative of his time and service!
Jeremy Camarillo, DSD Specialist Supervisor, and
Monica Guillermo, DSD Rep., Customer Advocate, Plan Review and
Katie Totman, OHP
I left messages with the
Historic Preservation and Development Services and received prompt
replies. The three people I spoke with answered my questions
professionally and clearly. And one quickly found the answer to one
of my questions. My experience today with these two City of San
Antonio Offices has renewed my faith in our city government. I appreciate
the professionalism showed to me. Please know it was well received.
Anna
Alexander, Development Services Specialist, Customer Advocate, Plan
Review and Zeke Solis, Sr. Planner, Zoning, Land Development
I
received more than exemplary customer service and was provided with
all if not more information regarding all aspects of my initial
inquiry. I felt as though my concerns where prioritized by this
department and the overall experience was beyond my expectations.
Thanks to Anna M. Alexander and Zenon Solis.
Lisa McKenzie, Graffiti Program Coordinator, Graffiti
Abatement, Field Services
Excellent
work this morning! Please thank your team for me. This past Friday
night there was the senior prom for one of the high schools at the
Eilan. I believe the students that were not invited decided to do
something different to impress the students that did attend their
prom. Overnight the tagging began. Thank you for the fast work.
I am truly impressed with the turnaround time. I greatly appreciate
the service. Thanks, David McCary, Director, Solid Waste
Management
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Congratulations
to our DSD employees who received the following certifications:
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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.
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For comments or suggestions regarding the
Development Insight Newsletter,
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Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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