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The UDC undergoes an amendment process every five years. The 2021 UDC proposed amendments were presented to the Planning and Community Development Committee on Aug. 25, 2022, who voted for a B "Briefing" Session scheduled for Oct. 19. We anticipate final consideration and action on Nov. 3. Once approved by Council, the amendments will become effective 90 days later. During this time, the Development Services Department (DSD) staff will coordinate training sessions in November and December; these classes will be recorded and posted online for ease of access.
Visit the UDC website for more information about the overall process.
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On Sept. 14, 2022, the Planning Commission considered recommendations from their nominating committee for appointments to the Planning Commission Technical Advisory Committee (PCTAC). The Planning Commission accepted all recommendations, and the following are now appointed to serve their two-year terms:
Community Representatives:
Primary – Jody Sherrill
Primary – Brittney Dale
Alternate – Richard Wilson
Planning Professional:
Primary – Michael Taylor
Alternate – Ken Brown
Registered Professional Engineer:
Primary – Ryan Plagens
Development/Real Estate Professional:
Primary – Paul Basaldua
DSD extended the application window for the Alternate Historic Preservation Professional position as no candidates applied. The opportunity to apply remains open through Oct. 7.
For more information about PCTAC, visit our website.
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2021 All Codes (Sign Code, San Antonio Property Maintenance Code, Building-related Codes)
DSD is charged with reviewing and adopting the newest building-related codes every three years. These codes are based on the International Code Council (ICC) codes. All the codes are slated to be presented to City Council for consideration and approval in the October / November timeframe and will become effective 90 days later.
For more information on the code updates, visit our website.
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Digital Plan Room (Building Permits) Update
The City of San Antonio Development Services Department, in partnership with ePermit Hub, recently completed an update to the Digital Plan Room. The updated version (2.0) of the Digital Plan Room features a new Issues Report, which extracts plan sheets, supporting documents and general issues that are in status of Open and/or Answered. The report includes a summary of all pending issues and can be generated and downloaded in the Accela Citizen Access (ACA) Digital Plan Room. Click here to view a short video tutorial.
To learn more about the new enhancements, please look at the BuildSA Digital Plan Room update.
BuildSA Training Series Continues
This month, we are excited to offer a virtual training on navigating the ACA portal. The BuildSA training series is free to attend and includes the following topics:
- Creating an online Portal Account (ACA Account)
- Creating an application online (general overview)
- Checking the status of your permit application
- Paying fees
- Scheduling inspections and reviewing inspection comments
- Contacts and Delegates
If you are interested in learning more about navigating the online portal please register for this event and join us Oct. 20 at 9:30 a.m.
For additional training resources, please visit our BuildSA website.
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The annual budget process concluded on Sept. 15 with City Council’s approval of the FY 2023 budget. Below is a quick snapshot of items approved as part of the new budget.
Development/Enterprise Fund: two (2) positions each for customer service (Call Center and Permit Counter), Short Term Rentals and Strike Team; seven (7) positions for a new Airport Team dedicated to planning, permitting, and inspections related to the new terminal.
General Fund: two (2) positions for the proactive inspections of apartment complexes and one (1) position to serve as a liaison between Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Housing Services Department (NHSD). The new liaison will ensure residents are connected to NHSD Housing Navigators to assist families in need of social services and property owners/tenants achieve code compliance.
In addition, to the 16 positions noted above, the department's FY 2023 budget includes capital improvements to our facility, the Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center, including repairs and replacement of the HVAC system and remodeling of the former plans vault and former call center. Both areas were previously used to store large amounts of paper and are no longer needed for these purposes.
Along with the approval of DSD's new positions, City Council also approved salary increases and the holiday schedule for city staff. Once adopted, the FY 2023 city budget will run Oct.1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023. For more information, visit the budget website.
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On Sept. 8, 2022, San Antonio City Council adopted the City’s first deconstruction ordinance! Under the new ordinance, San Antonio's oldest housing stock - if approved for removal - will require dismantling by hand in order to maximize material salvage and reuse. The ordinance takes effect Oct. 1, 2022, for City-executed demolitions and Jan. 1, 2023, for private demolition requests if the structure falls within the following parameters:
- Residential (fourplex and smaller) and accessory structures built on or before Dec. 31, 1920, regardless of location in the city limits; or
- Residential (fourplex and smaller) and accessory structures built on or before Dec. 31, 1945, if designed historic or located within a Neighborhood Conservation District.
The ordinance is a result of over four years of collaborative, integrative work with the guidance of the Deconstruction Advisory Committee, community stakeholders, and City Council, and is designed to meet multiple environmental, economic, and public health goals, including: reducing construction and demolition waste, improving equitable access to high-quality reclaimed materials, and growing local workforce opportunities in deconstruction, reuse retail, and heritage trades.
For more information on ordinance phasing and requirements, resources for material reuse, and more, visit the San Antonio Reuse website!
Are you interested in becoming a Certified Deconstruction Contractor? Sign up for the Deconstruction Program listserv to be notified of upcoming training opportunities in October and November. If you have any questions regarding the program or policy, please email Stephanie Phillips with the Office of Historic Preservation.
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The Development Services Department will host the Fall 2022 San Antonio Building Codes Academy (SABCA) training sessions in October and November. All training sessions will be in-person from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Significant Changes to the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC)
Dates: Oct. 27 and 28
Location: Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center
Course instructor: Sandra Hyde, Managing Director for Product Development for the International Code Council (ICC)
Significant Changes to the 2021 International Fire Code (IFC)
Dates: Nov. 2 and 3
Location: Alamodome
Course instructor: Terrell Stripling, a seasoned instructor with 20 years of fire service experience
Each course will be offered twice and will generate six (6) Continuing Education Units (.6 CEUs).
Be on the lookout for an email with registration details. In the meantime, please contact Amanda Quijano for any questions or visit the SABCA website for more information.
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Contractor Connect training continues. The upcoming schedule is listed above and also posted on our website. All sessions are in-person and run from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sign up in advance during one of your visits at our counter or by calling us at 210.207.1111. For more information, visit our website.
For our residents - Check out the Contractor Search Tool!
For residents, Contractor Connect also provides an enhanced search tool that generates a list of registered contractors to choose from. The list is compiled based on the type of work (home improvement, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc.) needed for the project, along with the category-level of Registered, Registered Plus, or Premier. The list is updated monthly, and free of charge for your convenience.
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Customer Kiosks Back in the One Stop Lobby
This year has seen exciting changes to how Development Services provides services to our customers, starting with the implementation of the Call Center’s “Virtual Hold” callback feature. This month we are re-tooling a pre-pandemic lobby customer experience with the re-introduction of self-service customer kiosks.
Adjacent to the security access control station, the four customer kiosk stations are intended to provide customers with the ability to bypass seeing a permit counter staff person altogether or using one of the stations to perform application-related research or transactions (like pay fees).
“The Customer Advocate Team is very excited to roll out our new self-serve kiosks in our lobby,” said Sharon Trudeau, Development Services Manager. “Our goal is to not only provide quick and helpful training tips for our customers, but also to eliminate lengthy wait times for quick and easy permit requests.”
Through this initiative, Evelyn Antu (Development Services Specialist) will be providing concierge services for our customers and guiding them through use of the kiosks. Sharon added “so far the kiosks have been well received and, once again, our team is providing yet another layer of customer service we know they will appreciate!”
The customer kiosk stations are being soft-launched with existing hardware, with new hardware and furniture on the horizon.
Scheduling an Inspection
Effective Oct. 1, leaving a voicemail to schedule an inspection will no longer be an option when calling the One Stop Call Center. Please note all inspections will need to be scheduled either online, at no charge, or by our staff for a $3.00 fee. We appreciate your assistance in this matter.
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QUICK LINKS:
**Information Bulletins located in Documents Online are numbered by section.
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The City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department is responsible for coordinating land and building development throughout the City. In partnership with other City departments, Development Services helps homeowners, business owners, and those in the commercial industry plan and execute development projects. Projects can be as simple as a kitchen renovation in a home and as complex as constructing a new building on an untouched piece of property.
To join our DSD team, visit the City's Career web page and fill out an application today.
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