Development Insight - September 2022

The Development Services Department (DSD) received 234 proposed Unified Development Code (UDC) amendments for consideration in the 2021 UDC amendment cycle. During the 2015 UDC amendment cycle DSD received 296. The Planning Commission Technical Advisory Committee (PCTAC) made the following recommendations:

234 submitted
191 approved (82%)
2 denied (1%)
38 withdrawn (16%)
3 not sponsored by Planning Commission (1%)

During this process, numerous community meetings, DSD Academy sessions, and presentations to local community organizations and various neighborhood associations were held.

This item is headed to council next month, starting with a B- (Briefing) Session by October and as an item for full consideration; after approval by City Council, it will become effective January 1, 2023.

Visit the UDC website for more information about the overall process.

DSD opened the application window for Planning Commission Technical Advisory Committee applications on June 10, 2022, and accepted applications through August 12. In total, 26 applications were received for eight (8) vacant positions:

Historic Professional – 1 Primary
Planning Professional – 1 Primary & 1 Alternate
Registered Professional Engineer – 1 Primary
Development/Real Estate Professional – 1 Primary
Community – 2 Primaries & 1 Alternate

The Planning Commission’s nominating committee met on August 22 to review applications and schedule interviews with applicants. The full Planning Commission is expected to make final selections in September 2022. For more information about PCTAC, visit our website.

2021 I-Codes & 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC)
Development Services 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 and include:

Building code
Existing Building code
Residential code
Fire code
Mechanical code
Plumbing code
Fuel Gas code
Energy Conservation code
Swimming Pool and Spa code
2020 National Electrical code

This item is tentatively scheduled to be heard by City Council by November and become effective 90 days after.

Sign Code
Between April 22, 2022, thru August 4, 2022, DSD hosted two community engagement meetings online and six Sign Code Committee in-person meetings. Currently, there are 30 proposed amendments (9 internal and 21 external), with 13 recommended for approval, 1 recommended for denial, 11 tabled for additional information, 3 pending review, and 2 withdrawn.

Sign Code Committee has created three separate working groups to develop proposals for four of the proposed amendments to be reviewed by the committee. These working groups began weekly meetings last month. The Committee is continuing to review all the submitted amendments. This item is scheduled for City Council this fall and changes will be effective 90 days later.

San Antonio Property Maintenance Code (SAPMC)
Eight SAPMC Committee meetings were held April 29, 2022 thru July 29, 2022. A total of 83 proposed amendments (24 internal and 59 external) were submitted for review. Of these:

83 Proposed Amendments (17 identical)
- 24 Internal (2021 IPMC technical change)
- 59 External
66 Unique Proposals
- 28 Recommended for Approval
- 38 Recommended for Denial
4 No action taken (general comments)

Consideration by City Council is anticipated by Fall 2022, followed by a 90-day grace period after City Council approval before enforcement.

For more information on the code updates, visit our website.

Upcoming BuildSA Training
Our virtual BuildSA training series continues! This month, the topic is Submitting Minor Plat Applications/ Electronic Document Review using the BuildSA portal. If you are interested in learning more about how to submit a minor plat application, as well as, how to use the Electronic Document Review tool used for Platting, simply register for this event and join us September 22, 2022, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In the upcoming months, topics will include General Online Portal Navigation (i.e., delegates, checking record status, scheduling inspections and escrow accounts), and Registering as a Licensed Professional & Renewing your registration.

Every month, the BuildSA Team hosts a virtual training session. If you have any questions about the online portal or would like to submit a particular training topic, or need training for your team or organization, please contact the BuildSA Team at buildsaocmteam@sanantonio.gov.

BuildSA Usability Survey
It’s been almost two years since we completed the final phase of the transition to BuildSA, our new online portal. Our efforts to make improvements to BuildSA, that are important to you, are continuous. As we work through fixes and enhancements, we would like to hear from you. Please take our short survey and tell us more about your experience with BuildSA.

For additional training resources, please visit our BuildSA website.

FY 2023 Budget News
The City of San Antonio continues to work on the Budget process. As such, many of the districts have held in-person budget meetings. Upcoming schedule highlights include:

August to September – Council and Community Input
September 6 – DSD presents to Council
September 15 – FY 2022 Budget Adoption

For the complete FY 2023 Budget schedule, visit Budget website. Once adopted, the FY 2023 city budget will run October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023.

1902 S. Alamo – Parking Lot #2
Often times the parking lot at the One Stop is crowded, with no place to park. Typically, the shortage of parking is when the department is holding board and commission meetings. To help with parking, please use the overflow parking lot across the street at 1902 S. Alamo. Be sure to use the cross walk for your safety!

For your convenience, the parking is free of charge and open to the public.

The City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department (DSD) began investigating the establishment of the Alamo International Code Council (ICC) Chapter to provide training opportunities and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for DSD staff, municipalities surrounding San Antonio, and the development community.

The 2018 DSD Strategic Training Plan (STP) recommended this investigation to determine requirements for an ICC chapter to offer more training opportunities for staff and the development community. The recommendation specifically tasked Development Services to create a pool of DSD Preferred Providers (PP) who can train approved ICC courses. Currently, there are eleven DSD staff who are either training or developing the courses to train in the future. For example, Michael Constantino, Development Services Administrator, developed an Inspector Skills course and has trained more than 70 building inspectors, mostly newly hired trade inspectors.

Many benefits of an ICC Chapter will be realized, including a great networking opportunity for ICC Chapter members. Eligible ICC chapters would be awarded education benefits from ICC which could mean a complimentary training day for qualified chapters. Discussions about a possible Alamo ICC Chapter began early in 2016 and is now being developed.

Michael Shannon, DSD Director, talked with ICC regarding a “potential new ICC chapter in the greater San Antonio area (IH-35 Corridor),” and provided his approval on June 3, 2022, to complete an application for an Alamo ICC Chapter. Michael Constantino began contacting area cities to determine if these organizations were interested in becoming a member of a proposed ICC Chapter. These organizations may already have PP, and we welcome them. Mr. Constantino said, “creating this chapter is a great opportunity to communicate with industry leaders.” Another benefit is to increase the awareness of the development industry and its importance to the community.

DSD Preferred Provider Inspector Skills Training

Be on the lookout for further updates on this project as DSD staff continues to: work on the ICC Chapter application; contact other communities around the San Antonio area and outlying cities to become members; and provide some training as specific topics are developed. The new chapter will offer the opportunity for different membership classifications.

Please contact Michael Constantino if you are interested in learning more about this new project and if you’d like to become a chapter member. His email address is Michael.constantino@sanantonio.gov or call him at (210) 207-0159.

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.

DSD Academy is open and free for anyone to attend. It's a great way for residents to learn about what we do in DSD.

Join us for the next DSD Academy - Searching for Permits and Open Data Platform. The class is scheduled for Sept. 17. At this session, you can learn how to look for permits issued in your council district and how to use the City's Open Data Platform. Register today! Feel free to bring your laptop or other device for a real-time hands-on experience.

All DSD Academy sessions are in person and take place at the Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center, located at 1901 S. Alamo St., 78204, in the Boardroom (1st floor). All classes start at 9 a.m. For more information, and past presentations, visit the DSD Academy website.

QUICK LINKS:

**Information Bulletins located in Documents Online are numbered by section.

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.

Performance Measures

To view the report in its entirety visit, Development Services Department Performance Measures.

Permit Activity

Happy Labor Day! In observance of the city holiday, Sept. 5, 2022, the Development Services Department will be closed.

Have a great long weekend and stay safe.

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