Council discusses expanding open‑structure (carport) overlay; staff to pursue neighborhood‑level approach and faster remedies for existing unpermitted carports

City planning staff updated the San Angelo City Council on a request to expand the city’s open‑structure overlay (section 3.12 of the zoning ordinance) to additional neighborhoods, and council members and residents discussed tradeoffs between allowing front‑yard carports and protecting neighborhood character. No formal vote was taken; council requested additional neighborhood engagement and faster case‑by‑case remedies for existing unpermitted structures.

City planner Aaron said the overlay was adopted in February 2005 to allow certain open structures (porches, carports) in front setbacks under design rules that once included drawings but were removed before adoption. He warned that a state law taking effect after April 2019 limits local governments’ ability to require specific materials when those materials are covered by standard building codes. “It essentially says after April 2019, citizens are limited in requiring specific materials if they're already adopted in a standard building code,” Aaron said.

Aaron told council the city is a Certified Local Government (CLG) with the Texas Historic Commission (designation from 1994) but that CLG protections apply to designated historic districts and would not automatically restore design control across the broader open‑structure overlay. He also said many newer subdivisions lack alley access—developers moved utilities to the front to reduce costs—so homeowners sometimes have no way to add a backyard garage and instead seek front‑yard solutions.

Councilmember Lucy, who requested the discussion, said many constituents want protection from weather and hail and would prefer carports that blend visually with houses. “I would like to see you be able to have the ordinance read like it has about the materials, about the building, about it attaching to the house,” Lucy said.

Several residents asked the council to allow an existing metal carport to remain. Mary Castanuela said she purchased a home in 2021 that included a metal carport and that she did not know it lacked a permit; she said the structure was built in 2003 and removing it would be a financial burden. “We purchased this property with a carport already in place in 2021… I come to you today asking you to please consider allowing us to keep this carport as we are senior citizens living on a fixed monthly income,” Castanuela said. Neighbor Twyla Huffman testified she recalled being asked decades earlier and said others in the neighborhood did not oppose the structure when it was installed.

Staff noted existing processes that can legalize or exempt structures in some cases: variance requests to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) require notice to properties within 200 feet and are the mechanism for front‑setback variances; building‑code and safety concerns must also be evaluated. Aaron said staff will continue to work with individual homeowners to find compliance pathways, and he recommended the council pursue a neighborhood‑by‑neighborhood assessment as part of a comprehensive‑plan update rather than a citywide, blanket change.

Councilmembers also asked staff to move more quickly on interim measures. Councilmember Larry and others pressed for a two‑track approach: (1) a short‑term plan to address existing unpermitted structures and complaints, and (2) a longer‑term comprehensive‑plan and unified development code rewrite (staff said they are refining a grant application to fund the latter). Council discussed allowable backyard coverage in residential zoning—staff said RS‑1 rules allow up to 40% lot coverage and accessory structures may affect that calculation—and the practical difficulty of enforcing how a structure is used once built.

The mayor directed planning staff to meet individually with affected residents and to return with more detailed options, short‑term remedies and a timeline for neighborhood engagement in the comprehensive plan process. No ordinance change or formal variance policy change was adopted at the meeting.