Board of Adjustment denies one short‑term rental exception, approves several variances and setbacks; two items continued

San Antonio — The Board of Adjustment met and took action on a range of zoning and variance requests, denying one special‑exception short‑term rental request, approving fence, lot‑size and setback variances for several properties, and continuing two cases for further neighborhood outreach.

The board denied a request to allow an additional Type 2 short‑term rental at 2306 East Houston Street after finding the applicant did not meet the code’s density limits and the board did not concur with the findings of fact. Staff had recommended denial; the motion to grant the special exception failed on a 2‑to‑9 vote.

Why it matters: Short‑term rental density rules are intended to limit concentrations of non‑owner‑occupied short‑term rentals on a block face. The board’s decision preserves the existing block‑face caps in the neighborhood, and the applicant may pursue other lawful use options.

Most important actions and context

- 2306 East Houston Street (Type 2 short‑term rental request): Staff described the property and the block‑face count; there are 11 units on the block face and two active Type 2 permits at 2314 and 2344 East Houston Street. Staff said the current block face is roughly 18% Type 2; if approved it would rise to about 27%. Applicant representative Jessica Flores asked the board to approve the special exception, saying the owners planned to operate responsibly and that short‑term rentals support tourism and local tax revenue. The board voted against granting the special exception; the motion failed 2 to 9. “We’re trying to do a request for the special exception to obtain a short term rental for this property,” Jessica Flores told the board during her presentation.

- 6215 Via La Cantera, Unit 285 (appeal of revocation of short‑term rental permit): Staff reported the permit was revoked after a finding of delinquent hotel‑occupancy‑tax (HOT) filings and remittances, with notices mailed between November 2024 and March 2025 and a revocation on Aug. 12, 2025. Applicant Jitendra (Jatinder) Pal Singh said the account had been miscategorized, that some taxes had been handled by platforms and that, once he understood the filing requirements, he paid the outstanding balance and corrected the filings. He told the board, “We take the full responsibility for the misunderstanding related to our HOT payments.” The board debated whether the revocation represented a staff enforcement error or an applicant filing failure. A motion to grant the appeal was made and considered; the board’s final recorded action on that motion was that it failed. (Transcript: the chair said, “the motion does fail.”)

- 1206 & 1200 West Avenue (fence material and height variance request): The applicants asked to allow corrugated metal fence material and a 2‑foot height variance (10 feet total) along specified property lines for a commercial nonconforming tire shop. Staff recommended denial, noting the material is expressly prohibited and the height could affect light and airflow to adjacent property; the Los Angeles Heights Neighborhood Association registered opposition while the applicant provided…