Board allows owner 30 days to deconstruct or demolish 1322 Roosevelt Ave.; order references deconstruction code

The San Antonio Building Standards Board voted 5-0 to order removal of the structure at 1322 Roosevelt Avenue within 30 days and to note that the property is subject to the city's deconstruction requirements.

Ryan Garza, dangerous premises officer for Development Services, presented photographs and a timeline showing the structure’s deterioration and water damage and said no scope of work, proof of funds, letter of credit or engineer’s report had been provided; he recommended demolition under City Code Article 8, Chapter 6. Garza also said the Office of Historic Preservation had previously determined the property was not eligible for historic designation (08/23/2024) but later sent notice that deconstruction requirements applied under a newer ordinance.

Owner Kenji Delkumar and his son, Yogesh (who spoke at the hearing), told the board they had contracted for removal and that a contractor attempted to pull a permit but was blocked by the permit office after the hearing was scheduled. "We have a contract in place along with, a check that was issued to him," Yogesh Delkumar told the board.

Board discussion focused on whether to permit the owners to perform deconstruction themselves or to order city demolition. Legal staff advised that if the property is subject to the deconstruction ordinance the board's order must reflect that; legal also said the order can be written to require demolition while noting deconstruction rules apply. A point of discussion was whether the contractor was certified to perform deconstruction; staff said they would confirm the contractor's Office of Historic Preservation deconstruction certification before permits issue.

Boardmember Robert Behnke moved to give the owners an opportunity to deconstruct the property under the deconstruction code within 30 days; the motion was seconded and the board voted 5-0. Legal instructed staff to record the order using demolition wording while indicating the property is subject to the deconstruction code, a formulation the board directed staff to use.

The order cited City Code Article 8, Chapter 6, and listed the subsections staff identified as violations. The board's action preserves the city's deconstruction requirements and gives the owner the opportunity to complete removal with the contractor, subject to confirmation of deconstruction certification and permit issuance.