Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bulverde board approves well‑house variance for Richardson property in Centennial Village
Summary
The Board of Adjustment approved a variance allowing property owners Tom and Jampano Richardson to build a well house and related infrastructure before construction of a primary residence, after the applicant said the well equipment was already installed and homeowners and the ACC advised installing infrastructure early.
The Bulverde Board of Adjustment voted to approve a variance permitting a well house and related accessory infrastructure to remain on a lot in Centennial Village ahead of a main residence.
Tom Richardson, who identified himself as one of the property owners, told the board the well, booster pump and storage tank are installed and that his wife, a Bexar County Master Gardener, wants to begin landscaping and orchard work. He said the household intends to rely on a generator for pump power until permanent electrical service is installed. Richardson said the couple bought the lot in 2023 and had planned to start housing construction in about two to three years, but market and personal circumstances pushed that timeline out.
Steve Delivac, speaking for the Centennial Ridge Property Owners Association, told the board the HOA's CC&Rs are silent on wells and that, provided the applicants submit to the ACC and follow design guidelines, the association would not object to a small well house used for equipment protection.
Board members questioned whether the applicants had alternatives such as temporary insulation, capping and removal of equipment, or smaller protective measures. Staff explained the well itself is permitted by the groundwater authority, but the structure protecting well equipment requires a city building permit and that accessory structures typically are reviewed in conjunction with a primary dwelling application. The board discussed the three legal variance factors in depth, weighing whether the applicants had demonstrated a special condition or hardship.
After discussion the board moved and approved the Richardson request. The record shows the board considered neighborhood design controls and the applicants' need to protect substantial on‑site investment in the well and pump equipment; the transcript records the motion carried and the board noted the required affirmative threshold for variance approval.
