Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves Broadway seasonal-structure plan with added landscaping, asks staff to pursue re-siting of service building
Summary
The San Antonio Historic Review Commission approved a substitute motion to permit seasonal/utility structures at 1611 Broadway with staff conditions, added landscaping and direction to explore relocating Building 1 toward the alley; the applicant was asked to return if required by UDC timelines.
The San Antonio Historic Review Commission on May 6 approved a modified permit for seasonal structures at 1611 Broadway, directing staff to add landscaping and to work with the applicant on moving a service building toward the alley.
Vice Chair Chancey Betzer opened discussion and described the Commission’s authority under the Unified Development Code. Applicant Lorena Gómez Farías (KPNJ) said the design uses decorative finishes and screening so “no se ve como un edificio de servicios” and that the restroom exhaust and mechanical equipment would be concealed and screened.
Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff on specific site concerns: the location of a transformer and generator on Broadway; whether the bathroom exhaust fan could be shifted away from the public sidewalk to limit odors and noise; and the lack of interior trees that could reduce heat and improve the site’s appearance. A committee member said the proposal as presented “does not conform with the UDC” in several respects and flagged insufficient interior landscaping.
After an initial motion to deny failed, commissioners proposed and passed a substitute motion to approve the project with staff stipulations, added plantings and a direction that staff and the applicant explore relocating Building 1 to the west (along the alley) when feasible. The substitute motion included a requirement that the applicant coordinate with staff and return by May 20 if formal action is required under UDC time limits.
The Commission recorded the roll-call vote for the substitute motion as provided in the meeting record. Commissioners who voted yes included Sabino, Mezuka, the member recorded as Group, Travieso, Fetzer and Gibbs; Velázquez, Galloway, Guevara and Cohen were recorded as voting no. The substitute motion passed by recorded vote.
What happens next: staff will work with the applicant on the landscaping details and any feasible re-siting of Building 1. The applicant may return to the Commission on or before May 20 if any permit or UDC deadline requires formal action.
