Thursday, September 1, 2016

Development Insight August 2016 Newsletter



   Partnering with the community to build and maintain a safer San Antonio      │    August 2016



Development Services Department


Roderick J. Sanchez
AICP, CBO-Director
210.207.8259







Check out
the latest 
to learn more about the 
top 5 violations
 



Grow Over Graffiti
Learn how to discourage graffiti vandalism. 




- Sept. 5 - 
Labor Day


Development &
Business
 Services Center

Main Address:
1901 S. Alamo San Antonio, TX 78204

Office Hours: 
7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday

Mailing Address:
PO Box 839966
San Antonio, TX 78283


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FY 2017 Proposed Budget Development Services Dept.
On August 18, the City Manager presented the proposed FY 2017 City of San Antonio Budget to City Council.  

The Development Services Department (DSD) highlights include:
  • 18 New Positions
  • Tree and Additional Revenue Enhancements
  • Smart City - BuildSA On-Line Permitting
  • Comprehensive Plan Support with the Redevelopment of Center City
  • No reductions to General Fund for Code Enforcement or the Development Services Fund
The proposed winter holiday schedule is the week of December 25. Assuming City Council approves the budget in September, Development Services will be closed during this time. As always, we will discuss the potential need for services during the Winter Break with our customers.

For more information regarding the DSD Proposed FY 2017 DSD Budget, visit the Latest News on our home page.  

To view the total city budget, visit the Transparency SA Data Portal Overview web site.


BuildSA Brief
 

The Development Services Department is pleased to announce the new BuildSA web site is now available. The web site offers valuable information to keep you up-to-date throughout project development, including scheduled timelines and training opportunities. Visit the new web site at www.sanantonio.gov/dsd/buildsa to learn more about the overall project. 

On the web site, you will notice we also have a BuildSA facebook page. Search City of San Antonio Build SA on facebook and Like us to stay in touch with the project team and to learn more about the latest happenings.

The BuildSA Team continues to work hard as they test and assess Land Development's business processes and services and gather requirements for Plan Review and Inspection Services.

As more information is available, we will pass it on. For questions, suggestions and concerns, please contact the BuildSA OCM Manager by email at BuildSAOCMTeam@sanantonio.gov.  


Performance Measures - FY 2016

Performance Measures


The complete Performance Measures Report is available online

Permit Activity    

 


Information Bulletins and Other Resources
The Information Bulletins (IB) provided below include noteworthy changes; please review the items to ensure you have the latest information available: 

IB 209 aligns the commissioning, shutoff dampers, HVAC controls, and economizer requirements to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). 

IB 182 - Plumbing Inspection Preparation/Readiness, posted 8/23/16
IB 182 was revised so the title of this IB matches the language on the plumbing permit.  

IB 172 was revised to clarify the requirements for residential foundations repair and/or commercial foundations repair and/or replacement permits.

DSD and SAFD revised IB 102a and 102b to specify the new submittal requirements of the Fire Protection Engineer.

The purpose of this IB 225 is to clarify how DSD defines, interprets, permits and inspects dwelling units.
 
IB 223 - Residential and Commercial Fences, posted 8/12/16
DSD created IB 223 to describe the process and the minimum requirements for obtaining residential or commercial fence permits. 

These IBs were recently updated to reflect new contact information for submitting your letters to Development Services.
 

For a complete list of resources, visit the sites shared below:    

The DSD Resources web site also offers more information, including Document Search, Forms and Applications, and Latest News.
 


Interested in Lead Abatement Work?
Attention City of San Antonio's Home Improvement Contractors:  San Antonio's Green and Healthy Homes (SAGHH) Program will provide guidance to Home Improvement Contractors interested in branching out into lead abatement work.  The preliminary application can be found online at: http://www.renewsa.com/ProgramsServices/GreenandHealthyHomes.aspx

Once the application is approved, San Antonio's Green & Healthy Homes (SAGHH) program will enroll the contractor for Lead Supervisor, Lead Worker and RRP training with one of the trainers currently under contract with the City of San Antonio. This is simply the first step in becoming a state certified lead abatement contractor.  The contractor must pass a series of state certification exams, license the firm and workers through the state and meet any additional insurance requirements (if applicable).  

Once the contractor receives all the appropriate state certifications and meets the insurance requirements, the contractor may be added to the list of SAGHH Lead Abatement Contractors. The list is an on-call list and costs are determined by a fixed cost list.

For questions, please contact Myrna R. Esquivel, Senior Management Coordinator, at: Myrna.Esquivel@sanantonio.gov.





Call Before You Dig!


In partnering with CPS Energy, Development Services wants to help make safety a priority when digging in the ground. As such, be sure to 'Call before you Dig' prior to starting an outdoor project, and take into account the following safety tips:

Carefully examine the job site for potential hazards before any work begins. Conditions can easily change, so check the site frequently and communicate the information with the entire workforce. Be sure to correct any hazards prior to starting any job.

Overhead safety is essential as there are many dangers that exist when working above your head. Examine the job site for overhead power lines, poles and guy wires before starting an outdoor job. If work is to be completed near overhead lines, call CPS Energy at 210.353.2222 to have service lines disconnected.

Safe digging, whether performing major excavation or minor landscaping, is critical for contractors, as they need to safeguard themselves from hazards related to damaging underground pipelines. A simple, free call to 8-1-1 gets all of public utility lines on the job site marked to help protect the workforce from injury and costly property damage.

Touching downed power lines can cause serious injury or death. You cannot tell by looking whether a line is "live" or "hot" or not. Even if a downed line is not actively sparking, always assume it is carrying electricity. Stay away from a downed wire and anything it is touching such as a fence or equipment.

For more information, visit the Energy Safety web site or contact CPS Energy at 210.353.2222.

City News

GOOGLE FIBER IN SAN ANTONIO

Call, email or chat with a Google support representative to get more information about Google fiber in San Antonio.



The Mayor's Housing Summit
Join us Sept. 30 to discuss developing diverse neighborhoods and housing opportunities.
 


World Heritage Festival 
See what events will take place at the City's 1st World Heritage Festival, September 7 to 11.


Other Department News
 - Customer Comments, New Hires, Recognition, etc.  

Here's what you said about us...
Martha Bernal, Planner, Jose Garcia, Planner, Ernest Brown, Planner, Land Development and Leo Salas, Plans Examiner II, Plan Review
Martha, Jose, Ernest and Leo took a lot of time out of their day yesterday to separately meet with me to discuss a relocation project. They were all very professional, courteous, pleasant, and provided valuable guidance based on the current circumstances. DSD staff are doing a great job by answering my questions regarding the process. This is a great help as it allows me to create a list of options on how to proceed for my client's consideration. As you know, the City encourages small businesses to succeed in San Antonio, as well as utilize vacant lots in blighted areas. Therefore, your staff's time and assistance is important in achieving this goal....I just wanted to recognize and applaud them for that.

Pete Gomez, Planner, Land Entitlements, Land Development
I really enjoyed Pete Gomez being my Case Manager for an Amending Plat. He is always very courteous and very professional. He promptly returns my calls and emails.  Thank you.  I am very pleased to know he is in Platting. 

Lori Campos, Anthony Flores and Christopher Mercado, Graffiti, Code Enforcement, Field Services
I am thoroughly impressed with how fast the city rectified our issue by removing the horrendous graffiti along the edge of our building.  Ms. Campos was a joy to work with, ensuring our request was handled. Mr. Anthony Flores and Christopher Mercado were also instrumental in the physical removal of the graffiti. We truly appreciate the dedication of the Development Services staff that helped us. Their passion and efforts are commendable; they are employees that are an asset to the Development Services Office and San Antonio as a whole. 

Bob Gobert, Fire Protection Specialist, Plan Review
If more municipalities had a qualified person and the willingness of Mr. Gobert there would be less resubmittals. Mr. Gobert gave me time to discuss my project and codes so that I was able to turn plans in on time and have them approved. I also thank him for telling me about the fast track system which was very helpful. San Antonio is a very lucky municipality to have this plan reviewer. I want to thank him for the time he gave me and my company to make this process as smooth as possible. I appreciate him giving me the time and respect for my efforts in installing a code compliant system. 


New Employees

 


Promotions

 


Certifications

Congratulations to our DSD employees who received the following certifications: 



Job Opportunities

Development Services is recruiting for the following positions; apply on-line at:  jobs.



For comments or suggestions regarding the Development Services Newsletter, contact Kathy Quinones.

City of San Antonio, Development Services, 1901 S. Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78204




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