Page 10 - Builder Brief March 2021 Issue

Liz Richter
D.R. Horton Homes Co-Chair; Government Affairs Committee
What's Happening: We are three months into the City of San Antonio’s release of their BuildSA software, Accela. While it’s been challenging and frustrating at times, City staff has been very responsive to our issues and helpful to resolve them in a timely manner. GSABA has arranged several webinars with the City staff for training as well as question and answer sessions for our members. During these sessions, recommendations were given to the City for improvements with the software as well as modifications to email notifications. Sometimes suggestions were as simple as adding the permit address to the email notification instead of just showing the application or permit number. A big
concern from builders and subcontractors was the task of waiting for a permit to be issued before the parent- child relationship could be established for the house. Once the permit was issued, the builder would have to log back in to Accela and add the licensed professionals to the site-specific permit. The City realized this was cumbersome and released a new build of the software in late February to modify the permit application so the licensed professionals could be added at application stage. It is encouraging to know that the feedback we have been providing to City staff is being acted upon and improvements are being made!
San Antonio DSD Permit & Inspection Portal
GSABA GOVERNMENT AFFAI
Government Affai
Development & Building Challenges
Blake Harrington
Ashton Woods Boerne GA City Team Leader
What's Happening: Kendall County’s Development Rules and Regulations (Nov. 2010) require, among other things, that “Subdivisions served by a public water system using only water transported from outside of Kendall County... and served by a wastewater treatment system...” shall not have a lot count that exceeds “... the total number of acres in the subdivision divided by three (3).” Additionally, lots in such a subdivision are required to have at least 100 feet of road frontage, 50- foot front and rear setbacks, and 10-foot side setbacks.
Why It Matters: The above-mentioned requirements individually and collectively amount to de facto regulation of density by Kendall County in its unincorporated territory. Such density regulation by a County is expressly prohibited under the Local Government Code. The same is true for all but a very limited set of setback requirements counties are authorized to impose. Relying on the platting authority granted to it by an interlocal agreement with the City of San Antonio, the County even seeks to enforce these
requirements into San Antonio’s ETJ, a very small portion of which extends beyond the Kendall County line. We believe that the County’s attempts to enforce these requirements are an affront to the spirit and intent of the laws of our great state and should be fiercely challenged. Inasmuch as it tacitly acknowledges its overreach, Kendall County has proposed legislation which would allow it to regulate density. The proposed, unsponsored bill seeks these rights on behalf of Kendall County alone and to the exclusion of the remaining 253 Texas counties.
What We Are Doing: The Texas Association of Builders (TAB) is working to mount a collective response at both state and local levels. If private property owners, builders, developers, homeowners and homebuyers have one thing in common, it is that we are required to abide by the laws of the jurisdictions in which we live and do business. Shouldn’t we expect the same of our local governments and the governing bodies that administer ordinances on their behalf?
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