Article VI. HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND URBAN DESIGN  

DIVISION 1. GENERAL ..... UDCVI:3

ARTICLE VI. HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND URBAN DESIGN

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The city council hereby recognizes that the City of San Antonio is internationally known for its beauty, friendliness, and historical significance. It is a noteworthy example of the confluence of diverse cultures in the new world. San Antonio is also uniquely blessed by its winding, meandering river. The river lends an incomparable quaintness and romantic charm especially to the downtown business district, a fact that has long made it one of our city's principal tourist attractions. San Antonio's unique qualities have proven increasingly attractive to residents, business interests, and tourists.

As a matter of public policy the council aims to preserve, enhance, and perpetuate those aspects of the city and the San Antonio River having historical, cultural, architectural and archaeological merit. Such preservation promotes and protects the health, safety, prosperity, education, comfort, and general welfare of the people living in and visiting San Antonio. More specifically, this article is designed to achieve the following goals:

•  To preserve, protect, and enhance historically, culturally, architecturally, and archaeologically significant sites and structures which impart a distinct aspect to the city and serve as visible reminders of the city's culture and heritage;

•  To promote the economic prosperity and welfare of the community by conserving the value of historic districts, landmark buildings, the Riverwalk, plus property and art owned by the City of San Antonio by encouraging the most appropriate use of such property within the city;

•  To recognize and protect the unique and distinctive character and qualities of the San Antonio River, as well as the sedate and vibrant atmosphere of the river and Riverwalk area, and its integral relationship to the City of San Antonio;

•  To preserve the ecoclimate of the San Antonio River and the Riverwalk, ensuring that existing and indigenous plant life is protected from unnecessary stress through shading by inappropriate construction, noise, excess water and drainage run-off, or other forms of pollution;

•  To strengthen civic pride through neighborhood preservation;

•  To recognize, protect and strengthen the unique design character of individual historic districts and individual areas of the city;

•  To provide a review process for the appropriate preservation and development of important historical, architectural, archaeological, and cultural resources;

•  To ensure the harmonious, orderly, and efficient growth and development of the city;

•  To maintain a generally compatible outward appearance of both historic and modern structures through complementary scale, form, color, proportion, texture, and material;

•  To establish the highest urban design standards for public property including public buildings and public spaces so that the evident public commitment to quality design encourages and inspires by example a corresponding commitment by the private sector; and

•  To adopt criteria and procedures for data investigation and identification of resources as set forth in the City of San Antonio's significant resources survey report, adopted by city council on April 14, 1983.

(Ord. No. 98697 § 6) (Ord. No. 2014-04-03-0206, § 6, 4-3-14)