Ban on late-night building back on the table
The city is considering cracking down on nighttime disruptions near residents’ homes and wants feedback on its “Goodnight, Construction Site” initiative.
In a fast-growing city, hundreds of construction projects are underway as new housing starts have been on the rise, showing no signs of abating during the pandemic. District 9 Councilman John Courage, who represents a booming part of the North Side, has been working on the issue since 2018.
Courage proposed changes in hours of construction activity within 300 feet of residences in 2019, but the pandemic delayed the initiative.
Some late-night activities, such as pouring concrete, would still be allowed under the proposal but would need to be approved by city staff on a case-by-case basis, according to Michael Shannon, development services director.
Also, residents would be notified at least three days in advance of approved nighttime activity.
“What we heard from residents was, ‘I’ve got to have a heads up. I can’t go to bed thinking that I’m going to have a quiet, restful sleep and then at 5 in the morning, I’m surprised by something,’ ” Shannon said.
City Council heard an update on the issue in December, but the staff was asked to get more input on notifying residents of approved construction — a part of the process that’s crucial, Shannon said. He’d like to have input to present Monday to the council’s Planning and Community Development Committee.
Notification options include: through a neighborhood organization that might use email or an app such as Nextdoor; through a property management company; with a door hanger or flyer; and posted signage at construction sites.
The city’s existing code allows construction near homes from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday. It does not include special
consideration issues and is vague about weekend activities. The proposed amendment would limit those hours to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. It would apply to commercial contractors and do-ityourself “weekend warriors” who take on home projects, Shannon said.
The city could revoke the construction permits of repeat violators.
“This is not in the code today. A contractor or builder or property owner, someone could violate the code a hundred times, and I don’t have this ability today as the building official,” Shannon said.
At a virtual community meeting this week, Leticia Mejia, who lives in a small subdivision in District 8, said she’s familiar with the problem of nighttime construction noise as she’s “literally living it,” with work occurring nearby at all hours. She asked the city to consider requiring notification as early as possible and through multiple means, particularly for people who aren’t computer-savvy. She also was concerned about the challenges of maintaining a current contact list of property managers and neighborhood associations to use for notifications.
“I firmly believe that notification should come more than once. I don’t think a 72-hour advance notice is enough, especially if the homeowner for some reason or another does not get it time to prepare or make the necessary arrangements,” Mejia said.
Another virtual community meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, and an online survey that will remain active for the next few weeks gives residents a chance to weigh in on how they want to be notified about approved late-night construction.
Residents are asked to fill out a survey on the city’s Saspeakup website. The city staff will continue gathering input through the survey before presenting its final proposal to the council as scheduled Feb. 17. A Webex link has been posted on the city’s website, sanantonio.gov, for a community meeting starting at 6 p.m. Thursday.