San Antonio's Board of Adjustment on an extended docket voted on a mix of zoning variances and appeals, rejecting two requests for short‑term rental approvals while approving a number of variances for property owners and developers.

The board rejected two separate requests for Type‑2 short‑term rental permits after extended debate and public comment, and approved variances ranging from small side‑setback relief for single‑family infill lots to a corridor setback modification requested for a quick‑service restaurant along the US‑281 Gateway Corridor. The board also continued one high‑profile quarry fence case to allow additional outreach with neighboring homeowners.

Why it matters: The denials underscore continuing resistance at the BOA to expanding short‑term rentals in some long‑established neighborhoods, while the approvals show willingness to grant narrowly tailored relief to enable infill, redevelopment and small commercial projects when staff finds a limited hardship and neighborhood input is supportive.

Votes at a glance (key cases)
- BOA‑2410300251 (1125 Rogers Ave, Council District 2) t: variance to allow development on a 2,795 sq ft lot (requested minimum lot‑size relief).
- Result: Approved (motion carried by voice vote after staff recommendation to approve; no formal roll‑call tally recorded on the transcript).
- Summary: Staff recommended approval because the proposed single‑family house meets all other setbacks; applicant Jack Lloyd Riley said the parcel pre‑dates zoning and lacks an existing plat.

- BOA‑2410300247 (331 Burleson St., Council District 2) t: special exception to permit an additional Type‑2 short‑term rental on the block face (applicant Anthony Candia).
- Result: Denied (motion to grant failed unanimously in roll call; final result recorded as 0 in favor, 11 not concurring).
- Summary: Staff recommended denial. Testimony and neighborhood letters showed opposition; commissioners cited the applicant's prior violations and neighborhood association opposition as reasons to deny.

- BOA‑2410300221 (335 East Park Ave, Council District 1) t: special exception to allow an additional Type‑2 short‑term rental (applicant represented at hearing).
- Result: Denied (motion to grant failed on roll call, 4 in favor, 7 opposed).
- Summary: The board heard hours of testimony and neighborhood comment, including a neighborhood association voicemail that said the block already exceeded density limits when grandfathered units are counted. Staff had recommended denial.

- BOA‑2410300228 (2806 Hopeton Dr., Council District 1) t: 3 ft 6 in variance from a 5 ft side setback to allow a detached accessory structure 1 ft 6 in from the side property line (applicant Cesar Puente).
- Result: Approved (roll call: 9 to 1 in favor).
- Summary: The owner, a disabled Army veteran, said he built a metal structure for woodworking and vehicle hobby use; neighbors and multiple voicemails supported the variance. Commissioners who supported the measure cited the alley location, metal siding, gutters and neighborhood context; one commissioner opposed, citing the scale and permitting concerns.

- BOA‑2410300241 (26782 Bulverde Rd., Council District 9) t: 2 ft 8 in variance to the US‑281 North Gateway Corridor side setback to allow a 17 ft 4 in setback for a proposed quick‑service restaurant (applicant 2021 FH Bulverde LLC).
- Result: Approved (roll call: 11 to 0).
- Summary: Staff recommended denial because of corridor design standards and precedent concerns, but the board approved a narrowly‑worded variance limited to the portion of the lot inside the first 90 ft of the corridor (essentially permitting a small 6.11 ft encroachment inside the 90 ft zone) after the applicant and supporters explained access and parking constraints.

- BOA‑2410300249 (corner of Wurzbach & Ingram) t: variances to reduce required landscape buffers along Wurzbach and Ingram for a small infill commercial/coffee site (applicant: Horizon Landscape on behalf of property owner).
- Result: Approved (unanimous roll call).
- Summary: Board found the constrained triangular lot and existing lack of buffers justified limited relief; the applicant proposed focused landscape pockets rather than full 15 ft strips.

Other contested items and administrative actions
- BOA‑2410300243 (Vulcan quarry fence): Residents showed up in force to oppose a proposed higher, barbed‑wire security fence and to complain that tree clearing and brush removal had taken place without proper coordination. The board voted to continue that item to a later hearing (continued to the next BOA session on Feb. 10 so the applicant and several neighborhood groups can meet).

- BOA‑2410300221 and BOA‑2410300247 (the two denied Type‑2 STR exceptions) drew the largest public turnout and the most detailed roll‑call debate. Commissioners who opposed those motions cited neighborhood association opposition, the presence of grandfathered units on the block face, and, in one case, the applicant's prior citations or revoked licenses.

What the board said about process
- Commissioners and staff repeatedly reminded applicants that the official online "one‑stop" tools and staff conversations are informative but not final determinations of permit eligibility. Several applicants said they had relied on one‑stop mapping or staff guidance in good faith and asked the board either to grant a limited variance or to note that staff guidance is sometimes inconsistent.

Public engagement
- Several cases generated many voicemail comments and on‑site speakers. The quarry/fence matter produced multiple voicemails and five speakers asking the board to delay action until the applicant met with homeowners. The board granted that request.

Context and next steps
- Several approvals were narrowly tailored (language limited to the submitted site plan or to a specific distance within a corridor buffer) rather than blanket waivers. The board repeatedly limited remedies to what was strictly necessary to address the demonstrated hardship or site constraint.

Votes at a glance (summary table)
- BOA‑2410300251 (1125 Rogers Ave) — variance granted (applicant Jack Lloyd Riley). Staff recommended approval. (Voice motion; passed.)
- BOA‑2410300247 (331 Burleson St) — STR special exception denied (applicant Anthony Candia). Motion to grant failed 0–11.
- BOA‑2410300221 (335 East Park) — STR special exception denied. Motion to grant failed 4–7.
- BOA‑2410300228 (2806 Hopeton Dr) — accessory structure side‑setback variance granted (9–1).
- BOA‑2410300241 (26782 Bulverde Rd) — US‑281 corridor side‑setback variance granted (11–0), narrowly limited to the encroachment inside the first 90 ft of the corridor.
- BOA‑2410300249 (Wurzbach/Ingram) — landscape buffer variances granted (unanimous).
- BOA‑2410300243 (Vulcan quarry fence) — continued to Feb. 10 at applicant/neighborhood request (board vote to continue).
- Additional single‑lot variances and nonconforming‑use appeals were handled on consent or individual motion (transcript records additional approvals for side/rear setbacks, accessory structure variances and an appeal of a nonconforming‑use denial).

Ending
- The board spent substantial time on both procedural questions (how maps and one‑stop guidance are used by buyers and renovators) and on neighborhood impacts (short‑term rentals, security fencing near a quarry, and how much solid fencing is appropriate along a residential frontage). Members asked staff for a follow‑up work session-style briefing on patterns of applications and possible UDC updates. The board continued the quarry fence case to Feb. 10 to allow the applicant and the affected homeowners association to meet, then take it up early on that calendar.

Sources: San Antonio Board of Adjustment meeting transcript and staff reports.