Glossary Of Standards
San Antonio Unified Development Code, App. G, Glossary Of Standards
in effectGLOSSARY OF STANDARDS
SIDEWALKS AND SETBACKS (Reference: Chapter 2)
1. Provide a minimum 48 inch wide continuous pedestrian path of travel as seen in Figure 2.1.
2. Provide continuous landscaped and hardscaped parkways adjacent to the curb on predominantly non-commercial streets.
3. Trees shall be planted in tree wells within tree grates that are at least 5 feet long and a minimum of 5' feet wide.
GROUND FLOOR TREATMENT (Reference: Chapter 3)
1. Locate active uses along the street façade to enhance the building's relationship to the public realm. Uses include: lobbies, dining rooms, seating areas, offices, retail stores, community or institutional uses, and residences.
2. Ground floor retail space shall be provided to a depth of at least 25 feet from the front façade and shall include an average 14 foot to 0 inch floor-to-ceiling height, with heights above 14 feet being very desirable.
3. The primary entrance to each street-level tenant that does not have its frontage along a public street shall be provided from a pedestrian paseo, courtyard or plaza, which is connected to the public street or alley.
4. Wall openings, such as storefront windows and doors, shall comprise at least 70 percent of a commercial building's street and river level façade as seen in Figure 3.2.
5. Clear glass for wall openings, i.e., doors and windows, shall be used along all street-level commercial façades for maximum transparency, especially in conjunction with retail and hotel uses as illustrated in Figure 3.3. Dark tinted, reflective or opaque glazing is not permitted for any required wall opening along commercial street level facades.
A building's primary entrance, defined as the entrance which provides the most direct access to a building's main lobby and is kept unlocked during business hours, shall be located on a public street or on a courtyard, plaza or paseo that is connected to and visible from a public street or the River Walk.
6. At least one building entrance/exit, which may be either a building or tenant and resident entrance, shall be provided along each street frontage.
7. Awnings and canopies shall be fabricated of woven fabric, glass, metal or other permanent material compatible with the building's architecture.
PARKING AND ACCESS (Reference: Chapter 4)
1. Locate off-street parking behind or below buildings as seen in Figure 4.2 and 4.3.
2. Vehicular access shall be from an alley, sidewalk or mid-block on a street as illustrated in Figure 4.5.
3. Curb cuts and parking and loading entries into buildings shall be limited to the minimum number required and the minimum width permitted.
4. Where a vehicular exit from a parking structure is located within five (5) feet of the back of sidewalk, a visual and audible alarm and enhanced paving shall be installed to warn pedestrians and cyclists of exiting vehicles.
5. Parking structures shall have an external skin designed to improve visual character when exposed to prominent public view. This can include heavy-gage metal screen, pre-cast concrete panels; live green wall (landscaped) laminated glass or photovoltaic panels. Figure 4.6 illustrates an unacceptable external skin.
6. No existing alley shall be vacated for a project if 1) vehicular access to the project is otherwise provided; and 2) vacating the alley will result in the need for additional curb cuts for other parcels on the same block.
ON-SITE OPEN SPACE (Reference: Chapter 6)
1. Provide landscaping and seating in each open space type as follows: paseo, courtyards, plazas, roof terraces.
2. Ensure anti-skateboard and anti-graffiti design features, pedestrian-scaled signage that identifies uses and shops, site furniture, art work, or amenities such as fountains, seating, and kiosks.
3. Utilize buildings, colonnades and landscaping to define edges and create a sense of three-dimensional containment to urban open spaces and plazas.
ARCHITECTURAL DETAIL (Reference: Chapter 7)
1. Provide well-marked entrances to cue access and use. Enhance all public entrances to a building through the use of compatible architectural or graphic treatment. Main building entrances shall read differently from retail storefronts, restaurants, and commercial entrances.
2. San Antonio has strong sun conditions. Use deep reveals to get shadow lines.
3. Reinforce a building's entry with one or more of the following architectural treatments:
a. Extra-height lobby space;
b. Distinctive doorways;
c. Decorative lighting;
d. Distinctive entry canopy;
e. Projected or deep recessed entry bay;
f. Building name and address integrated into the facade;
g. Artwork integrated into the facade or sidewalk;
h. A change in paving material, texture, or color within the property line;
i. Distinctive landscaping, including plants, water features and seating.
4. Windows are to be as transparent as possible at the ground floor of the building, with preference given to grey, low-e glass (88 percent light transmission).
5. Parking and security lights shall not provide spillover to neighboring residential properties.
6. Exterior roll-down doors and security grills are not permitted in downtown except as approved by the Historic and Design Review Commission.
7. Ventilation intakes and exhausts shall be located to minimize adverse pedestrian impacts along the sidewalk.
8. No fixture shall be directed at the window of a residential unit either within or adjacent to a project.
STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS (Reference: Chapter 8)
1. Improvement projects undertaken by public agencies, shall comply with the Complete Street Policy (http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/regionalplanning/)
2. Sidewalks shall be paved with a slip resistant surface such as medium broom finish concrete.
3. Asphalt is not permitted for public sidewalks in downtown.
4. Crosswalks are to be provided at all types of street intersection configurations, including Xs, Ts and Ls.
5. Obtain a permit prior to pruning and adhere to International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Tree Pruning Guidelines and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 standards. These guidelines prohibit "topping" and "heading."
6. The street light pole shall be Valmont Tapered 16 Flat Fluting or similar. The pole shall be steel and be between 25 to 32 feet high.
a. Pole base diameter shall be eight (8) inches. The mast arm shall be four (4) to six (6) foot "Windsor" or similar.
7. Site furniture must be well designed to encourage their use, be able to withstand the elements, and situated in appropriate locations and shaded, clustered in groupings near site features like fountains and in plazas, etc.
8. Site furniture on walkways and sidewalks shall maintain a clear passage for pedestrians and shall be placed to eliminate potential pedestrian and vehicular conflicts.
9. Design the lower portion of the buildings to support human-scaled streetscapes, open spaces and quality pedestrian environments. This can be achieved with fine-grain architectural design and detailing, quality materials, and through the use of human-scaled elements such as landscaping, site furnishings, awnings, and canopies.
10. Prohibited street furnishings in downtown. The following street furnishings are prohibited within the publicly owned portion of the right-of-way adjacent to streets or the River Walk:
a. Vending machines
b. Automatic teller machines
c. Pay phones
d. Photo booths
e. Automated machines such as, but not limited to, blood pressure machines, fortune-telling machines, video games, animated characters and other machines that are internally illuminated, or have moving parts, or make noise, or have flashing lights.
f. Inanimate figures such as horses, kangaroos, bears, gorillas, mannequins or any such animals, cartoon or human figure. This does not apply to public art approved by the Public Art Board.
SAN ANTONIO RIVER WALK (Reference: Chapter 9)
1. When a property is situated in such a manner as to appear to be the terminus at the end of the street or at a prominent curve in the river, the building shall incorporate into its design an architectural feature that will provide a focal point at the end of the view.
2. Treatment of architectural facades shall contain a discernable pattern of mass to void, or windows and doors to solid walls. Openings shall appear in a regular pattern, or be clustered to form a cohesive design. Architectural elements such as columns, lintels, sills, canopies, windows and doors shall align with other architectural features on the adjacent facades.
3. Align at least one (1) horizontal building element with another horizontal building element on the same block face. It will be considered to be within alignment if it is within three (3) feet, measured vertically, of the existing architectural element.
4. Building massing shall be so designed as to provide direct sunlight to vegetation in the river channel.
5. The building facade facing the river shall have at least 50 percent of the river level facade area devoted to display windows and/or windows affording some view into the interior areas. Multi-family residential buildings with no retail or office space are exempt from this guideline.
6. Where a building facade faces the street or river and exceeds the maximum facade length allowed in River Improvement Overlay Districts (RIO) RIO-3, 30 foot length divide the facade of building into modules that express traditional dimensions by changing:
a. Materials with each building module to reduce its perceived mass.
b. The height with each building module of a wall plane.
c. The roof form of each building module to help express the different modules of the building mass.
7. No height limits in RIO-3.
8. Organize the mass of a building to provide solar access to the river:
a. One method of doing so is to step the building down toward the river when it is located in a position that would cast a shadow there.
b. Another method is to set the building back from the river a distance sufficient to avoid shading the water.
9. Designation of a development node provides for the ability to increase the building height by fifty (50) percent from the RIO requirements.
10. Utilize local materials and traditional building materials for primary wall surfaces. A minimum of seventy-five (75) percent of walls (excluding window fenestrations) must be composed of the following:
a. Modular masonry materials including brick, stone, and rusticated masonry block, tile, terra-cotta, structural clay tile and cast stone. Concrete masonry units (CMU) are not allowed as a finished material.
b. Other new materials that convey the texture, scale, and finish similar to traditional building materials.
c. Stucco and painted concrete when detailed to express visual interest and convey a sense of scale.
d. Painted or stained wood in a lap or shingle pattern.
5. The following materials are not permitted as primary building materials and may be used as a secondary material only:
a. Large expanses of high gloss or shiny metal panels.
11. Mirror glass panels. Glass curtain wall buildings are allowed in RIO-3 as long as the river and street levels comply with statement 1 above.
12. Chain link fences are not allowed on properties abutting the river.
13. Paint or Finish Colors:
a. Use historic colors of indigenous building materials for properties that abut the Riverwalk area.
b. Use matte finishes instead of high glossy finishes on wall surfaces. Wood trim and metal trim may be painted with gloss enamel.
c. Bright colors may highlight entrances or architectural features.
14. Street Building façades that are taller than the street wall (60 feet) shall be articulated at the top of the street wall or stepped back in order to maintain the rhythm of the street wall.
15. Roof forms shall be used to conceal all mechanical equipment and to add architectural interest to the structure.
16. High rise buildings, more than 100 feet tall, shall terminate with a distinctive top or cap. This can be accomplished by:
a. Reducing the bulk of the top 20 percent of the building by 10 percent
b. By stepping back the top 20 percent of the building
c. Changing the material of the cap
17. Windows shall be recessed at least 2 inches within solid walls (not part of a curtain wall system).
18. Windows shall be used in hierarchy to articulate features on the façade and grouped to establish rhythms.
19. Curtain wall systems shall be designed with modulating features such as projecting horizontal and/or vertical mullions.
20. Entrances shall be equally prominent on the street side as on the river side.
21. Entrances shall be placed so as to be highly visible.
22. Entrances shall have a change in material and/or wall plane.
23. Secondary entrances shall have architectural features that are subordinate to the primary entrance in scale and detail.
24. Stone detailing shall be rough hewn, and chiseled faced.
25. Facades on the riverside shall be asymmetrical, pedestrian scale, and not give the appearance of the "back of a building" but designed with simpler details, and appear less formal than the street facades.
26. The awning, arcade or canopy shall be located in relationship to the openings of a building. That is, if there are a series of awnings or canopies, they shall be located at the window or door openings.
27. The maximum wall plane length within RIO-3 shall be 30 feet and building shall employ at least two of the following techniques:
a. Change materials with each building module to reduce the perceived mass; or
b. Change the height of a wall plane or building module. The change in height shall be at least 10 percent of the vertical height; or
c. Change roof form to help express the different modules of the building mass; or
d. Change the arrangement of windows and other façade articulation features, such as columns or strap work, which divides large wall planes into smaller components.
28. Minimize the Potential for Erosion at the Riverbank. Grade slopes at a stable angle not to exceed 4:1 and provide plant material that will stabilize the soil such as vigorous ground covers, vines or turf planting that are native and noninvasive species as found on the permissible plant list maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department.
29. Where above ground storm water management facilities are required, such facilities shall be multi-purpose amenities.
30. Site lighting shall be shielded by permanent attachments to light fixtures so that the light sources are not visible from a public way and any offsite glare is prevented.
31. Outdoor spaces adjoining and visible from the river right-of-way shall have average ambient light levels of between one (1) and three (3) foot-candles with a minimum of 0.5-foot-candles and a maximum of six (6) foot-candles at any point measured on the ground plane. Interior spaces visible from the river right-of-way on the river level and ground floor level shall use light sources with no more than the equivalent lumens of a one hundred-watt incandescent bulb. Exterior balconies, porches and canopies adjoining and visible from the river right-of-way shall use light sources with the equivalent lumens of a sixty-watt incandescent bulb with average ambient light levels no greater than the lumen output of a one hundred-watt incandescent light bulb as long as average foot candle standards are not exceeded. Accent lighting of landscape or building features including specimen plants, gates, entries, water features, art work, stairs, and ramps may exceed these standards by a multiple of 2.5. Recreational fields and activity areas that require higher light levels must be screened from the river hike and bike pathways with a landscape buffer.
32. All signs within the downtown "D" district shall conform to all City codes and must have recommendation of the DPCD and HDRC prior to approval.
33. Permits must be obtained following approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness.
34. No sign shall be painted, constructed, erected, remodeled, refaced, relocated, expanded or otherwise altered until it has been approved and a permit has been obtained from the Development Services Department in accordance with the provisions of this section and applicable city code provision.
35. All graphic elements shall reinforce the architectural integrity of any building.
36. Freestanding signs are allowed provided the sign does not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Freestanding signs shall be perpendicular to the street, two sided and no taller than six (6) feet. Freestanding signs shall not be located in the right-of-way.
37. For all signage, signage width and height must be in proportion to the facade, respecting the size, scale and mass of the facade, building height, and rhythms and sizes of window and door openings. The building façade shall be considered as part of an overall sign program but the sign shall be subordinate to the overall building composition.
SIGNAGE (Reference: Chapter 10)
1. Projects involving new building construction must submit a conceptual signage plan with the building elevation plans for design review and approval before individual signs will be reviewed. The sign plan shall address:
a. Proposed location of signage;
b. General dimensions of signage area; and
c. Design and materials guidelines, including colors, letter size, illumination method, etc.
2. To qualify for a Sign Master Plan an area must:
a. Include two (2) or more contiguous lots, which may be separated by a street or drainage rights-of-way, which are not included in any other Sign Master Plan Agreement.
b. The owners of all lots within the Sign Master Plan Agreement must agree in writing that neither they nor their successors in ownership shall exceed the maximum height, square footage and number on any of the lots within the plan.
c. All existing signs within the Sign Master Plan Agreement must be in conformance with this article.
3. Electrical transformer boxes and raceways are required to be concealed from public view.
4. All fascia signage shall be integrated into the architecture.
5. The signage material will be weather proof and fade resistant.
6. No signs shall be located between 20 feet above sidewalk elevation and 40 feet above sidewalk elevation to avoid conflicts with the tree canopy, except where the applicant demonstrates that no conflict will occur.
7. Trees may not be topped or headed back on the sides to expose signs.
8. Signs shall use appropriate means of illumination. These include: neon tubes, fiber optics, incandescent lamps, cathode ray tubes, shielded spotlights and wall wash fixtures.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN (Reference: Chapter 11)
1. All projects must comply with the City's Green Building Ordinance Build San Antonio Green (BSAG).
2. Projects that preserve or rehabilitate historic structures must be reviewed with the City of San Antonio Historic Design Guidelines.
3. All artwork erected in or placed upon City property must be approved by the Public Art Board. In cases where artwork is erected or placed upon private properties located within a designated historic districts, approvals must be approved by the Public Art Board and the Historic and Design Review Commission.
Source: City of San Antonio, City Code, City Charter and Unified Development Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/unified_development_code?nodeId=APXGDEST_GLSTFetched: 10/27/2026