SAN ANTONIO – A burned building on San Antonio’s North Side is another echo of safety concerns across the city.
Over the last two weeks after KSAT’s town hall, KSAT has been taking a closer look at what the city is doing to address abandoned buildings that become the location of crimes.
The most recent case came on Sunday night. A fire tore through an abandoned restaurant on Botts Lane. A San Antonio Fire Department Battalion Chief told a KSAT crew on the scene that although the building was fenced off, it appeared the fire was started inside by people experiencing homelessness.
On Wednesday, KSAT spoke to Shanon Miller, the director of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation. Her office oversees the Vacant Building Program.
“There are a number of ways the city deals with vacant buildings,” Miller said.
The Vacant Building Program is one of them. The program was created to “address the root causes of vacancy, increase public safety and encourage economic development.” Miller said multiple other city departments help deal with vacant buildings, too.
Still, she said it’s a long process.
“There are a lot of steps along the way before we get to enforcement,” she said.
When asked if this is a growing issue across San Antonio, Miller said, “We’ve seen the numbers (of vacant buildings) be relatively stable over the years, but the properties change.”
Bringing productive use to vacant properties is something she said the city is prioritizing.
“People’s property rights are important, and so it’s not easy to require somebody to do something with their property,” Miller said. “We have to go through a lot of steps and a lot of documentation and really try to work with it. And that’s what we want to do.”
People can report unsafe or dilapidated buildings by calling 311 to connect with Code Enforcement. People may also contact the city’s Vacant Building Program through their website or by emailing VBP@sanantonio.gov.
For issues involving active trespassing or suspicious activity, people should contact the San Antonio Police Department non-emergency line at 210-207-7273.
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