The craftsman style bungalow at 725 Patterson Ave. is being moved to 502 Corona St. Owner Allan Moffatt plans to build a new home at 725 Patterson.

After more than seven months of debate, Alamo Heights City Council approved the demolition permit for the home at 725 Patterson Ave. during Monday’s meeting. The permit allows former owner John Howell to relocate the entire house to a vacant lot at 502 Corona St.

Council also approved three other demolition permits, and authorized the construction of a new 10-unit condominium project at 110 Chichester Place. In addition, Mayor Louis Cooper and Councilmen Stan McCormick and Bobby Rosenthal all filed for reelection in May’s general election.

The vote on 725 Patterson ended a long dispute between Howell and residents who hoped to keep the 79-year-old craftsman-style bungalow where it is.

“Unfortunately, we have had a problem with people coming to our neighborhood and trying to make money,” said Argyle Avenue resident Patsy Light.

Howell bought 725 Patterson in July, then sold the house to Allan Moffatt in September. Howell, representing Moffatt, then informed council he wished to move the house in order to create a vacant lot. The removal of the house created a public outcry.

“They don’t value the house,” said an emotional Jamie Boerner, who lives next door at 727 Patterson. “We need to protect what’s left of the real Alamo Heights … we can’t keep letting them come in and change Alamo Heights.”

Boerner was also concerned that the house could be destroyed in the moving process.

Councilwoman Jill Souter, a former president of the San Antonio Conservation Society, said she wasn’t fearful of the move, but more fearful what the move would do to the neighborhood.

“What happens when you move a building is you destroy part of the soul of that block space,” Souter said.

Another hot debate swirled around the demolition of 311 Rosemary Ave. and the construction of a new two-story, 4,414-square-foot residence and a 1,342-square-foot two-story garage. Council tabled a decision on home during the Jan. 22 meeting to allow mediation between concerned residents and the property’s developer. But a group of residents said they still had concerns over the proposed structure’s mass and compatibility.

“We request that council delay the project and try to help reduce its mass,” said resident Jim Williams. During Monday’s meeting, Councilman Bobby Rosenthal took the residents and builder Craig Gill into another room to try and iron out a settlement. Gill was representing Kevin Klenke, the owner of 311 Rosemary.

After an extra 30 minutes, Rosenthal said that Gill had agreed to limit the new structures height to 25 feet at the tallest point in front, reduce it by about 300 square feet and remove the driveway from the front of the residence.

After a long hearing on Monday, council also approved construction of The Residences at 110 Chichester. The project is a new 10-unit condominium complex that will be finished in about a year. Much of the debate over the project centered on possible water runoff created by the new condominiums. Councilwoman Susan Harwell also worried how adding 10 new condominiums would affect the city’s infrastructure.

“That’s 10 new families,” Harwell said. “How will that impact our water issues? It also concerns me that when we put that many people into an area, it affects drainage.”