DEPARTMENT: Planning Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Bridgett White, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: District 8
SUBJECT:
Consideration of an ordinance adopting the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan.
SUMMARY:
Consideration of an ordinance adopting the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan. The UTSA Area Regional Center Plan aims to create a realistic and implementable strategy to address projected growth in the UTSA Area Regional Center, one of thirteen (13) Regional Centers identified in the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan is one of three growth-related plans addressing how the City of San Antonio’s expected population growth will be balanced with social, economic, and environmental resources. The Comprehensive Plan provides strategic direction for decision making and public investment to prepare our communities for anticipated growth at the citywide level. The major “building blocks” of the Comprehensive Plan include:
• Regional Centers
• Urban Centers
• Corridors
• Neighborhoods
The UTSA Area Regional Center Plan aims to create a realistic and implementable strategy to address projected growth in the UTSA Area Regional Center, one of the thirteen (13) Regional Centers identified in the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan. Anchored by the University of Texas at San Antonio, the UTSA activity center is a focus of entertainment and retail for the northern portion of the City. Located at the intersection of I-10 and Loop 1604, the UTSA Area Regional Center includes major destinations such as the Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park, The RIM Shopping Center, and the Shops at La Cantera. The main topics covered by the Plan include Land Use, Mobility, Amenities and Infrastructure, Focus Areas, Catalytic Projects, Economic Development, Housing, and Neighborhood Priorities.
As success of the Sub-Area Plan depends on broad participation from area stakeholders, Planning Department staff worked with a wide range of community members throughout the planning process. These included neighborhood associations, business and property owners, residents, employers, educational and cultural institutions, public and nonprofit organizations, and other City departments. In addition, a formal Planning Team was created to provide more frequent, in-depth, and consistent advice and guidance throughout the planning process. The UTSA Area Regional Center Planning Team includes:
• Terry Bilby, San Antonio Apartment Association
• Karen Bishop, San Antonio River Authority
• Pegy Brimhall, American Institute of Architects
• Brent Doty, Edwards Aquifer Authority
• Ashley Farrimond, Kaufman | Killen
• Michelle E. Garza, San Antonio River Authority
• James Griffin, Brown & Ortiz, PC
• Ernest Haffner, Facilities Planning & Development - UTSA
• Santiago Jaramillo, VIA Metropolitan Transit
• Mark Johnson, North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce
• Jordan Lindsey, Student Government Association - UTSA
• Thomas Marsalia, Edwards Aquifer Authority
• Nicholas Mohat, Cedar Point Owners Association
• Benjamin Perry, Facilities Planning & Development - UTSA
• Al Philippus, Valero
• Darcie Schipull, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
• Lauren Simcic, VIA Metropolitan Transit
• Marcus Thomas, Student Government Association - UTSA
• Rey Villarreal, Cedar Point Owners Association
• Colleen Waguespack, Northside Neighborhoods for Organized Development (NNOD)
ISSUE:
A Public Draft of the Plan was released to the public for comment on March 19, 2019 and public input was gathered through April 21, 2019. Comments received were considered for incorporation in the Administrative Draft for the adoption process, which is currently available online: <https://utsa-area.sacompplan.com/files/UTSA-Area-Regional-Center-Plan_Administrative-Draft.pdf>.
On May 15, 2019, the Planning Department presented the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan to the Comprehensive Plan Committee of City Council where the committee voted unanimously to forward the plan to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission received a briefing on June 26, 2019. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on July 24, 2019 and voted unanimously to forward the document to City Council for approval with staff’s recommended edits, which were made available to the public through the Planning Commission Agenda website.
The UTSA Area Regional Center Plan is organized around a “Plan Framework” that includes Land Use, Focus Areas, Mobility, Amenities and Infrastructure, Catalytic Projects, Housing, and Economic Development. Each plan framework element includes an overview that provides context and findings, as well as recommendations and implementation strategies.
If adopted as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan, the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan shall control over any conflict with the North Sector Plan, where the plans overlap.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council can choose not to adopt the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan. However, this action would delay implementation of the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan and would require staff to develop a new regional center plan for the UTSA Area.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance adopts the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan. There is no fiscal impact associated with the adoption of the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff and Planning Commission recommend the UTSA Area Regional Center Plan, with all staff and Planning Commission recommended revisions, be adopted as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan, for a 15.8 square mile area generally bound by Camp Bullis Road, the City Limit Line, and Camp Bullis boundary to the north; Northwest Military Highway, Loop 1604, and the City Limit Line to the east; De Zavala Road and Babcock Road to the south; and Hausman Road, Loop 1604, and Babcock Road to the west.