DEPARTMENT: Planning
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Bridgett White, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Update on implementation of the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan
SUMMARY:
A briefing and discussion on the implementation of the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City of San Antonio is projected to grow significantly over the next two decades. Developing strategies to accommodate, manage, and leverage that growth was the driving objective for the development of the SA Tomorrow Plans. All three SA Tomorrow component plans (Comprehensive Plan, Multimodal Transportation Plan, and Sustainability Plan) were adopted by City Council in August 2016.
The Comprehensive Plan identifies three types of sub-area plans to help implement its long-range goals, policies, and growth strategies: Regional Center Plans, Community Plans, and Corridor Plans. Regional Centers are one of the key building blocks of our City’s future. However, it is important to note that these centers are not homogenous places; each one includes multiple place types, urban forms and land uses, and will serve a distinct role in the evolution and development of our City. Thus, a clear vision and strategic plan for each center is needed in order to leverage their potential to help absorb a significant portion of San Antonio’s projected population and employment growth. These regional center plans will each develop a detailed future land use map along with integrated mobility, infrastructure, parks and open space, housing, and economic development strategies. Each Regional Center plan will include a prioritized implementation strategy of recommended investment, policy, and program improvements.
The Community Plan areas include all areas of the City outside the Regional Centers, including many of the existing neighborhoods, key corridors, and activity areas that complete the fabric of our City. Our existing neighborhoods are treasured assets that will continue to play a critical role in our future planning efforts. In fact, the growth strategies recommended in the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan were developed to help protect and enhance these valuable parts of our city by directing many of the projected new housing units and jobs into regional centers and along our primary corridors, diminishing the direct impact of future growth on existing neighborhoods. The Community Plans will address the same range of topics outlined for Regional Center Plans, but will focus more on the creation and enhancement of complete neighborhoods, rather than absorption of significant household and employment growth.
The SA Corridors Strategic Framework Plan is one of the first steps taken to implement the Comprehensive Plan and VIA’s Vision 2040 Plan. It suggests transit-supportive land uses along potential high-capacity transit corridors, provides recommendations for aligning regulations and incentives with our stated growth strategies, and promotes greater coordination between the City and VIA Metropolitan Transit.
The Regional Center, Community, and Corridor sub-area plans all seek to create and support complete, connected communities across our City that all have access to a wide range of opportunities, amenities, and daily needs and services.
ISSUE:
This item will be a briefing on the current implementation status of the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan.
On March 30, 2017, City Council approved and awarded the SA Tomorrow Area Planning Consulting Services contract to Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc. (MIG) The consultant contract with MIG will provide the City of San Antonio with five Regional Center Plans and one Community Plan:
• UTSA Area Regional Center Plan
• Medical Center Area Regional Center Plan
• Midtown Regional Center Plan
• Downtown Regional Center Plan
• Brooks Area Regional Center Plan
• Westside Community Plan
These six sub-area plans will guide future private development, public infrastructure investment, and related public policies. The primary tasks/phases of the contract will apply to each of the planning areas, and will include Project Chartering, Analysis and Visioning, Plan Framework, Recommendations and Implementation Strategies, Documentation and Adoption, and Ongoing Coordination and Engagement.
The six plans are being drafted concurrently; however, due to differences in the size and complexity of the plan areas, some plans will take longer to develop than others. Therefore, the adoption process will be staggered throughout 2018 with the final two plans (Downtown and Medical Center) anticipated to be completed in draft form for City Council consideration by September 2018.
The SA Corridors plan was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission on September 27, 2017 and will come before City Council for approval in February 2018.
Community awareness, input, and participation are essential to the planning process. Public engagement strategies have been developed for the overarching planning initiative, as well as for each of the six individual plan areas. MIG will work with City staff and area-specific Planning Teams to identify the combination of outreach and participation options that will be most successful for each of the plan areas.
Also essential to the planning process is collaboration and coordination with key City departments, institutions, and partner agencies. Planning staff is working with groups such as SA 2020, VIA Metropolitan Transit, the Bexar County Health Collaborative, Metro Health, Transportation & Capital Improvements, and Parks and Recreation, among others, on various aspects of Comprehensive Plan implementation and coordination with their respective efforts.
ALTERNATIVES:
This briefing is for informational purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
This briefing is for informational purposes only.