DEPARTMENT: Planning Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Bridgett White, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Districts 7 and 8
SUBJECT:
Consideration of an ordinance adopting the Medical Center Area Regional Center Plan as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan.
SUMMARY:
Consideration of an ordinance adopting the Medical Center Area Regional Center Plan as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan. The Medical Center Area Regional Center Plan aims to create a realistic and implementable strategy to address projected growth in the Medical Center 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 Medical Center Area Regional Center Plan aims to create a realistic and implementable strategy to address projected growth in the Medical Center Area Regional Center, one of the thirteen (13) Regional Centers identified in the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan. The South Texas Medical Center is a major cluster of over 40 healthcare and medical-related facilities, including hospitals and specialty institutions. The Medical Center Area is also home to USAA, one of the City’s largest employers. This area will continue to be the primary hub of medical-related activities in San Antonio with potential to evolve into a vibrant mixed-use center. 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 Medical Center Area Regional Center Planning Team includes:
• Michele Auternrith Brown, Clarity Child Guidance Center
• Vicki Burch-Vasquez, CUDE Engineers
• Emily Christy, USAA
• Nick DelValle, University of Texas-Health Science Center San Antonio
• Mysti Downing, San Antonio River Authority (SARA)
• Matthew Driffill, San Antonio River Authority (SARA)
• Ceema Feizollahi, Cude Engineers
• Calvin Finch, Dreamhill Estates Neighborhood Association
• Arturo Herrera, VIA Metropolitan Transit
• Patrick Kaminski, University of Texas-Health Science Center San Antonio
• Pam Leissner, San Antonio Medical Foundation
• Krystin Ramirez, Kaufman | Killen
• Jim Reed, San Antonio Medical Foundation
• Michael Schaefer, Methodist Health System
• Cherie Short, Stewart Title Company
• Bill Thomas, Northside Neighbors for Organized Development (NNOD)
• Vicki Vaughan, Mockingbird Hill Neighborhood Association
• Wes Waite, Sr., Mockingbird Hill Neighborhood Association
• Raymond Winn, Methodist Health Systems
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: medical-center.sacompplan.com <https://medical-center.sacompplan.com/files/Medical-Center-Area-Regional-Center-Plan_Administrative-Draft_With-Exhibit.pdf>.
On May 15, 2019, the Planning Department presented the Medical Center 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 Medical Center 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 Medical Center 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 Medical Center 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 Medical Center Area.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance adopts the Medical Center 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 Medical Center Area Regional Center Plan.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff and Planning Commission recommend the Medical Center 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 9.8 square mile area generally bound by Huebner Road to the north; Interstate Highway 10 to the east; Loop 410 to the south; and the San Antonio/Leon Valley City Limit Lines and Evers Road to the west.