MEETING SUMMARY Meeting: Brooks Area Planning Team Meeting #8 Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018 Time: Location: Attendees: 4:00 pm 6:00 pm McCreless Library Jesse Pacheco South Central Alliance of Neighborhoods Christine Vina VIA Angela Saenz Heritage Oaks at Brooks City Base Katie Otten Hot Wells Mission Reach NA Mark Gonzalez Southside First Linda Cavazos East Central ISD Liz Trainor Highland Hills NA Onofre Garza Calumet Joanie Barborak Bond Initiative Meeting Purpose The eighth meeting of the Brooks Planning Team aimed to accomplish the following objective(s): Receive feedback on recommendations for plan elements including land use, focus areas, housing, mobility, and neighborhood profiles. Discuss strategies and recommendations for economic development and amenities and infrastructure. Review results of the digital design charrette.
Meeting Format This memo provides a summary of key discussion topics and questions from Planning Team Meeting #8. Preview of Plan Content The Planning Team previewed plan content before the public draft is released. Questions and comments about each topic area are listed below. Land Use The Planning Team did not have any concerns with the future land use map. One suggestion was to find space for a police substation. Focus Areas Planning team members agreed with all recommendations. Housing Expanding opportunities for home ownership remains a key priority for several Planning Team members. Ownership options besides the traditional single family homes like townhomes and condos were discussed as viable options. 2
Mobility Planning Team members did not come to consensus on whether roads like Hot Wells and S. Presa should be widened in order to alleviate congestions. The group did agree that Hot Wells and Presa should be improved with various amenities to increase safety. Neighborhood Profiles and Priorities The Neighborhood Profiles and Priorities section of the plan should place more emphasis on safety and increasing lighting on New Braunfels and other areas of concern. The neighborhoods would also like to see increased compliance with ADA standards, a recreation or community center, and further exploration of the possibility of expanding Pytel Park. 3
Activity Amenities and Infrastructure Planning Team members were asked to reflect on several draft recommendations and score each on a scale to indicate how closely the recommendation aligned with the previously discussed vision and goals. After considering the recommendations, they thought of specific projects, strategies and partners for implementing the recommendation which they then shared with a small group. After finding similarities within the small group, each group shared their top priorities. Key recommendations included investing in parks by adding attractive amenities like a dog park, trail connections, and multigenerational programming. To increase access to healthy food, the Planning Team recommended a holistic approach that includes education that supports community gardens. To create additional nodes of community gathering spaces, the groups recommended rotating farmers markets, public art, music venues like an amphitheater, connections to retail, food, and art from these public spaces, and programming that would be attractive to a variety of demographics. 4
Activity Economic Development Planning Team members repeated the same activity as for economic development strategies. Instead of discussing in small groups, each planning team member stated how each recommendation ranked on the scale and then listed the recommendations and strategies they created which were then recorded on a flipchart. For amenities that encourage economic development, the Planning Team recommended expanding university and military partnerships, attracting businesses that are not available on the Southeast side, rehabilitating existing buildings to provide commercial space, and marketing the area to all age groups. A suggested strategy to diversify employers and job opportunities is to partner with schools and to improve education so that school-age children can stay in the area and work at the higher-paying jobs. To create an environment that fosters innovation, the Planning Team recommended emphasizing the history of the area, particularly the Missions and the Brooks Air Force Base as well as leveraging education and public health resources. 5
Digital Design Charrette Results In the remaining time, Planning Team members reviewed the results of the digital design charrette, a collaborative work session to envision future designs for the catalytic sites in the plan area: the San Antonio State Hospital 55-acre site and the intersection of Hot Wells and Goliad. The intersection of Hot Wells and Goliad was re-envisioned as mixed use with more pedestrian amenities such as wider sidewalks and a plaza. Some Planning Team members thought that the buildings were too tall. Overall it was generally well-received. The density would be appropriate for transit and would create a main street feeling that is currently lacking. The San Antonio State Hospital site was designed to accommodate a variety of housing options such as row homes, single family residences, and apartments/condominiums. Large areas of green space around the State Hospital Creek and a community garden would help the community feel like a green neighborhood. The San Antonio State Hospital site design was also generally well received as long as good planning and design are ensured in the future, though some Planning Team members felt that the overall site was too dense. Some planning team members requested a higher ratio of single family to multi-family development and that the green spaces should reflect the history of the area. There was also a request for numbers of dwelling units and the impact of S. Presa which will be included at the next planning team meeting. 6
Next Steps Brooks Area Planning Team Meeting #9 - TBD Brooks Area Community Meeting #3 Stinson Municipal Airport, April 30 th, 6-8 PM. o Planning Team members were asked to attend and help advertise this meeting. If you have questions about the Brooks Area Regional Center Area planning project, please contact Project Manager Jana Punelli, City of San Antonio Planning Department: Email: jana.punelli@sanantonio.gov Phone: (210) 207-0256 7