I know it sounds very political, but I think if you were to disappear for five years, take a snapshot, then disappear again for another five years, the changes in San Antonio will be inner city related: more neighbors, more neighborhoods, urban living.
The places that have grown out – 1604 and 281 – they’re in great shape, they have great infrastructure, great schools. But the price we have paid for that progress is that we have de-emphasized the inner city for a long time – decades. Now, we’re realizing how important it is to have a strong inner core. We need to see reinvestment, a renewed emphasis on infrastructure. I think SAISD in particular recognizes the synergy between good strong neighborhoods and good school districts, so we’re trying to play off each other that way.
There’s a way to do it gently. One of my favorite projects is San Pedro Park – I want to make that area more attractive for families to live in the neighborhood. So these developments raise property values, but there’s a way to do it gently, so that the people who are living there now, families who have lived in these neighborhoods for generations, are not crowded out by new development.
The way I see it, you’ve got the city staff, and the departments doing their thing, our job as council is to give them direction, to make sure they are spending our time and resources where we need it most, and to do the things that wouldn’t otherwise happen unless we were there.
That’s what council members are there for – to do the things, raise the issues that would not otherwise come up.
I have a very mixed district, and it is undergoing dramatic change. I have historical districts – King William, Monte Vista – that are figuring out how to accommodate growth without institutional creep. I have constituents that have very traditional values, and I have constituents for which social change can’t come fast enough. I feel like a DJ with 5 turntables, turning one way and then the other to make sure that the things we need to have happen in our district get done.
– District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal
Al Rendon is San Antonio’s photographer, born and raised here and known for iconic photographs of the city and its culture. Al is an active Southtown gallery owner as well as an art and commercial photographer. Check out more of his work at AlRendon.com.
I don’t think we are accommodating growth without institutional creep. Otherwise we would not be losing KEDA nor would we be contemplating giving HEB a street worth 10 times the $1m incentive for a store half the size of what’s expected:/. King William has been plagued by non-conforming use for decades. We have much work to do.
I agree with the councilman. All that private investment along 1604 at Culebra, Bandera, I-10, Blanco, Stone Oak, & 281. If HALF that private investment (in any form) took place in or around downtown the city would look different. One MAJOR factor limiting growth inside 410: the school districts.
I’m really loving this series and feeling the importance of it’s message!
Diego M. Bernal is right, we have de-emphasized the inner city for a long time. Now, about the sidewalks in my neighborhood…
Diego you and your staff are doing your best! Thanks for all of your hard work.
Don’t get me wrong…so many fabulous improvements and additions, amazing restaurants within a stone’s throw from my porch. So many in the last 5 years, my head explodes. It just seems we can find a way to have a reasonable blend rather than this predictable preservation vs. development schtick we seem to repeat. I got no beef with our pretty fab councilman.