Plan Framework and Implementation Priorities

Proposed amenities and public spaces are meant to highlight and enhance existing landmarks and attractions within the Regional Center. Drawing on assets within the boundary and adjacent or in close proximity will help define the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center. The Regional Center is adjacent to or in close proximity to three large park systems – Pearsall Park, Rodriguez Park, and Levi Strauss Park. Currently, these parks are only easily accessible by vehicle or public transit. Access via walking or bicycling is challenging due to lack of or gaps in sidewalks or trails. Creating a connection between these larger parks and the neighborhood or community parks within the Regional Center with an internal trail system will improve the eastern and western connection within the Regional Center. Additionally, it will provide safe pedestrian and bicycle movement, even along heavily trafficked thoroughfares. Roadways, drainage ways, and existing or abandoned easements should be utilized and, where feasible, redeveloped to include multi-use paths that will create an urban trail system. There should be an emphasis on providing connections from Miller’s Pond to Medina Base Park with a trail connection to Pearsall Park via Medina Base Road and from Levi Strauss Park to Camargo Park ending with a connection to the Innovation Hub focus area via Southwest 36th Street. Existing or abandoned easements should also be considered as additional or alternative trails to help expand the internal trail system.

Part of creating a defining character for the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center is to draw on proposed improvements to amenities and public spaces in a way that also acknowledges and respects the history of the Regional Center. The Regional Center is already unlike any other part of the City as the soul of it derives from the existing and former military bases that sit at the center of the area. Public art, such as the mural depicting jets and the military along the concrete base of the U.S. Highway 90 overpass bridge at 36th Street, or the Tribute to Freedom monument located at West Military Drive and U.S. Highway 90, sets a precedent for highlighting the roots of the Regional Center. Incorporating more public art of varying scales that are in theme with the mural at 36th Street and the Tribute to Freedom sculpture will create cohesion throughout the Regional Center and bring together various neighborhoods and commercial corridors that are currently disconnected in character and design.

San Antonio has numerous well known and iconic parks and public spaces that attract local residents and tourists. The San Antonio River Walk, Brackenridge Park, and the recently developed Pearsall Park are examples of successful parks, with different features, that have many visitors year-round due to the different amenities at the park. As the population grows in San Antonio, it is important that the City continues to expand upon the number of parks and plazas that are made available throughout different areas of the City for the public to enjoy. Amenities and features at existing parks, such as Millers Pond, should be evaluated periodically to determine whether upgrades need to be made to increase use of the park for different activities.