SAN ANTONIO – Organizers and planners of the forthcoming Arboretum San Antonio want to hear from the community at two input sessions next week.
Arboretum San Antonio will occupy 188 acres of land on the Southeast Side, not far from Brooks City Base. The land used to be home to the Republic Golf Course.
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The team behind South Central Texas’ first arboretum wants to hear the community’s input on what they want to see from the project.
Two community input sessions will be held next week at Mission Library. Stakeholders, board members, planners and more will be on hand to answer community questions.
The public can expect interactive sessions covering the project and its long-term goals for the community, a news release said.
A survey gauging the public’s idea for the project is available.
How did we get here?
The idea for the project began in 2021 when former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros expressed a vision for an arboretum on the South Side.
“This is a prime location for the park,” Cisneros said. “Investing in a historically underserved area in close proximity to the Salado Creek Greenway, Mission Reach, and the Missions will be beneficial for all who live, work and visit the South Side.”
Moreover, county funding to the tune of over $7.3 million also helped with financial efforts.
“We purchased it (in) November of last year by a partnership with Brooks. They invested $1 million in the land and we also bought $2 million worth of property as well for a total of 188 acres. By funding from the county, we got $7.3 million from Bexar County and we used part of that money for the purchase,” Corser said.
Arboretum San Antonio is still in the midst of its master plan process, which began earlier this year. The planning and input process will wrap up in mid-2025. A date for opening is not yet known.
A look at the documents to be presented during the input sessions:
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