Neighborhood Profiles & Priorities

Neighborhood Profiles and Priorities

What is the neighborhood profile and priorities?

San Antonio is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own unique history, qualities, and character. Some neighborhoods throughout the city have developed Neighborhood Plans that reflect local values and priorities. These plans, adopted by the City, have guided local investments and improvements for many years and helped strengthen the relationship between residents and the City.

The City is currently in the process of creating Sub-Area Plans to implement the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan. These Sub-Area Plans are intended to provide a more coordinated, efficient and effective structure for neighborhood planning. The Sub-Area Plans are intended to increase equity citywide, by ensuring that all of San Antonio’s neighborhoods have a base level of policy guidance, as many neighborhoods within the city lack an existing Neighborhood Plan or a registered neighborhood organization. In this way, each Sub-Area Plan will integrate key elements of existing Neighborhood Plans for those neighborhoods that have a plan, while promoting citywide policy consistency and providing key recommendations and strategies for those neighborhoods currently lacking that direction.

The Neighborhood Profile and Priorities section of the Sub-Area Plans provides special attention to prior neighborhood planning efforts and recognizes the community groups and individuals who were instrumental in their creation. They summarize specific opportunities, challenges, recommendations, and priorities from each participating neighborhood, to more efficiently direct public and private investment within the city to help these neighborhoods achieve their short-term goals and long-term visions.

Neighborhood Profile and Priorities: Coliseum/Willow Park Neighborhood Association, Exhibit 7

Acknowledgements

Special Thanks to every Coliseum/Willow Park Area resident and stakeholder who spent time and energy speaking with Planning Department staff throughout the Eastside Community Area planning process and to the numerous area residents and stakeholders who contributed to this document by meeting with the Planning Department.

Neighborhood location map

NEIGHBORHOOD Profile and Priorities

Neighborhood Snapshot

NEIGHBORHOOD STRENGTHS AND CHARACTER

Coliseum/Willow Park developed later than other Eastside Community Area neighborhoods, and unlike the others was not part of the original 36 square mile City of San Antonio boundary. The neighborhood is home to Dafoste Park, a new trailhead to Salado Greek Greenway, Carver Library, and Second Baptist Church.

The neighborhood is arranged in what would be a walkable grid pattern of blocks, however there are few sidewalks north of Aransas Avenue. In this area, development patterns are relatively uniform. There are one-story single-family homes, with consistent front setbacks, and few vacant lots. There are unimproved alleys in most blocks. South of Aransas Avenue, there is more variation, with single-family, small multi-family, and vacant properties. Many of the vacant properties appear to be owned and used by the adjacent owners as side yards. This area was developed over a longer period of time, with both newer and older homes dating to the 1920s.

Strengths

• The neighborhood includes multiple amenities close by, including Dafoste Park, the Salado Creek Greenway, and Carver Library.

• The neighborhood is relatively affordable compared to others in the Eastside Community Area.

• The neighborhood association has multi-generational participation, and experiments with alternative ways to get neighbors involved, such as by organizing neighborhood walks.

• The neighborhood is relatively stable, with many people who have lived there for a long time and who have relationships with one another.

NEIGHBORHOOD OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Residents report that the neighborhood is aging, and that they would like to attract more families to live there. Areas south of Aransas Avenue include a large number of vacant lots where more homes could be built for people to live in. The Echo East project, located just northwest of the neighborhood, proposes adding additional multi-family housing, and in later phases retail or service options to area residents.

Opportunities

• Echo East and other anticipated arena area development may Include goods, services, or entertainment.

• The area has great amenities for families, including a library, two parks, greenway trail access, and two bus lines that connect to Downtown.

Challenges

• The building at the eastern corner of Dafoste Avenue and East Commerce Street is getting vandalized and occupied for illegal activities. Similarly, properties on the west side of Spriggsdale Boulevard are attracting illegal activities and dumping.

• Residents report that housing is becoming less affordable, and some residents are worried about the future of housing affordability.

Previous Neighborhood Plans

A neighborhood plan was not previously completed for the Coliseum/Willow Park Neighborhood. The Arena District / Eastside Community Plan (2003) did not include a section or chapter uniquely dedicated to the neighborhood. The plan called for conservation of existing housing stock and gradual infill development with small scale multi-family dwellings, and a mixed-use town center south of the AT&T Center, between Houston Street and Commerce Street, west of Coca Cola Place. Specific to the Coliseum/Willow Park Neighborhood, the plan recommended planting large canopy trees adjacent to Commerce Street, Spriggsdale Boulevard, and Martin Luther King Drive.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS

• Plant street trees on prominent streets.

• Support small scale infill housing south of Aransas Avenue.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN

• Some home rehabilitation has occurred, and some new infill houses have been built.

• The neighborhood has retained basic aspects of its character since the Arena District / Eastside Community Plan was adopted.