Planning department forwards Greater Airport Area Regional Center Plan to City Council for adoption

The Planning & Community Development Committee voted Sept. 23 to forward the Greater Airport Area Regional Center Plan to City Council for formal adoption as a component of the city’s SA Tomorrow comprehensive plan.

Bridget White, director of the Planning Department, presented the Greater Airport Area plan and described it as the third-phase and 12th sub-area plan advancing SA Tomorrow implementation. White said the plan area includes San Antonio International Airport and overlaps multiple council districts; staff briefed council members in districts 1, 9 and 10 during plan development.

The plan sets a vision and goals and provides topic-specific recommendations and strategies across land use, mobility, amenities and public spaces, housing and economic development. White highlighted the plan’s implementation priorities matrix, which pairs recommended improvements with key stakeholders, potential funding sources and rough timing estimates. Staff described priorities such as encouraging redevelopment around San Pedro and Loop 410, improving trail connections to neighborhood parks and greenways (including Salado Creek Greenway and McAllister Park), identifying dangerous intersections for safety improvements, and supporting small businesses and live-work spaces in employment-flex corridors.

White described extensive public engagement during plan preparation: 11 planning-team meetings, a design charrette and three online surveys that asked residents what they liked, what was missing and what they would change about the area. The presentation included illustrative before-and-after renderings for Park North Shopping Center and Blossom Park Athletic Center showing mixed residential-retail development, green infrastructure and links to trail networks.

Council members asked staff about coordination with other right-of-way owners and agencies. Project manager Jacob Howard said staff had one-on-one conversations with TxDOT during the planning phase and had communicated with the railroad about potential projects. White said the Planning Department deliberately adjusted the plan’s phasing to align with the airport’s own strategic planning process and had airport staff involved in the effort to address questions about noise, operations and possible terminal or runway considerations.

Council members discussed potential next steps to implement the plan’s recommendations. White and staff said the plan identifies a set of UDC (Unified Development Code) amendments to pursue in future cycles—most immediately the creation of mixed-use districts—and that the Planning Department coordinates with Development Services Department and other offices as plan-driven UDC or capital improvements are prioritized for bond or maintenance programs. The department also said it has integrated SA Tomorrow plan recommendations into the city’s bond program task force to explore funding paths.

Council members expressed interest in tracking how often adopted sub-area plans are later amended during zoning votes. White said staff will coordinate with Development Services to provide information to the committee about SA Tomorrow plans and subsequent amendments. Committee members also asked about federal grant or mitigation programs related to airport noise; airport staff (present) said a federal program exists to attenuate sound inside eligible homes within flight contours and that most homes previously eligible have been treated.

A motion to send the Greater Airport Area Regional Center Plan to City Council for consideration Oct. 2 carried by voice vote. The committee’s action sends the plan to the full council for a formal vote on adoption to become part of the city’s comprehensive master plan.