Zoning commission approves large-area rezoning for Roosevelt Park neighborhood

The City of San Antonio Zoning Commission on a 10-0 roll call approved a large-area rezoning for the Roosevelt Park neighborhood that will redraw multiple zoning districts across a broad section of the neighborhood.

Staff planner Forrest Wilson presented the request as a consolidated rezoning that would replace a patchwork of existing districts with a mix of residential and commercial categories, including R1–R6, multiple RM designations and IDZ/Transit-Oriented Development overlay districts. Wilson said staff recommended approval with a single amendment to exclude 121 East Highland from the proposed rezoning.

Neighborhood leaders said the rezoning reflects years of local planning and could leverage transit investment to bring commercial services and more housing. “We believe the TOD overlay could be that incentive needed to re inspire development in the neighborhood,” Jeff Hunt, president of the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association, told commissioners. Hunt said Roosevelt and South Presa currently have “urban blight and neglect” and that the zoning change could encourage small grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants and increase walkability.

Resident speakers gave mixed remarks but generally supported the rezoning after outreach and education by neighborhood leaders. Erin Bender, a Roosevelt Park board member and homeowner, said she had been skeptical at first but now supports the change, calling it “an investment for the future of our neighborhood.” Other speakers said they favored improvements but wanted assurances about types of future businesses and impacts on existing homes.

Commissioners discussed the record of community engagement, the neighborhood task force that staff convened and the role of the TOD overlay in channeling reinvestment to Roosevelt Park’s commercial corridors. Commissioner Chase made the motion to approve the rezoning as amended; Commissioner Barros seconded. A roll call vote followed and the motion carried, with the commission recording approval as amended.

The commission’s approval is a recommendation to City Council; the commission noted that, per the city process, council will consider the item within six months of the commission’s recommendation.

Residents and the neighborhood association who supported the change said they expect the new zoning to encourage mixed-use redevelopment and modest increases in housing density while protecting single-family blocks from direct commercial conversion.