AGENDA - San Antonio Housing Authority

TRANSFORMATION PLANThese streets carry critical bus routes, provideessential links in San Antonio’s bicyclemaster plan, and, with improvements, canoffer residents a convenient walk to schools,churches, other amenities and neighbors.They further connect the neighborhood intoa larger “Education Corridor,” linking neighborhoodschools with the resources andsupport available from St. Philip’s College.Strategies for Vacant and Blighted PropertiesThe Eastside has suffered significant deteriorationin the past several decades, andcurrently 16% of all properties are vacantand/or dilapidated. An integrated andcollaborative effort with the city and otherhousing partners that focuses on strategicinfill will be vital to neighborhood-widerevitalization strategies. Additionally, vacantproperties that may not be suited for newhousing development will be re-purposedas community gardens and other green,sustainable uses.Create community gardens. Encourage thecity to identify and work with neighborhoodorganizations to develop 2–3 new communitygardens within the study area. Researchthe potential for an urban farm that couldcreate educational or youth-oriented job opportunitiesand support neighborhood retailand/or provide food for local food banks.Revitalize Key Retail AreasPrioritize neighborhood level retail and services.Target resources to enhance existingand create new retail along New Braunfels,between Lamar and Burnet Streets. Identifyand prioritize retail uses that support a walkableenvironment.Create retail façade program. Work withSAGE, other neighborhood organizations andthe city to identify funding opportunities tosupport a façade program for existing andnew retail business owners.Improve conditions at larger-scale retailareas. Use pedestrian and multimodal levelof-servicemeasures to assess conditionsalong New Braunfels Avenue, between DawsonStreet and Paso Mondo Street; encouragecity to further enhance landscape conditionswithin median strip; develop designguidelines for retail establishments; modifycurrent zoning; support neighborhood retailby creating zoning and/or regulations to limitcertain types of businesses that don’t enhancequality-of-life conditions (pay-day loancompanies, liquor stores, bars, etc.)Safety and SecurityThe overarching preface of safety is necessaryif residents are to accept that realchange is not only possible, but an attainableresult within the Wheatley area. As withmost aspects of the transformation plan forthe area, improving both the real and perceivedsense of security will involve multipleinitiatives. Several important ones include:Efforts to deter gang activity• A new gang injunction will likely be inplace for two years that makes it illegalfor some suspected members of aviolent street gang to congregate withina 1-square-mile area on the Eastsidethat for years has been plagued by gangviolence and drug dealing.• A safety zone has been created in theWheatley Courts area, since gang membersare restricted from congregating orengaging in numerous activities, includingusing a cell phone for illegal purposes,drug activity and possessing alcoholor items used for “tagging.”• The order also establishes a curfew between10 p.m. and 6 a.m.• A larger “safety zone” encompasses anarea bordered on the south by East CommerceStreet, on the west by North NewBraunfels Avenue, and railroad trackson the north and east. These boundariesare analogous to those of the WheatleyEASTSIDE CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION PLAN45