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Charrette Analysis

Key Points of Agreement -
Conservation and Recreation

• River corridor should be preserved for controlled public access purposes. Public use with passive recreation, wildlife management area (A-17), watershed protection, educational resource opportunities should be sought.

• Land has greater value to community as entire river corridor assembled. Voluntary conservation easements on un-acquired land should be pursued to connect river corridor parcels now held by SAWS.

• Support for City Parks & Recreation acquisition. Playing fields should be limited to non-sensitive areas with access to existing public roads. The remainder should be left in a natural state as a buffer for river corridor. Preference for low-impact recreation.

• Land may assist SAWS and other public agencies with environmental compliance in areas of habitat and/or wetlands mitigation, NPDS compliance, habitat restoration, stream water quality, among others.

• If property returns to private hands, explore watershed preservation tools, such as conservation easements, retention of public ownership watershed buffer area, community consortium of public/private/non-profit management of a natural area along river.

• Keep local control of the property. A consortium of public/private/non-profit parties should be identified to provide long-term management, maintenance and security for the area.

• When possible and appropriate, and after deed restrictions/ conservation easements and other protective covenants have been placed on the watershed protection buffer, land should be returned to productive use by previous owners. If a "right of first refusal" is not possible, SAWS should consider other options, such as leasing to owners and transferring ownership at end of lease - "phased-out" disposition. SAWS should look for creative ways to address this issue.

• Support for returning the productive land back to productive use by new owners, after easements and restrictions, including ideas as marketing the area for agricultural research (i.e. grasslands and other R&D), agricultural production and distribution activity, low-impact retirement community for a growing elderly population in the area, a small scale amphitheater, and other economic development uses.

• If possible, areas of future acquisition, such as the City's request for the R-O-W through the Walsh farm, should not be pursued until it is needed.

Key Points of Agreement -
Educational Opportunities

• Support for the Archeological Conservancy idea, with request to also include public use of facility for educational purposes, i.e. special relationship with area school districts and Palo Alto; public education opportunities at the archeological site. Many teams supported public education on the Native American cultural history of the area.

• Support idea of using historic resources for public education purposes with consensus on adaptive reuse of the Watson House/ Watson-Presnall estate, and other ideas including: a "Land and Man" center to explore agricultural practices through time; making this area a compound for cultural and environmental studies, including landowner education of best management practices for watershed protection and pesticide control; and linking this site to other environmental resources in the San Antonio area.

• Support for using appropriate portions of the site as a Agricultural Demonstration and Research, teaming up with Agricultural Extension Service, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station - Texas A&M Uvalde, Southwest Research, and private research and development efforts, among others.

• City should consider amphitheater on site.

• Native American cultural activities could be conducted here.

1. We learned that public involvement may uncover ideas and opportunities that would not have been considered otherwise and that the community views this property not as a loss or a "sore spot" but as an area with potential for both public and private long-term benefits.

2. Healing between the community and SAWS is necessary. The Charrette was a positive step.

3. Land has LONG-TERM VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY in the form of:

a) Preserved Wetland, Wildlife Habitat, and ecosystem restoration

b) Man/Land Center - Archeological research, Historic Preservation, Cultural significance and education

c) Agricultural Production and Research/Demonstration

d) Appropriate Park and passive Recreational Uses

e) Non-sensitive areas of the property could generate new economic development opportunities, improving the tax base of the area

4. Land has LONG-TERM VALUE TO SAWS in regard to it's responsibilities to:

a) provide highest return to the rate payers and bond holders by facilitating disposition which yields a greater return on the investment than can be realized through a quick disposition at current market rates.

b) preserve large areas of habitat and river corridor which may be essential to development of further water resources and/or compliance under the NPDS (Clean Water Act) with future development impacts in the area.

c) conduct the disposition in a way that brings value to the area and heals old wounds.