In Boerne, residents spoke against the continued development of Buc-ee’s, a new city park broke ground, and Kyle Mickelsen was selected to represent City Council District 3.
In Fair Oaks Ranch, city leaders worked on a new interlocal agreement with Bexar County Emergency Services Department No. 4, increasing the annual payment from the city.
Northside Community Park construction underway following Sept. 3 groundbreaking
The park, which includes a skate park, trails and public restrooms, closed Aug. 22 to prepare for construction, which is expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete.
Planned amenities and improvements include:
- Multiuse fields with high-performance LED sports lighting
- Food court with restrooms, shade structures and picnic tables
- Family restrooms
- 12 pickleball courts with shade structure and LED lighting
- Basketball pavilion with two courts and LED lighting
- Splashpad
- All-inclusive playgrounds
- Dog park for small and large dogs
- Half-mile walking trail
- Loop roadway with head-in parking and two parking lots, totalling 277 spaces
- Multiple low-impact development treatments
- Stormwater detention ponds
For two months, a number of Boerne residents have spoken at public meetings about their concerns regarding the planned Buc-ee’s construction off I-10 near US 87, or Main Street.
On Sept. 8, the Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing for the ratification of a zoning designation for 5.155 acres of property neighboring the construction site.
After over two hours of citizen comments and commission discussions, the zoning ratification was unanimously tabled for 60 days, giving additional time to review information before a recommendation is made to City Council.
Despite tabling the agenda item, city staff said Buc-ee’s can still move forward with its project, since the property in question has previously been zoned at the highest commercial zoning prior to the update of the city's Unified Development Code in 2021.
The proposed use of the property in question is for an accessory parking lot for Buc-ee’s employees.
Boerne City Council appoints Kyle Mickelsen to fill District 3 vacancy
Following the formal resignation of District 3 council member Quinten Scott, Boerne City Council selected a new member to fill the vacant council seat.
On Sept. 9, council held interviews for three candidates and selected Kyle Mickelsen.
Scott announced his resignation in July due to moving to a new home outside of district limits, which requires resignation by the city charter.
Scott served on City Council for six years, addressing challenges such as COVID-19, project concerns and other issues as Boerne has grown.
Mickelsen told Community Impact his family has been in Boerne for 19 years. After serving on the City Charter Review Committee, he decided to apply for a position on City Council to be more involved in the community.
“It is important to help manage growth while maintaining Boerne’s unique charm,” he said.
Fair Oaks Ranch renews ESD No. 4 contract, nearly doubling annual cost
Fair Oaks Ranch City Council on Sept. 4 approved a new contract with Bexar County Emergency Services Department No. 4 to cover fire services over the next decade, nearly doubling the cost to the city.
City Manager Scott Huizenga said the city of Fair Oaks Ranch does not own or operate its own fire department, instead using contracts to provide emergency services to residents.
The city entered its first formal agreement with ESD No. 4 starting in 2021, costing $362,927 at the start of the agreement and increasing to $528,581 by its end in fiscal year 2024-25. The city paid $602,081 for EMS services in FY 2024-25.
In a new agreement, the city will begin with a contract of $1.1 million, nearly doubling the cost of the service, which includes fire and EMS services.
Huizenga said negotiations have been ongoing since July when ESD No. 4 requested that Fair Oaks Ranch pay a parity at the tax rate set by the ESD. Calculations shared by city staff showed that the city would pay an amount equal to $0.02150 per $100 valuation rate, while the ESD passed a rate of $0.064607 per $100 valuation for the upcoming fiscal year.
