New plan outlines long-range goals for Shavano Park

“This is about how we protect the residential quality and small-town feel, and maintain what we have,” Laws said.

The overview

Leaders said Shavano Park’s residential and commercial build-out will finish within city limits in the next five years. Officials said this prompted discussions about the community’s commercial development and city finances, among other topics.

The details

City officials recently reviewed the plan and its 50 action steps. City Manager Bill Hill said a final ordinance reading would happen in October or November.

Some of the proposed action steps include:

• Working closely with developer Denton Communities/Bitterblue to attract ideal small retail, office and medical businesses to fill 48 available commercial acres
• Rezone 22 acres at Loop 1604 and Pond Hill Drive to allow greater flexibility of commercial development
• Continue a ban on short-term rentals, such as AirBnBs, in residential areas
• Keep the residential minimum lot size at no less than 30,492 square feet
• Finish current street bond project and planned De Zavala Road project
• Consider direct pedestrian and bike access to Salado Creek

Digging deeper

In updating the town plan, the planning and zoning commission considered Shavano Park’s history, its demographics and other factors that made the town what it is today, Laws said.

Council Member Pete Miller said the commission examined community characteristics and received feedback from residents who expressed a desire to uphold the city’s single-family home character across its 10 established residential neighborhoods.

What they're saying

Miller said the town plan contains plenty of important details.

“I don’t think people on council can truly appreciate the amount of background that is in there,” Miller said.

Shavano Park Mayor Bob Werner called the town plan a solid guidepost.

“This becomes a real planning document for the city, and it has an impact on the planning decisions that the city makes in the future as far as zoning and other issues,” Werner said.

Shavano Park City Manager Bill Hill said many people provided valuable insight in helping to update the plan.

“We’ve got an excellent product. We’ve got a lot of input from citizens,” Hill said.

Laws said one of the key findings in the city plan was residents want to maintain Shavano Park's mostly residential atmosphere.

“We don’t want to get lost in Bexar County and become a strip shopping center with low-quality residential development,” Laws said.

What’s next

The planning and zoning commission reserved each of its regular public meetings between August 2022 and July 2023 for town plan discussions before coming up with recommended action steps. While no other public hearings on the plan are in the works, residents can offer input during the citizens-to-be-heard portion of any council meeting.