In a nutshell
During opening remarks, Walsh said San Antonio is the fastest growing large city in the country, and city officials are working to capitalize on this growth.
“There is a lot of demand, and how that plays out over the next six, 12, 18 months is going to be very critical in terms of what the [upcoming] city budget is,” Walsh said.
One major project designed to capitalize on this growth is the new airport terminal.
Walsh said the city is breaking ground on the new airport terminal in December.
According to San Antonio International Airport, the project will build a new terminal, renovate Terminal A, and upgrade and improve the airfield and roadways.
Additionally, Walsh said plans for a 500-space parking garage have been expanded to a 1,500-car parking garage, with a transportation center for Uber, Lyft, taxis and hotel buses.
“[City officials] just commissioned a recent economic development impact analysis of the airport, [which gives a] $7.4 million regional impact to this area, and is a huge driver of the economy here in San Antonio,” Walsh said.
The second project discussed is the Advanced Rapid Transit project, which is a public transportation system, using dedicated lanes outside of regular traffic. The VIA Green Line will connect points from the north and south sides. The second portion, the VIA Silver Line, will connect the east and west sides. One feature the VIA ART system will offer is off-board fare collection options for faster boarding.
Walsh said the project has been discussed for a long time and will create a lot of transit oriented development.
“That'll really be the framework for which development could occur along San Pedro and the east-west lines, and then potentially other areas of the city,” Walsh said.
The ART line will be up for approval by the City Council in December.
Quote of note
“[San Antonio] is a full service city, and maintaining what we have [is] a challenge that I'll tell you a lot of cities have a hard time figuring out. We're one of the only cities that live within our means,” Walsh said.
