2023 HOME EDITION
Increasing jobs The number of non-farm jobs in the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area has seen a steady increase, bringing more jobs to the area, which attracts more people and the need for more housing.
2023: 1.16M
2022: 1.11M
120,000
2019: 1.07M
2018: 1.06M
2021: 1.05M
2017: 1.03M
2016: 1.01M
110,000
2020: 951,300*
100,000
90,000
0
SOURCE: WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO COMMUNITY IMPACT
*NOTE: NUMBERS AS A RESULT OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC
most appealing aspects is the small-town feel that makes residential areas feel like communities. When cities have an increase in population and need to accommodate that growth, the small-town charm can be lost in the increased developments, James said. “We have a lot of people who want that small-town feel that come here, and then the growth makes it not much of a small town anymore,” James said. In Cibolo, the Comprehensive Master Plan is being updated to lay out the plan for land use within the city, including multifamily develop- ments, Lee said. This plan will have a 30-year outlook on develop- ment in the city, and give city sta guidelines when planning future projects and addressing long-term goals, Lee said. To meet resident concerns and expectations, cit- ies are looking to local events, parks and alterna- tive forms of development to keep the community feeling residents are looking for when they move to the area. “We can’t stop growth,” James said. “It is not like we can put in place things to not grow. It really is about trying to manage that growth in a way that is positive, but it is also about trying to keep that unique sense of community.”
“There is also potential for some new multifamily in the Aviation District area.” Schertz and Cibolo have more room for devel- opment than surrounding cities, leading to many projects being conducted within either of those cit- ies’ limits, Assistant City Manager Brian James said. While many of the multifamily developments in Schertz are in design or planning phases, one development is under construction along FM 1518. James said this development is a joint e ort between the developer and the Schertz Housing Authority to bring 300 units of workforce housing to the area. James explained that while a ordable living units may have negative connotations, the cost of housing is nonetheless rising. With wages not increasing at a rate that keeps up, more people are now eligible to qualify for housing that is con- structed to be more a ordable. “The cost of housing has grown so fast … that a lot of folks who qualify for [a ordable housing] now aren’t who we would normally expect to qualify,” While city o cials have a hand in approving the incoming developments, each project is started with a developer who comes in and looks at a speci c prop- erty to determine what they would like to use it for. “We have zoning around town that allows multi- family development,” he said. “It is just whether that James said. The process
developer is interested in that area of multifamily zoning or not.” When developers decide to use a property for a di erent use than it is zoned for, they move through the rezoning process, which leads to the planning and zoning commission and city council to approve the rezoning request, Schertz Planning Manager Emily Delgado said. Cibolo Economic Development Director Kelsee Jordan Lee said the Cibolo City Council has already determined zones for multifamily and planned unit developments. Each city has a planning and zoning team that works with developers throughout the planning process to ensure code compliance. Anytime a property is being rezoned, public hear- ings are held to give residents an opportunity to be involved in the conversation. Residents within 200 feet of the property will receive notices in the mail, and with enough prop- erty owners against the rezoning, residents can trig- ger a supermajority vote from Cibolo City Council, meaning the zoning approval would need a 75% vote before moving forward. “We are growing, and multifamily developments will continue coming, but we want residents to con- tinue giving us feedback, so we can have a plan for the future development,” Lee said. Finding balance For many residents within these cities, one of the
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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION • JULY 2023
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