A San Antonio development group is looking to place 10 to 12 homes on a 2-acre lot behind Kinderpark that abuts both Bess Street and Highland Drive at 116 Bess St.
The city of Boerne played host to a meeting Tuesday evening to allow the developer – Killen, Griffin & Farrimond – to speak with residents and hear any concerns or issues with the proposed development. Parking, traffic and density were all issues raised by residents during the discussion.
The developer is eyeing between five and six homes per acre, with smaller-footprint, three-story buildings that sit between the commercial and residential areas. The property would sit between about five commercial properties to the east, facing Main Street, and five residential units and Kinder Park to the west.
Traffic and parking have been major concerns in the area for years, with overflow parking from Kinderpark often leading individuals to park along Water Street between Highland Drive and Bess Street.
Additionally, with the construction taking place along School Street and Bandera Road, the area has become an alternate route for many to avoid the construction woes.
“It’s a wonderful little site where kids come,” resident Bob Manning said, noting Kinderpark on a map of property. “It is incredibly dangerous because there is no parking other than about six spots. So, I would implore you to take a look at how you might be a good neighbor to them.
“It is real dangerous to drive up Water Street when families are loading and unloading their kids, and you can’t see out on Highland if you’re parking out on Highland. It’s a very, very dangerous parking.”
Both Manning and other neighbors have pushed for the city to put in speed bumps along Water Street to help deter speeding down the now heavily used residential street.
The development is in the very early stages and has yet to go before the city’s planning and zoning commission or city council, but the development likely would require some form of rezoning to allow this kind of density.
The property currently is zoned as medium density residential, but Laura Haning, Boerne’s planning and community development director, said the property may need to seek a zoning such as low-density multifamily residential to allow five or six homes per acre. However, she said multifamily development would still require a special-use permit, which would be site specific and tied to any rezoning.
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