question about Kerrville (San Antonio, Austin, San Marcos: houses, job market, buying)

[annie_annie]

Originally Posted by oldmanshirt

a San Antonio developer is planning to redevelop the soon-to-be-vacated downtown hospital at Sidney Baker and Main into condos and retail.

I have heard the same thing. I'm looking forward to see how this plays out. They already have the parking garage and above traffic cross walk in place so that would be perfect. I was born in that hospital and I'm kind of glad that they aren't going to tear the entire building down but will be renovating it instead.

[imaterry78259]

Will SA eventually strech to Kerrville. The Drive from SA to Kerrville is just gorgeous

[annie_annie]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

Will SA eventually strech to Kerrville. The Drive from SA to Kerrville is just gorgeous

Kerrville is about 60 miles from San Antonio. Boerne is about 30 miles from San Antonio and it's getting hard to tell where Boerne ends and San Antonio begins. I think eventually Kerrville and San Antonio will do the same. However, I couldn't even begin to guess how long/soon that will take.

[oldmanshirt]

The terrain between Comfort and Kerrville (or even Boerne and Kville) doesn't really lend itself to development of any density. Between SA and Boerne its still relatively flat. However, Kville does have ties to the SA metro along hwys 27 and 16. Of those, 27 is the most populated corridor, but still almost entirely rural.

Kville has regional ties to SA more than actual commuting or business ties. I believe its still treated as a separate market, which is why you see things there you won't see in SA (like an Albertson's), and won't see some things there that are staples in SA (like Taco Cabana and Bill Miller's). But there are a lot of Spurs fans there, you can find a copy of the SA Express almost anywhere, and you get SA TV and radio stations, albeit weak because of the hills.

I do believe SA and Kville will eventually be combined into a CSA (combined statistical area). Maybe as soon as the next census.

[imaterry78259]

Originally Posted by annie_annie

Kerrville is about 60 miles from San Antonio. Boerne is about 30 miles from San Antonio and it's getting hard to tell where Boerne ends and San Antonio begins. I think eventually Kerrville and San Antonio will do the same. However, I couldn't even begin to guess how long/soon that will take.

So Sa sprawl os anout 30 miles from Kervvile now. Do they have commuter buses that run into SA from Kerrville

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

Dude, what?! Guys, guys.... Kerrville?? That's like 2 counties away! SA's big, but not THAT big! I can see Boerne being connected in, like, 20 years, along with Bulverde, New Braunfels, and hell- I wouldn't be suprised if we're pretty dang close to Castroville in 20-30, but not Kerville.
If anything, if this "City South" thing really takes off like it's supposed to, We're going to fill up our NE, NW, and W sections and start expanding southward. I can see us getting to Borene, but not past it. South towards future TTC-35, West towards 211, and still continuing NE towards...well...Austin...

[imaterry78259]

Hey dude, I can really see SA Sprawl moving toward Kerrville in the next 10 years. Its is already into Medina County(211) going toward Bandera.

[oldmanshirt]

Originally Posted by ChrisSA_wxatUIW

Dude, what?! Guys, guys.... Kerrville?? That's like 2 counties away! SA's big, but not THAT big! I can see Boerne being connected in, like, 20 years, along with Bulverde, New Braunfels, and hell- I wouldn't be suprised if we're pretty dang close to Castroville in 20-30, but not Kerville.
If anything, if this "City South" thing really takes off like it's supposed to, We're going to fill up our NE, NW, and W sections and start expanding southward. I can see us getting to Borene, but not past it. South towards future TTC-35, West towards 211, and still continuing NE towards...well...Austin...

Just because areas or cities aren't connected by contiguous, dense urban development doesn't mean that they aren't connected in other real, albeit somewhat less tangible ways. There are still a few stretches of rural or undeveloped land between Boerne and SA, and there probably always will be, but Boerne is undeniably part of San Antonio and the metro area. Kerrville is less connected geographically, but in my experience, residents there identify with SA to an only slightly smaller extent than Boerne.

[annie_annie]

Originally Posted by ChrisSA_wxatUIW

I can see Boerne being connected in, like, 20 years

Have you not driven down I-10 lately? They already are connected.

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by annie_annie

Kerrville is about 60 miles from San Antonio. Boerne is about 30 miles from San Antonio and it's getting hard to tell where Boerne ends and San Antonio begins. I think eventually Kerrville and San Antonio will do the same. However, I couldn't even begin to guess how long/soon that will take.

I think most Hill Country residents are sad to see the sprawl encroaching on all the small burgs and swallowing them up, like Boerne. Kerrville will most definitely be connected in the next decade or two, unless it actively works to prevent that. I grew up in Boulder, CO and waaaay back in the early 70s, the town council realized Denver was going to eventually swallow Boulder up unless they did something to preserve the unique environmental beauty and quality of life there. So they passed a few ordinances to limit new housing construction (I think it was .5% growth allowed per year).

The most important thing they did (talk about foresight) was to buy up a large expanse of undeveloped land in a ring around the city (now just called "the green space") which remains undeveloped today. When I was a kid commuting to my first job in Denver, I drove through long stretches of open undeveloped land between Boulder, Louisville, and Broomfield before getting to Westminster - the first "suburb" in Denver. Today Denver's sprawl is so widespread that it is literally wall to wall shopping malls and housing developments for 40 miles up the highway... until you hit that blissful green open space and it gets quiet and beautiful. Then you know you're in Boulder. Of course, the growth limitations and the open space had other consequences (limited supply + high demand = crazy expensive housing). But Boulder is relatively unscathed by Denver's urban sprawl. If they want to avoid Boerne's fate, Kerrville residents might do well to learn a lesson or two from Boulder's experience.