Stone Oak POA approves apartments for environmentally sensitive canyon (San Antonio: low income, buyer)

[flourpower]

Let me reiterate: the REAL ISSUE here is that the Stone Oak POA is basically changing the rules in the middle of the game. This property was zoned as SINGLE FAMILY and now they are bowing down to the developer and pushing the MULTI FAMILY zoning. As Stone Oak residents, we have been faithfully paying our HOA dues and now they have essentially turned their backs on us. To me this equates to TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!

[713 to 210]

Originally Posted by chipsndip

I find it really humorous that the environmental card is being played on this one - the land is already approved for development of single family homes -- it's not like it's going to stay pristine and unpolluted. It's just a lever to use against the developer of the "unwanted" apartment buildings. As they used to say back where I'm from, call a spade a spade.

I don't think anything having to do with the switch from Residential to Multi-family is good. No I don't like apartment buildings near my home (yes I've lived in many in my life), no I don't want more traffic, no I don't want to pollute the aquifer, no I don't want the added noise, no I don't want the ugly view, no I don't want property values to go down, no I don't want crowded schools, etc. etc.

The point is that the land has always been zoned as Residential, most would not fight this if the existing Residential plan for acreage homesites was going in. The difference is that now Stone Oak residents have to deal with something that was never considered, a change in zoning. But yet the Stone Oak POA is not listening, they aren't representing the residents. There are 5 out of 9 board spots given to developers, how is that fair? Meanwhile, the other 4 spots are not even voted upon. The prudent thing to do would be to leave the zoning as it is. It doesn't matter why anyone opposes the apartments, they cannot be built unless the zoning changes. Why is the Stone Oak POA being so secretive and pushing this through without resident involvement?

[chipsndip]

But looking at the thread title you posted...

" Stone Oak POA approves apartments for environmentally sensitive canyon "

You don't say "Stone Oad POA approves apartments in previously zoned single family district". The "environmentally sensitive canyon" is BS - it's a strawman to draw attention to your cause, but has nothing to do with the issue at stake. If you read the news article, again the issue that is emphasized is the environment, the aquifer, and the animals living in the canyon.

For all of those Stone Oak-ees opposed to "polluting the aquifer" - is your home in or near the recharge zone?

Do what you will about your petition and the development - I just enjoy pointing out the hypocrisy of using the environment card on this one.

[mmac12]

I can see if we didn't have any apartment complexes in the Stone Oak, Sonterra and the Canyon Springs areas but we do, plenty in fact... For a so called master planned community future traffic issues were never properly planned for and how many schools can you build in this area , we are too crowded as is . I'm sorry another complex is not only unnecessary but infringes on the home values in our area. I would love to see who's getting some good kickbacks!

[wellguy]

Don't worry about property values. I'm not a tree hugger but we need to worry about the continuing growth over the Edwards and Trinity Recharge Zones. Do you know that this area of town gets water from the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers?
Remember the saying "You dump it. You drink it" Well that should be the worry. Those damned developers and City Officials are allowing those two sources of water to become polluted. Never mind the saying "The solution to pollution is dulition"
Remember what happened to all the private wells at Borgfeld and 281 when they were polluted with gasoline?
We can afford to loose values on our homes. We can't afford to let our environmentally sensitive areas to be built upon.

[cheermomof4girls]

I just signed the petition.

[Bo]

I was serious before when I said that you folks will need to get an attorney and spend some money to fight this. Petitions and log-rolling won't get it done if the skids are greased at City Hall for this rezoning to go through.

[wellguy]

chisndip - I do not live in Stone Oak nor over the TGR or Edward Recharge Zone. Do you realize that the EXCESSIVE building over these areas which also include DeZavala / 1H 10W is going to SCREW us one of these days. . These aquifers no matter how large are not filters for pollutants. Please-- It has nothing to do with using the Enviroment as a "card". It's about MONEYand GREED.

Back in the eighties I lived in Corpus Christi and remember coming up to San Antonio and seeing "Edwards Aquifer Rechare Zone. Environmentally Sensitive Area". Not being a native of the area I thought that the area would never be built upon. WRONG. Why? Because it is a nice area with rolling hills, rocky areas, etc. Developers knew that this was the area to build since it would draw people and make them tons of money. Why would the City care? They too would make tons of money.
This development will end up affecting us all. It doesn't matter where anyone lives (Stone Oak, Sea World, Bandera/ 1604, Downtown, East, West, or South) or who you get your water from. One of these days when your bill triples because SAWS or Bexar Met. have to spend money to treat the water who will you blame? Neither water company treats the water. Only Chlorine and Fluoride are added. For some reason (I'm not saying that you are one) people think that the water is treated. They think pesticides. herbicides, petroleum by products, chemicals, etc. are being removed. WRONG.
It's too late to right the wrong but as citizens of the City, Bexar County and surrounding areas we have every right to complain.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by wellguy

chisndip - I do not live in Stone Oak nor over the TGR or Edward Recharge Zone. Do you realize that the EXCESSIVE building over these areas which also include DeZavala / 1H 10W is going to SCREW us one of these days. . These aquifers no matter how large are not filters for pollutants. Please-- It has nothing to do with using the Enviroment as a "card". It's about MONEYand GREED.

Back in the eighties I lived in Corpus Christi and remember coming up to San Antonio and seeing "Edwards Aquifer Rechare Zone. Environmentally Sensitive Area". Not being a native of the area I thought that the area would never be built upon. WRONG. Why? Because it is a nice area with rolling hills, rocky areas, etc. Developers knew that this was the area to build since it would draw people and make them tons of money. Why would the City care? They too would make tons of money.
This development will end up affecting us all. It doesn't matter where anyone lives (Stone Oak, Sea World, Bandera/ 1604, Downtown, East, West, or South) or who you get your water from. One of these days when your bill triples because SAWS or Bexar Met. have to spend money to treat the water who will you blame? Neither water company treats the water. Only Chlorine and Fluoride are added. For some reason (I'm not saying that you are one) people think that the water is treated. They think pesticides. herbicides, petroleum by products, chemicals, etc. are being removed. WRONG.
It's too late to right the wrong but as citizens of the City, Bexar County and surrounding areas we have every right to complain.

The reason why our water is not treated is that as of 2008 it doesn't require it:

San Antonio Water System: Water Quality

Now, I'm not saying that the Edwards Aquifer could require treatment in the future if we continue to pollute.

[TexasWeatherman]

Originally Posted by dendox

I drive through that area nearly every morning. The traffic change alone is enough to make me not want it. I can only imagine what that will do to the influx of students in an already overcrowded school system.

Do they have to get NEISD to sign off on this before they can do it? I just can't imagine where there will be room for that many more families' kids.

Thanks for posting this.

Many of us have been saying this for decades! Multi family over the recharge zone is not that much worse than lots of single family over the recharge zone. Last I checked, students raised in single family homes can just as easily overcrowd a school system as students raised in multifamily homes.