I live out in the country. Water is limited and not that good in quality. I'd like the air to be as pure as possible and I want the environment to stay as healthy and clean as possible. Now these greedy developers want to put a development in with 3500 home and possibly more than 12,000 people right next to our rather small country subdivision. They want to use up the water in the small acquifer below us. They want to build a sewage treatment plant and then dump a huge amount effluent (fancy word for treated sewage, I guess) every day in a small local creek. They want to put a huge number of cars onto the local roads. It's a nightmare, really...wish I could wake up! Last night I went to a public hearing on their application for the "wastewater treatment plant permit". Why do I think the state has already made up its mind on this and doesn't care what we think? Maybe because of past experience with various levels of government?
This message was edited Aug 31, 2007 7:17 PM
Not to seem rude, but I don't want 12,000 more neighbors!
That is truly a nightmare. Where are they planning this "community". They can't touch the Natural Canyon area though....right?
This is at Park Rd. 37 and Hwy. 16 (Bandera Rd.) in the NE corner of Medina Co. and the eastern corner of Bandera Co. The closest towns are Lakehills (by Medina Lake) and Pipe Creek, both small country communities. The developers bought a large ranch here. As far as I know, there is no town in any part of the entire counties of Medina or Bandera that is as large as 12,000, so I doubt if the Medina Co. commissioners who gave preliminary approval to this had any idea what horrific results this could cause. Or maybe some palms were greased...wouldn't surprise me. The two little subdivisions here where I live that share a water system struggled for years to get water that was safe to drink. There were lawsuits years ago. Recently a boil water alert went on for months before ending even with the expensive improvements made to treat the water taken from the small local aquifer underneath our land. Then they want to dump 225,000 gallons a day into San Geronimo Creek. Not counting what will come from all the Reverse Osmosis systems all those houses will need...that's what most people here have. And all the runoff chemicals from pesticides and herbicides put out on the typical landscape. They'd like to get their hands on Edwards Aquifer water, but I hope the city of San Antonio isn't dumb enough to give it to them. The development is to be called the Hills of Castle Rock and not a whole lot of good, reliable info is available on what their actual plans consist of. I think they want to sneak it in before people can find out. I'm working on collecting info now. One source even said they plan on a 14-story hotel and grocery store (I don't think they would ever get anyone to come in and build either one, but I'm sure they would make potential buyers believe it would happen). But as far as confirmed proven info, it's pretty much smoke-and-mirrors, as far as I can see. We need help fighting this insane idea!
Know where you are and am not surprised. Seems developers are intested in the bottom line and nothing more. Don't know how in the world I could help but if you think of something....let me know. I have made myself known in my community for the same reasons. God be with you.
Keep up the good work. I'm afraid more parts of the Hill Country will be parceled off in the near future. The urbanization of the Hill Country certainly isn't sustainable economically or environmentally.
That is the truth about the Hill Country!
Linda....
Google..... Lick Creek, Austin, Tx........and read what a mess a developer caused to a pristine creek that was downhill from his new subdivision. For quite a while, it seemed no one was listening to the homeowners who lived on the creek. Might give you some insight into ways to try to fight the development.
Thanks! I'm looking into it. I have no real clout here. I'm not well-to-do and don't know anyone important. But I'm a believer in protecting the environment and our simple way of life. Too many people just don't care and end up in a virtual cesspool of pollution and crowding (I call that people pollution). I don't want to be like that.
Linda, that really sucks! I hope that they are deterred one way or another. I, too, fear that one day the cattle ranches that surround my land will be sold and developed. It seems inevitable (unless the Rapture comes) that we will outgrow this planet. We won't be able to feed ourselves when there's no land to graze livestock or grow crops and orchards. I like to go out to the middle of nowhere, but one day there won't be a middle of nowhere. Times they are a changin' and what's a poor country boy, like me, to do?
And they consider that progress. I am so sorry. Hope something can be done, but I suspect you're fighting a losing battle.
I am sorry Linda, maybe it won't work out for them and it won't happen.
We can always hope.
Linda, YOU are important. When we had a problem in our area about 5 years ago. We formed a HOA. Not the usual kind that get so much bad press. We had to band together in order to have our voices heard. Because I am a big mouth was elected president. I got to know the zoning board by going to meetings.....got to know the city council and mayor by going to meetings. Soon had a conference with the city manager....always with much courtesy and let them know we were on a even keel. I am not special and certainly don't have any money. When you make it known that there are those with a passion for their own world.....you'd be very surprised at how things work out. Have learned to skip over the city employees and go straight to the top. Those on the payroll really have less clout than you do. Our city manager consistently tells the residents.....we are his boss....we pay his salary and everyone at "city hall" so to speak. We do have builders that step out of line but there are people everywhere speaking up when they do. You can do it all by yourself but I seriously doubt you are the only one against this proposal. Search EPA website, visit EPA personell in Austin. I had never been an activist before but this was important for my home. I don't want to move....and I'm not going to. Our dues are $25.00 per year. We have a social in my backyard every May and take care of the widows and widowers. We all watch out for each other. Step out be the leader.
Linda, just looked at the Lick Creek website. Everything you need is right there. The people and what they did and all the phone numbers of the proper departments in Austin.
Praying for you.
Wow, Lou - you are just plain awesome.
Thank you ceejay, but not really. Just obsessive when I get a bone in my mouth.
They don't stand a chance!
Yes, I'll look into that website. I just emailed the leader of the main group that is opposing this. It seems that they get together a couple of times a month. Being out in an unincorporated countryside, there's no city officials to turn to anyway, no newspaper for our area, etc. Our county seat is very far from us. Law enforcement for the Medina Co. part of my subdivision (some of the neighbors are in Bandera Co.) consists of deputies who don't like to come out this far (they even have to cross a part of Bandera County to get here). The two nearest towns are both in Bandera Co. BUT the San Antonio ETJ (did I say that right?) reaches its treacherous tentacles out to this planned development area. SAWS refused to give US water, but from what I hear they're actually considering giving it to this planned development. Why? I don't know...doesn't seem at all logical. S.A. is kind of like an octopus, always reaching out to get or do something in the surrounding counties. Some of that is good, but then a lot is also bad news for the other counties.
I have been to Bandera and Medina. Don't really know where Helotes is other than the directions you gave above. How in the world does SA get all the way out there?
Hope I'm not confusing you more, but I don't live in Helotes (which is just outside 1604 on the west side of the S. A. area). Since our mail comes from the Helotes Post Office, that's what they put that on our address. Out here we have no town. You'd be surprised at what all S.A. controls one way or another. It's complicated and I can't understand very much myself. I do know that the children here go to Bexar Co. schools and we have electricity from CPS (from S.A.). Medina Co. a couple of years back agreed to San Antonio rules that would be applied to certain high-density subdivisions, but discovered just recently what a bad idea that was. Now they have voted to rescind that agreement, but I don't know if it's too late for this subdivision.
Linda
you know the saying your eyes are bigger than your stomach, that's the problem with San Antonio stretching out so far. A previous mayor and the present one have dollar signs instead of eyes. I've lived in San Antonio all my life. I am living in the same house that I grew up in. I am now 54 and the strip of street I am on is only 3 blocks long and cut off from major streets. We just got side walks a few years ago. For the longest time the post office didnt know where we were and businesses like ups couldnt find us. We had never had recycling cuz they never came by to pick it up. There is alot of cars that stop by and do drugs right in the cars on the curb outside my yard. It takes ages to get police response to come to this area and code compliance doesnt even bother to respond. This is all happens "in town". I always wonder why the city will not take care of what it currently has instead of reaching out and selfishly try to gobble up more property outside city limits. I remember Helotes being a quiet little town. I recently drove by it and I was shocked. Once city officials get a whiff of the money they can make they get deaf dumb and blind. Focus only on what more they can aquire.