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Old Posted Jul 13, 2022, 11:06 PM
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The Link - connecting the San Antonio River Walk and the San Pedro Creek Culture Park

This project deserves a thread of its own. This would also be a good place to post anything about the conflicting stadium project attempting to stop the link, because these two potential projects are inextricably Link-ed.

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‘The Link’ seeks to connect San Antonio’s River Walk with improved San Pedro Creek downtown

https://www.expressnews.com/news/loc...d-16784998.php

County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, an advocate for The Link, recently asked the city’s street bond committee for $7 million to construct two bridges — one on Main and another on Soledad. The county also is seeking $4 million in parks funds.

Calvert asked that funds for the bridges be transferred from 2017 bonds allocated for Main Street reconstruction, “so that we do not tear up Main Street twice and close down Main Street to the businesses that are located there.”

But two city committees excluded The Link from the lists of projects they’re recommending be included in a $1.2 billion bond election scheduled for May 7. The City Council is expected to vote on the final list of projects and call the bond election Feb. 10.

City Manager Erik Walsh said at a recent bond meeting he would like a commitment in writing about the county’s role in funding the project. It now is in a preliminary engineering phase that will include public meetings, along with environmental and historical surveys, and will better define the scope and total cost of the project. That process could take up to a year.

Some City Council members have said they’d rather see 2022 bond funds used to address unmet needs in neighborhoods outside of downtown.

Brenda Vickrey Johnson, president of land and development planning firm Vickrey & Associates, told county commissioners in September that the project would complement the Culture Park, which is being expanded downtown along 2.2 miles of the creek.

“If we pass up this opportunity, it could be 10 to 20 years or more before this project could be built, if ever,” she told commissioners.
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Old Posted Jul 13, 2022, 11:08 PM
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Exclusive: Weston Urban pursuing land for potential sports stadium in downtown San Antonio

https://saheron.com/weston-urban-pur...ports-stadium/

Weston Urban has lately approached at least two entities that own property near the northern end of San Pedro Creek seeking to buy their land while mentioning to them plans to build a sports stadium.

Both entities—the Artpace San Antonio arts nonprofit and the Toomey Family Limited Partnership—own property in the southern half of the block bounded by Kingsbury, Camaron, West Martin and North Flores streets on the east side of the creek, and south of the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) headquarters and Fox Tech High School.

Late Thursday, Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert released a statement in opposition of the stadium, as it would conflict with a separate project he’s been championing this year called The Link—an envisioned linear park that would connect the River Walk and San Pedro Creek Culture Park with a walking path along a waterway.

The block is one of seven sites highlighted in a 2016 report prepared for Centro San Antonio and the city by the Barrett Sports Group as possible locations for a minor-league baseball stadium. It’s worth noting that the site is also one that’s still viable, as others identified in the Barrett report have since been built on, or committed to for other developments.
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Old Posted Jul 13, 2022, 11:08 PM
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San Antonio developer wants to build baseball stadium downtown

https://www.sacurrent.com/news/san-a...ntown-29265234

San Antonio's Weston Urban, a development company behind multiple high-profile downtown projects, wants to buy land near the northern end of San Pedro Creek with plans to build a minor-league baseball stadium, the San Antonio Heron reports.

The land, owned by the nonprofit Artpace San Antonio and the Toomey Family Limited Partnership, is located south of SAISD headquarters and stretches along the southern half of the block bounded by Kingsbury, Camaron, West Martin and North Flores streets, according to the story.

Bernard Toomey, a member of the land-holding partnership told the Heron that Weston Urban contacted his father, John Toomey, about buying the land for a “triple-A team.” However, the partnership isn’t looking to sell, he said.

Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert confirmed rumors of plans for a downtown stadium in a statement released on Thursday. Calvert expressed opposition, arguing the hypothetical project would conflict with a path called The Link connecting the River Walk and San Pedro Creek Culture Park — a project he helped spearhead.

The spot identified by Weston Urban is one of seven potential sites identified in a 2016 report by Centro San Antonio and the city by Barrett Sports group as a potential spot for a new minor-league baseball stadium, according to the Heron.
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Old Posted Jul 13, 2022, 11:09 PM
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Weston Urban seeks to assemble land near San Pedro Creek for downtown San Antonio baseball stadium

https://www.expressnews.com/business...m-17277269.php

Developer Weston Urban is attempting to acquire property near San Pedro Creek for construction of a downtown baseball stadium.

The idea of such a ballpark has been kicked around for years, but Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said the current effort is promising.

“These are a group of prominent business people that have the wherewithal to make it happen,” Wolff said, declining to identify those involved.

But Bernard Toomey, whose Toomey Family Limited Partnership owns 2.4 acres at West Martin and North Flores streets, said San Antonio-based Weston Urban recently approached the family about purchasing the property for a stadium.

The parcel, which is across from the Soap Factory Apartments, includes the former Alamo Downtown Automotive dealership and empty lots.
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Old Posted Jul 13, 2022, 11:10 PM
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Bexar County commissioners advance The Link project despite concerns about no city support

https://saheron.com/bexar-county-com...-link-project/

Many seem to admire the concept of The Link, a proposal to connect the River Walk and San Pedro Creek Culture Park with a walking path and waterway, allowing pedestrians to stroll from, say, Penner’s to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on continuous parkland.

Yet the project, championed by Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, would require that the city-owned Savings Street be eliminated, and three other city streets be converted into bridges—and the city of San Antonio so far hasn’t offered any financial support.

On Tuesday morning, concerns over whether the city would jump on board led to sparring between county commissioners, who voted 3-2 to approve a $2 million study advancing the project into its engineering phase. There were also questions about the lack of transparency with the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), who’s leading the feasibility phase, and which had already selected an engineering firm before the commissioners voted.
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Old Posted Jul 13, 2022, 11:11 PM
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Study to advance 'The Link' in downtown San Antonio between River Walk and San Pedro Creek

https://www.tpr.org/san-antonio/2022...an-pedro-creek

Bexar County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the start of negotiations for a $2 million engineering study to build "The Link" between the San Antonio River Walk and the San Pedro Creek Culture Park.

Described as a project that would turn a concrete urban jungle into a green space oasis in the heart of downtown, The Link would connect the San Antonio River Walk at Convent Park following Savings Street to San Pedro Creek and pass below Soledad, Main and Flores Streets, connecting at street level on Camaron. The public pathway would include green spaces, water features and art.

Universal Services Group already plans to anchor one end of The Link with the new Dream Hotel, part of a complex of five skyscrapers of office space, housing, retail, and mixed use space.

Precinct 4 County Commissioner Tommy Calvert told his fellow commissioners the complex is valued at $400 million, so it would make a good return on county investments.

"What we have found in all these projects is that the new development around these projects ends up paying for the debt service for the infrastructure," he said.

Calvert said the high rises would have rooftop amenities and the water features would include use of recycled condensate from the air conditioning systems of nearby buildings.

The engineering study also received a yes vote from Commissioner Justin Rodriguez and County Judge Nelson Wolff. Wolff expressed confidence in the San Antonio River Authority as a partner on the project.

"It has a chance to make a dynamic change," said Wolff of the project's impact on downtown life.
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Old Posted Jul 13, 2022, 11:17 PM
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I am very pro The Link. As has been pointed out, there are several other places in and around downtown where a stadium for a minor-league baseball team could be built, but there is no other place The Link can be built. It seems that ArtPace has no desire to sell to Weston for a stadium. They said they want to keep their parking lot for now, and for the future when they would actually be right on top of a beautiful waterway park. I bet that would increase their property value is much more than a stadium would. To me, The Link is more beneficial long term thinking for downtown and the City, and a baseball stadium is short term thinking that will eventually have to be torn down in the future.


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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 2:12 PM
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This could be the first time Weston comes off as being the rich bad guy. From the public information I've seen, I think he's done a good job for San Antonio so far, but building a stadium for a private business (which is what a professional baseball team is) is less important for the city than creating an extension of a beautiful, unique and world-famous feature of the city that is available to all for free. I think he should reconsider his priorities on this one and seek out a different location. There are plenty available... just not right next to his growing downtown empire.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 3:11 PM
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As Charles Barkely says "dirty little creek"
How many more dirty little creeks we need in downtown!
I take the Stadium any day! I just got back from St. Louis and visited Cardinal Nation. The little town next to the stadium which is a restaurant/bar area that caters to the stadium. It was like the Pearl with a baseball theme right by the stadium. It was alive and full of life. The stadium would do better then another canal. The connection from the creek to the river doesn't have to happen.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 3:23 PM
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As Charles Barkely says "dirty little creek"
How many more dirty little creeks we need in downtown!
I take the Stadium any day! I just got back from St. Louis and visited Cardinal Nation. The little town next to the stadium which is a restaurant/bar area that caters to the stadium. It was like the Pearl with a baseball theme right by the stadium. It was alive and full of life. The stadium would do better then another canal. The connection from the creek to the river doesn't have to happen.
You're right, this is the only place in the entire urban core we could put a baseball stadium. There's no oversupply of parking lots and low density buildings around downtown that could be used. It's definitely a binary choice of one versus the other.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 3:28 PM
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That is absolutely correct Keep it Lame.
Why? because of the skyline view. The view of the skyline is the best in that location. Makes for beautiful backdrop in the outfield. We still got oversupply of empty spots on river north and some on the south side of downtown that we can still do more and beautify. The idea of the riverwalk and the creek are great projects but at one point do you say, enough is enough we over killing our identity.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 3:29 PM
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Originally Posted by The Model View Post
As Charles Barkely says "dirty little creek"
How many more dirty little creeks we need in downtown!
I take the Stadium any day! I just got back from St. Louis and visited Cardinal Nation. The little town next to the stadium which is a restaurant/bar area that caters to the stadium. It was like the Pearl with a baseball theme right by the stadium. It was alive and full of life. The stadium would do better then another canal. The connection from the creek to the river doesn't have to happen.
Fully agree. This 'connection' is such a waste of space IMO. I fully feel like you could make street/sidewalk level improvements with signage guiding folks to the riverwalk and creek while also encouraging businesses at street level to open via zoning (coffee shops, restaurants etc) instead of sinking millions into what amounts to a lower level sidewalk with water next to it. This would be bisecting some prime downtown land. Say what you want about those terrible no good rich people, but a baseball stadium downtown would be a MUCH more efficient use of this space and bring MORE people to the downtown core, further boosting businesses there. A sidewalk absolutely does not do this. If there is another spot downtown for a stadium thats suitable, sweet. But bisecting prime property like this reduces the options for other uses say higher density development etc.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 3:39 PM
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As Charles Barkely says "dirty little creek"
How many more dirty little creeks we need in downtown!
I take the Stadium any day! I just got back from St. Louis and visited Cardinal Nation. The little town next to the stadium which is a restaurant/bar area that caters to the stadium. It was like the Pearl with a baseball theme right by the stadium. It was alive and full of life. The stadium would do better then another canal. The connection from the creek to the river doesn't have to happen.
The St. Louis Cardinals are not a AA/AAA team. There's a big difference. If SA had a guaranteed major league team to put in the stadium, my opinion might change. But anything under major league is statistically insignificant in terms of ability to spur meaningful growth in the surrounding neighborhood.

What some call a "dirty little creek", others who use it call a refuge and a nice place to take a lunch break, walk, get outdoors, interact with other people, and the list of positive possibilities goes on and on.

On a related note, Charles Barkley absolutely was role model, even though he made a lot of money making a Nike commercial proclaiming he wasn't a role model. This was in reaction to the bad press he received after he accidentally spit on a little girl at a game. (He was trying to spit on a racist heckler, but had bad aim.) And specific to San Antonio... he's always hated San Antonio and consistently bad mouths the city. So just know these things about him when you're quoting him.

With all that said, we are all entitled to our opinions.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 4:01 PM
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The stadium if built would be able to be expanded to MLB standards so hopefully they would stay true to that vision.

My opinion, which of course doesn't have to be agreed on is, we got lots of rivers and creeks downtown, but we don't have sports. I see the creek is finished from Houston Street to IH 35/IH 10 Y intersection and just for the few days when the creek open and there was tons of visitors, I rarely see anyone walking around that area. I still haven't seen any development on the San Pedro Creek on that Phase 1 area and its still a lonely part of downtown. I like to see something new instead of another creek or riverwalk.

Now on Barkely, he is guilty of everything you said, but he is also guilty of traveling the world and seeing tons of cities. I don't think he hates San Antonio he just pointing out how far behind we are as a city and there is for sure more room for improvement.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 4:14 PM
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...why would we base this off of a completely arbitrary determination of which angle the skyline looks best from? There's like 600 other factors to consider, most of which are more important than the skyline. It's not even a great skyline anyway, yeesh.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 7:30 PM
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...why would we base this off of a completely arbitrary determination of which angle the skyline looks best from? There's like 600 other factors to consider, most of which are more important than the skyline. It's not even a great skyline anyway, yeesh.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!



It would be cool to have a view, but not important at all.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 9:39 PM
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SA should go big and do both by letting Westin build his stadium and the city build a lake with water from SA river, so hitters can hit home runs in it having kayakers (Like SF) catch balls. It would be like SoFi with a lake next to it.
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Old Posted Jul 14, 2022, 10:12 PM
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The stadium if built would be able to be expanded to MLB standards so hopefully they would stay true to that vision.

My opinion, which of course doesn't have to be agreed on is, we got lots of rivers and creeks downtown, but we don't have sports. I see the creek is finished from Houston Street to IH 35/IH 10 Y intersection and just for the few days when the creek open and there was tons of visitors, I rarely see anyone walking around that area. I still haven't seen any development on the San Pedro Creek on that Phase 1 area and its still a lonely part of downtown. I like to see something new instead of another creek or riverwalk.

Now on Barkely, he is guilty of everything you said, but he is also guilty of traveling the world and seeing tons of cities. I don't think he hates San Antonio he just pointing out how far behind we are as a city and there is for sure more room for improvement.


Well....., Mr. Barkley needs to settle down on visiting all the restaurants while he is visiting cities globally. A gym membership might be a good idea at this point in his life. IMO, Mr. Barkley probably really loves San Antonio! Remember the saying: If a boy or girl is being mean to you in school, that is because they really like you!! San Antonio: A beautiful, unique and historical American city.

Have an awesome evening everyone!!!!
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Old Posted Jul 15, 2022, 4:40 PM
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The Link is supposed to be a downtown connection to the San Antonio River Walk, but it’s become divisive

https://www.expressnews.com/politics...n-17305428.php

A proposed park and walking trail would connect San Antonio’s famed River Walk with the San Pedro Creek, possibly spurring development in an otherwise quiet area of west downtown. But its future is uncertain as the project has divided local leaders with competing priorities.

Two Bexar County commissioners this week pushed to postpone a vote on a $2 million feasibility study for The Link because they haven’t gotten a commitment from the city of San Antonio, which owns the street included in the plan.

“We’re trying to pass something on city land without any city commitment?” asked Pct. 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores.

...

But even if the city doesn’t get on board, Calvert said the county already set aside $41 million from its creeks budget for the project. That alone, he said, would cover two of the four phases.

“We really won’t lose here,” he said.

Local developer Weston Urban threw another wrench into the plans for The Link in recent months when it purportedly began looking to buy land for a baseball stadium.

The firm, led by Rackspace co-founder Graham Weston, recently approached property owners about their land on the block bounded by Kingsbury, Camaron, West Martin and North Flores street. One of the owners who turned down the offer said executives mentioned a baseball stadium; Weston Urban has not responded to inquiries.

When that news broke, Calvert quickly put out a statement indicating he would oppose public funding for such a project.

“Spending taxpayer dollars on a minor league sports stadium does not make sense when there are so many more pressing issues at the family kitchen table,” he said. “People are concerned with the high prices of gas, food, public safety, and housing. There is no support from property owners for a stadium, and there are other places to build a stadium in Bexar County.”

“The only logical project to finish San Antonio’s historic River Walk is The Link, which advances and enhances the River Walk and truly reflects our community’s broader vision,” he added.

The plan also lists the city’s 2027 bond program as a potential funding source for the multi-million-dollar project, although officials and residents rejected its inclusion in the 2022 bond.
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Old Posted Jul 20, 2022, 4:35 PM
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The Link is an $80M plan to cool urban streetscapes and heat up north downtown development

https://sanantonioreport.org/the-lin...n-development/

With two distinct waterways coursing through downtown San Antonio, a proposal known as The Link could add a third.

Last week, Bexar County commissioners approved spending $2 million on a preliminary engineering study for the project that would link the well-established San Antonio River Walk and San Pedro Creek Culture Park, which has been under construction since 2017.

As envisioned, The Link would be a four-block-long linear park running east to west along Savings Street, connecting the existing waterways via landscaped footpaths and water features.

As manager of the Bexar County creeks and trails program, the San Antonio River Authority will oversee the year-long engineering study.

It was an engineer named Al Groves who first came up with the concept.

Groves, known for his work in urban waterways, including the San Antonio River Walk extension and Hemisfair Plaza in 1968, died at age 88 in March 2022, just a few months shy of his vision moving to development.

“His background was urban and regional planning, and he just had a passion for working in the community,” said Melissa Bryant, director of technical services at the San Antonio River Authority.

She said Groves enlisted the help of local civil engineering and landscape architecture firm Vickrey and Associates on the waterway link idea more than a decade ago.

The firm’s president, Brenda Vickrey Johnson, pitched it to Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, in whose precinct the project would be located.

Calvert chose to support The Link over a proposed 7-mile linear park on the Southeast Side known as the Salado South Extension because it was the “most viable,” of the two options, he said.

In September 2021, commissioners put $41.1 million in the county’s 2021-22 budget for phase one of the project, which would cover the cost to build The Link from the River Walk to Main Street.

Other funding for the estimated $60 million to $80 million project could come from the Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, future city bonds, the Hotel Occupancy Tax and other federal assistance, Calvert said. The city did not earmark funding for The Link in the 2022-27 bond.

The Link is needed to help bring the north end of downtown to life, Calvert said.

“When … you can break up the concrete jungle and the heat and provide shade, trees and a cooler environment in the downtown area, it will be among the most unique downtowns in the United States,” Calvert said. “If you can provide a ‘park scape’ that enhances the ecology, it activates the whole north end of downtown.”

He has formed a 40-person advisory board that includes property owners, business owners, residents, neighborhood leaders and others with a stake in downtown development and who support the project.

“Obviously we support The Link … we are invested in this,” said Chuck Brehm of Universal Services Group at the recent commissioner’s court meeting.

Universal Services Group is behind the Thompson Hotel and Arts Residences, completed in early 2021, and the proposed mixed-use Riverplace development, set to be anchored by a 21-story Dream Hotel located at Savings and Soledad streets.

“The central business district … and what really transpires in this city and the county is in this area,” he said. “So it’s very important how we extend this, how we create the development and the ambiance of the area.”

In the four blocks where The Link could be built there is a hotel, several businesses, parking lots, ArtPace — and vacant property that a group of developers has sought for a new baseball stadium.

In recent weeks, it was reported that the group, led by Weston Urban, is trying to assemble land on the north end of downtown for a baseball stadium.

That effort apparently has been thwarted by property owners unwilling to sell. But plans for The Link do not have to stand in the way of a ballpark, Calvert said.

“There are several contingency routes that The Link could take,” he said.

“It could be worked out. But they’ve got to meet and start talking with people about it and they haven’t done that,” Calvert said of the anonymous group. “They’ve done a lot of things in secret. And so that ain’t working.”

At the July 12 commissioner’s court meeting, commissioners voted 3-2 to approve $2 million for funding the feasibility study by Vickrey, with at least one member asking to postpone a vote until the city commits to helping fund the project and another questioning how the engineering firm was selected.

A representative from Vickrey did not return calls for comment on the project.

“Vickrey was actually on our pre-qualified list [of engineers],” for the linear creeks and trails program, said the river authority’s Bryant.

The certified “historically underutilized business” is woman-owned and has the most history with the proposed project, she added. “We saw their experience as an efficiency in developing a preliminary engineering report.”

One proposal that Vickrey engineers will study calls for a street-level pathway connecting the two waterways, while the other involves developing a waterway below street level, similar to the River Walk and San Pedro Creek.

But because the state likely would not approve using water from those waterways for The Link, the three waterways would not actually connect, said Bryant. Instead, condensate from air conditioning systems of nearby businesses could be used to establish The Link’s water features.

Engineers will study which properties may need to be acquired for the project and identify property owners willing to donate or sell the land for the right-of-way and easements needed, Bryant said.

For now, the River Walk and San Pedro Creek will remain distinct parallel waterways in downtown San Antonio, the span between them occupied by urban streets and buildings.
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