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New group hopes to have the updated Master Plan out in May. Based on Discovery Green in HOU and Buena Vista in SF...
City restarts HemisFair Park process
By
Benjamin Olivo
Talk of what should become of HemisFair Park has begun again, and a special committee is looking at urban parks in Houston and San Francisco as examples of the site's potential.
The HemisFair Park Redevelopment Ad Hoc Committee first met Jan. 14 and has met twice since. The goal of the committee is twofold:
1. To recommend a management structure for the park, meaning, the park could be managed by a department of the city, a nonprofit conservancy group (ala Main Plaza), a local government corporation, etc.
2. To rework the 2004 Master Plan to create an updated vision for the park.
The ad hoc committee is wanting to present a proposal to City Council in May.
All of this information was sent to me via e-mail from the office of deputy city manager Pat DiGiovanni after I asked for the latest about plans to renovate the park.
The city's e-mail did say the public would be included in the process, but didn't say when.
The committee is looking at Yerba Buena in San Fransisco, which includes an arts center, convention space, an ice rink and a garden.
Discovery Green in Houston is a downtown park that includes a lake, public art and an outdoor theater.
For HemisFair Park, the committee is addressing development, connectivity to the park's surrounding features (the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, for example), the balance between green spaces and buildings, historic preservation and sustainability.
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Read the city's 2004 Master Plan for the basis from which the committee is working and for a history of the land.
The 13-member committee is comprised of representatives from stakeholder organizations (like the Lavaca Neigborhood Association), candidates appointed by Mayor Phil Hardberger and four spots chosen via lottery from City Council nominations.
Here are the folks who form the committee:
Organizations
Xavier Gonzalez, Historic Design and Review Committee
Henry Feldman, San Antonio Convention and Visitors' Bureau
Michael Berrier, Lavaca Neighborhood Association
Julius Gribou, University of Texas at San Antonio
Andres Andujar, Downtown Alliance
Ray Knox, San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department
Joan Gaither, San Antonio Conservation Society
Mayoral appointments
Lionel Sosa, independent consultant
Daniel A. Lopez, San Antonio Federal Credit Union
District nominations
Marty Wender, developer, Quadrant A (Districts 6,7 & 8)
Ron Campos, District 10 neighborhood leader, Quadrant B (Districts 1, 9, & 10)
Arthur Emerson, public relations executive, Quadrant C (District 4 & 5)
Roy Lowey-Ball, Ford, Powell & Carson, Quadrant D (Districts 2 & 3)
— Benjamin Olivo