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Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved the final land purchase to create Arboretum San Antonio.
Commissioners approved the nearly $4 million purchase of nearly 17 acres that will make up part of the forested arboretum grounds with the former Republic Golf Course at its heart. The purchase money comes from the more than $7 million dollars the county previously dedicated to the project.
The total grounds will cover 200 acres on the Southeast Side, off Southeast Military, between I-37 and Loop 410. The first major land purchase was in 2023. The arboretum will be a 10-minute drive from downtown.
Former HUD Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros is the founder of the arboretum project, which he said will be of national significance. He thanked commissioners for their support.
"This is really a great day for us. It tops out our physical site and allows us to go forward and raise money," he told commissioners. "I can't tell you the number of people who have said 'come back to us when you have the site tied down' and 'come back to us when the master plan is done and then we'll join in with philanthropic contributions.' That's our next step."
Private funding will be sought to complete part of the project, also supported by the city. Cisneros said USAA is financially supporting plans for a veterans area in the arboretum.
The grounds include trees that predate the Battle of the Alamo and trees that ancestors of indigenous people once lived around. There will 31 tree species in all. There is also space for a county park, education and research, and trails.
A master plan will be released to the public in May based on previous community input.
The arboretum will be a perfect space for "forest bathing," a Japanese mental health practice of breathing in the fresh oxygen the trees give off, Cisneros explained.
"We're dwarfed by 300 feet of God's creation," he said. "And it's almost the same sensation you get being in a church, being in a cathedral, because these are cathedrals of nature."
The commissioners and County Judge Peter Sakai all thanked Cisneros and the arboretum staff and leadership for all their work to keep the project on track.
The arboretum will be located in Precinct 4, represented by County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, but he said the arboretum project will be good for the entire community.
"I think all of our community will benefit from the preservation of trees," he said. He said the tree benefits will include air quality improvement, education, and even fruit.
