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Arboretum San Antonio briefed the San Antonio City Council for the first time on Wednesday, and it asked for $25 million for its proposed 200-acre South Side tree park from the city’s 2027 bond.
Arboretums are specialized parks that feature trees and other woody plants. Arboretum San Antonio’s park would be the first of its kind in the city and would be located near Brooks City Base off of IH-410 and SE Military Drive on the site of the former Old Republic Golf Club.
Former San Antonio mayor and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros founded Arboretum San Antonio in 2022. At Wednesday’s briefing, he told the city council that the park will be free for local visitors.
“It will be free to the public — just want to take that off the table, because that is our commitment,” Cisneros said.
It was not yet determined whether visitors from outside the city and county will be able to visit the arboretum for free as well.
Cisneros also described what he wants the arboretum to offer residents: “It’s a place where one can reflect on and honor the majestic trees of our region. And that sounds somehow passé, but it really is a powerful thing when you see some of the arboretums around the country and what they mean. It’s a scientific place; it’s an educational place.”
The arboretum’s plan proposes pedestrian and bicycle trails, a nursery for native and climate-resilient trees, nature-based programming, event spaces, and public art displays. The arboretum would be connected to the greenway hike and bike trail system. Cisneros said arboretum officials are also working with Bexar County officials on developing part of the land for the arboretum into an accessible park for disabled children.
Arboretum San Antonio’s park master plan is scheduled to be finished in April. At that point, the organization will be able to share the total funding required for phase one of the three-phase project. Arboretum San Antonio said it has already reached 18,000 people in its community engagement efforts since May 2024, and it will hold another community meeting in April to present the master plan.
Several council members said they supported the idea of an arboretum on the city’s South Side but wanted more information about the project before offering their support for $25 million in city bond money.
“What I would want to see is the total cost of the project, the other funding sources, the amount of those leveraged funds, and how the programming will sustain itself so it may be free to the public,” District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said. “You did include the $25 million ask in here, and I feel like once you put a dollar amount in front of us and in front of the community, then the total project budget is open for scrutiny.”
The decision on what projects receive funding from the 2027 bond is still many months away and will be made by an entirely new city council.
