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Planning Arboretum San Antonio

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The planning process for Arboretum San Antonio is underway and the public is being asked for its input.

An arboretum is a space where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. Nearly every major city has one, such as Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Seattle—and now so will San Antonio.

The development of Arboretum San Antonio is well underway with the purchase of the old Republic Golf Course on the city’s Southside. The site sits along Salado Creek and is adjacent to local trails.

Arboretum San Antonio will feature pedestrian and bicycle trails, a nursery to propagate native trees, nature-based programming for all ages, event spaces, and public art displays.

The development group bought the land in November 2023. The Brooks Development Authority funded $1 million for the project. The Bexar County Commissioner's Court also allocated $7.3 million in its 2021-22 budget for the space. The result is a 188-acre tree sanctuary.

A 12-month planning process is underway. Arboretum San Antonio plans to host events this summer to ask for community input to develop and build a place reflective of San Antonio's heritage and diverse culture.

The first Arboretum San Antonio community input workshop is August 19 at the Mission Library 3134 Roosevelt Ave, San Antonio, TX 78214 at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Guests:

Anna Cawrse is the Chair of Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering and Ecology at Sasaki. She is also on the Denver Office Director Board of Directors and a Principal Landscape Architect.

Andy Sell is a senior associate landscape architect and ecologist at Sasaki.

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.

This interview will be recorded on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.

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David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi