The San Antonio Parks Department is promising more public discussion will happen before the city approves a plan to redesign Brackenridge Park. One proposal would greatly reduce traffic in the historic park.
Today, Much of Brackenridge Park public areas are parking lots and roadways. A proposed new master plan for the 343 acre park would reclaim that space with expanded green space and picnic spots.
Lynn Bobbitt is the executive director of the Brackenridge Park Conservancy.
“This is really a comprehensive look at what the park can be going into the future and protecting it for generations. It is the park for the entire city – for all of the districts – not just one and two in which it is located.”
While on TPR’s The Source Monday State Senator Jose Menendez expressed concern that eliminating traffic would effectively make the park more difficult to access for families – particularly for the traditional Easter weekend.
“One of my biggest concerns is that we don’t take the use of the park from families who have had historic traditions of holidays sometimes doing the only camping they are able to do.”
Other parts of the proposed master plan include restoring the eastern border of the park that is now a concrete drainage ditch into a more natural setting – and finding a way to integrate the underused Ma hncke park which would link the expanded Botanical Gardens to Brac.
Guests:
- Xavier Urrutia, parks director now also in charge of Animal Control for the City of San Antonio
- Jay Louden, runs the architecture firm Work5hop and is a team member on the Brackenridge Master Plan Team
- Lynn Bobbitt, executive director of Brackenridge Park Conservancy
