In a recent press conference, the City of San Antonio (a city well-known for its propensity towards expansive annexation projects) announced that, after extensive study and analysis, officials would radically scale back its annexation plans.

The areas initially targeted in the city’s crosshairs were three areas in Bexar County that included a strip north of the La Cantera shopping center off of I-10 West; the Camelot II neighborhood off of I-10 East; and a large section north of U.S. 281, which includes the Alamo Ranch area. But those plans have now been modified such that:

  • Of the three regions, the city’s surveyors recommend only fully annexing the I-10 west region in its entirety.
  • City officials retracted their recommendation to annex the area off I-10 East on the basis that the troubled area “is a money loser for the city.”
  • Officials recommended “annexing the commercial strips along U.S. 281, but not residential areas. Instead, the city is looking at executing non-annexation agreements with neighborhoods along the 281 corridor.”

Given the extensive protests of the Alamo Ranch neighborhood, this is a best of all possible scenarios for those residents who did not want their tax dollars to fund the city’s numerous pet projects.

However, even under this modified proposal, the citizens of the Alamo Ranch will likely have to make certain concessions to the City of San Antonio in order to continue operating independently for the next few years, or until that agreement expires. And then the threat of full annexation returns in force.