Dear Neighborhoods Across the City,
One of your D7 neighborhoods, Alamo Farmsteads/Babcock Road Neighborhood Association, needs your help. We know this is short notice, but there is still time to voice an opinion at City Council on Thursday, May 5th.
Item 43: ZONING-Z-2021-10700350 – Requested Zoning: “RE CD” Residential Estate District with a Conditional Use for an Assisted Living Facility (ALF) for up to 10 residents for 6960 Pembroke located in District 7, identified as Item 43 on the agenda for the April 7th City Council Meeting.
Opposition: Staff recommends denial; The Zoning Commission voted unanimously for denial.
Nine (9) of the eleven (11) neighbors within 200’ are in opposition. We had 74% of Alamo Farmsteads residents who submitted their surveys as “In Opposition”. Four Neighborhood Associations submitted as “In Opposition” (3 of which have had recent zoning cases for ALF expansion).
However, Councilwoman Ana Sandoval from District 7 has indicated that she is going to recommend approval of this zoning case and has asked the community to find a compromise with the business owner.
The issue: Assisted Living Facilities (ALF) embedded within residential neighborhoods is a valued service for the community and by right, every residential home in San Antonio can be a 6-resident ALF, but a residential ALF embedded within a neighborhood does have an impact to the nearby neighbors and community and allowing for additional growth of a facility would only add to their impact.
Any property surrounding your home can become a 6-resident ALF regardless if you are in a historic, conservation, HOA, gated community, etc. There are currently 95 residential-type ALFs registered in Bexar County, so this will eventually need to be addressed by every district in San Antonio. Also, this does not include those residential ALFs with less than 4 residents that do not have to register.
Since the City has not developed an overall plan for managing the number and location of these ALFs, and does not have accurate numbers on occupancy rates and total capacity of these facilities; it is premature to approve this request which would set a precedent for other residential ALFs in other districts of San Antonio. Please support us in opposing this zoning request. We ask that you reach out to your council member and ask her /him to listen to their communities. We’ve attached a template letter.
Please also consider a written message to be read at tomorrow’s City Council meeting in opposition to Item 43
To sign up to speak visit www.saspeakup.com
· Click on meetings and events at the top of the page
· Select City Council A Session for May 5th at 2 p.m.
· Click on the Comments Icon and leave the following written message, if you’d like:
Template Letter
Item number
Name
Neighborhood and Council District
Please deny the request for a RE CD with a Conditional Use for an Assisted Living Facility (ALF) for up to 10 residents for 6960 Pembroke. Assisted Living Facilities (ALF) embedded within residential neighborhoods is a valued service for the community and by right, every residential home in San Antonio can be a 6-resident ALF, but a residential ALF embedded within a neighborhood does have an impact to the nearby neighbors and community and allowing for additional growth of a facility would only add to their impact.
Any residential property can become a 6-resident ALF regardless of type: historic, conservation, HOA, gated community, etc. There are currently 95 residential-type ALFs registered in Bexar County, so this will eventually need to be addressed by every district in San Antonio. Also, this does not include those residential ALFs with less than 4 residents that do not have to register. We recognize the valuable service of ALFs but we also recognize that this is a business and the balance between the service, the business, and the residential neighborhood needs should be balanced in a plan developed by the City.
Since the City has not developed an overall plan for managing the number and location of these ALFs, and does not have accurate numbers on occupancy rates and total capacity of these facilities; it is premature to approve this request which would set a precedent for other residential ALFs in other districts of San Antonio. This request has been denied by staff as well as a unanimous vote of the Zoning Commission. Please support us in opposing this zoning request.
Neighborhoods working together can help make a better City.
Thank you,
Phillip Manna
Alamo Farmsteads/Babcock Road Neighborhood Association