By Drew O’Bryan
Last week, the San Antonio City Council approved the SA Tomorrow Plan, which comprises sustainability, transportation, and comprehensive plans through 2040. The plans were drafted by the city's Office of Sustainability with more than a year of community involvement. Unfortunately, after the plan was created and one week before its final approval by the city council, the city's Planning Commission gutted three major features of the plan following one-time testimony from the Real Estate Council of San Antonio. The real estate representative asked the commission to remove the sustainability plan's dark skies initiative, impermeable cover standards, and any use of the word "regulate.” The commission approved all three changes in a split, 5-4 decision.
What Is Dark Skies All About?
Light pollution is a serious issue for San Antonio's local military. It is also a hazard to birds and other wildlife, and has negative effects for humans as well. The city's adjacent Hill Country remains one of the darker areas of the state, and Dripping Springs is already a certified dark sky community, while a number of other communities are looking to follow suit. A dark skies initiative can save money and energy in the long term, as lights are updated to direct more light down where it is needed and not wasted in the sky.
And Impermeable Cover?
Impermeable covers, such as traditional streets and parking lots, do not allow water to be absorbed after rainfall and is a major contributor to flooding and habitat destruction. Recently, excess storm water resulted in the die off of thousands of fish in the historic Espada Aqueduct. The Alamo Sierra Club, along with the San Antonio River Authority and Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, have long sought better impermeability rules to protect our city's residents and surrounding habitat.
How Things Went Down
Before last week's city council meeting, Alamo Sierra Club members and supporters sent more than 100 emails to Mayor Ivy Taylor and city council members demanding the reinstatement of the dark skies and impermeable cover standards. At the city council meeting on Thursday, August 11, representatives of the Sierra Club, community groups, and the armed forces also spoke in favor of the two initiatives and protecting the health of San Antonio's aquatic life, sustainable water use, and the natural beauty of its night skies. As a result of the community's support, the city council voted unanimously to reinstate the initiatives and approve the sustainability plan.
Unfortunately, while the city council responded to constituents by supporting the dark skies and impermeable cover initiatives, it chose to follow the wishes of real estate development interests on using the word "regulation" in the plan. Before the city council vote, the Planning Commission had replaced the word "regulate" with "incentivize" wherever it appeared. This change fundamentally alters the intent of the plan by removing the city's ability to address non-compliance. Councilman Ron Nirenberg introduced an amendment to return the plan to its original strength by adding the word back in, but the amendment failed on a 4-7 vote.
In response the city council's failure to retain the document's original intent, Alamo Sierra Club Chair Terry Burns said, "We applaud the efforts of Councilmember Ron Nirenberg to reinstate stronger language, and thank Councilmembers Trevi, Saldaña, and Gonzales for their votes to support this language. Unfortunately, timidity and special interests prevailed over courage and community interests. Sierra Club remains committed to improving San Antonio for ALL of its citizens, not just the powerful few.”
What’s Next?
There is more work to be done. The strength of the plan will be on the table when it is revisited in coming years. In addition, the sustainability plan as approved does not include goals for reducing climate-disrupting carbon pollution. In coming months, you may have the opportunity to support the creation of a carbon plan for the city, allowing San Antonio to take another big step forward in protecting our environment for future generations. We will keep you posted!