San Antonio Wants a Housing Bond, but its Charter Won't Make it Easy

Vianna Davila reports on troubled legislative waters for a proposed housing bond in San Antonio.

A proposed bond package is expected to before voters in May 2017, totaling $850 million with provisions for streets, stormwater, parks, and other infrastructure projects, in addition to three initiatives to address the city's lack of affordable housing. The complete bond package would be the largest in the city's history, with a housing component previously expected to total $50 million.

Problems arose in June, when the Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods, tasked with crafting the housing components of the bond package, encountered "a series of complicated legislative and city charter limitations," according to Davila.

That charter problems, explained in more detail by Davila, will require a work around the trims the housing package to only one of the three previous initiatives, and down to $30 million, instead of the original $50 million. The city would also have to launch "an urban renewal program through the Office of Urban Redevelopment San Antonio — the former San Antonio Development Agency…" The potential of such an action already inspired reluctance among some on the commission.