Community input sought on BRAC actions in San Antonio

The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) actions of 2005 will significantly increase the military’s impact in San Antonio, presenting opportunities and challenges for the community with respect to neighborhood planning, transportation, healthcare delivery and our economy. To adequately plan for the BRAC changes, the Military Transformation Task Force and the City of San Antonio’s Office of Military Transformation, in partnership with military leaders, will hold a one-day Community Visioning Session on Friday, February 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

The Visioning Session will begin with briefings from the military on the planned BRAC changes and ongoing activity at the local military bases. Following the briefings, community members and the military will take part in breakout sessions to identify potential challenges and opportunities for the community associated with BRAC-related growth and to develop strategies for capitalizing on these opportunities.
The breakout sessions will focus on how BRAC will impact San Antonio in four critical areas: transportation and infrastructure; opportunities for local businesses and economic development; neighborhoods and local communities; and healthcare delivery. The ideas and strategies generated from the Visioning Session will form the basis for developing a Growth Management Plan to address BRAC growth in San Antonio.

“We want to partner with the military to ensure these BRAC changes take place as scheduled,” said District 4 City Councilman Richard Perez and Chairman of the Military Transformation Task Force that oversees the community’s planning with respect to BRAC. “We also want to hear from the community and develop a plan to help mitigate any impacts on the community and to maximize the potential benefits of these changes for our citizens.”

The Community Visioning Session is free and open to the public. Neighborhood associations, healthcare providers, business, education and community leaders, government officials or their representatives and those interested in helping plan for the future are encouraged to attend.
To register to participate in the session, call 207-8080 or visit the website: www.sanantonio.gov/edd/2005bracvisioning.asp.

The military is an important part of the San Antonio community, employing more than 89,000 uniformed and non-uniformed personnel and providing a $5.2 billion annual economic impact to the city.
 

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