* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:05] I LIKE AUSTIN, BUT I LOVE SAN LOVE DANCING IN THEIR, AND I GROOVE THEN HEAD BACK DOWN THE ROAD. SO I LIKE, BUT I LOVE SANTON. AND IF WE'RE JUST PLACE TO GO. SO I, I LOVE SAN ANTONIO. IN SAN ANTONIO, PONTO. [ PROCEDURAL  ] GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING. IF YOU CAN PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS AND START TO LIMIT YOUR CONVERSATIONS, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. UM, APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE, THE CHAMBERS HAVE TURNED INTO FIESTA ALREADY, SO, UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF SPECIAL GUESTS WITH US TODAY. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, UH, YOUR PATIENCE AS WE GET STARTED. THE TIME IS 9:23 AM ON THE 17TH DAY OF MARCH, 2022. HA. HAPPY ST. PATRICK STATE, EVERYONE, AND WE WILL CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAVEO VARDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PAZ. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. HERE. MAYOR NIRENBERG. HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. GREAT. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. AND TO GET US STARTED, LET ME TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE TO WELCOME OUR INDICATOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. TODAY I'M SO PLEASED TO INTRODUCE, UH, OUR GUEST INVOCATE, UH, PASTOR MATT RICE. UH, PASTOR RICE GREW UP IN A SMALL FACTORY TOWN IN SOUTHERN OHIO CALLED IRONTOWN, AND HE RECEIVED HIS BA IN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS FROM MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY IN 1990. AFTER WORKING FOR ASHLAND OIL COMPANY, MATT GRADUATED WITH HIS M D I V, MASTER'S OF DIVINITY FROM NAZARENE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN 1994 AND IMMEDIATELY MOVED TO DALLAS, TEXAS WHERE HE SERVED EIGHT YEARS AS YOUTH YOUTH PASTOR. HE HAS SERVED AS THE LEAD PASTOR FOR SAN ANTONIO FIRST CHURCH IN NAZARENE SINCE 2002. YOU KNOW, I WANNA COMMEND HIM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP, PARTICULARLY WITH THAT CHURCH, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN SPONSORING, UH, A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION CALLED THE WEST AVENUE COMPASSION, WHO HAS PROVIDED SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES WHO LIVE AROUND THE AREA OF HIS CHURCH IN THE, UH, NORTHEAST PART OF SAN ANTONIO. SO HE'S REALLY DONE, UH, AN EXCELLENT JOB. HE'S BEEN A GREAT MINISTER FOR HIS CHURCH AND HIS FOLLOWERS, AND WE'RE REALLY PLEASED TO HAVE YOU HERE TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, PASTOR MATT. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE FOR INVITING ME TO LEAD THE INVOCATION TODAY. I'M GOING TO PRAY IN MY FAITH TRADITION, AND I INVITE YOU TO PRAY IN YOURS OR TO JOIN WITH ME IN MINE. FATHER GOD, I THANK YOU FOR EACH OF THESE LEADERS GATHERED HERE TODAY. THEY ARE HERE TO CONDUCT YOUR BUSINESS, TO STEWARD OVER YOUR CREATION. FATHER, I ASK THAT YOU GIVE THEM WISDOM AS THEY MANAGE THE RESOURCES OF THIS GREAT CITY AND CARE FOR THE NEEDS OF ALL WHO LIVE HERE. FATHER, WE CONFESS WE HAVE ALL FAILED AT TIMES TO EXERCISE THE LOVING AUTHORITY OVER CREATION THAT YOU BESTOWED UPON US. WE HUMBLY ADMIT OUR NEED OF YOU TODAY. FATHER, I LIFT UP THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL TO YOU. I PRAY YOUR SPIRIT WOULD GUIDE THIS COUNSEL TO DO NOTHING OUT OF SELFISH AMBITION, BUT WITH HUMILITY. THINK OF OTHERS BETTER THAN THEMSELVES, THAT YOU WOULD GRANT THEM THE WISDOM TO SEE BEYOND THEMSELVES AND THEIR GOOD TO WHAT IS BEST FOR ALL. I ASK FOR YOUR BLESSING ON THIS MEETING, AND THAT THROUGH THE WORK OF THESE DEDICATED LEADERS, ALL THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO, FROM THE GREATEST TO THE LEAST, WOULD EXPERIENCE YOUR BLESSING. [00:05:01] IN THE NAME OF JESUS I PRAY, AMEN. AMEN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU PASTOR RICE. ALRIGHT, OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA TODAY IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 16TH AND 17TH, 2022. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THOSE MINUTES. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 16TH AND 17. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, BEFORE WE GET INTO, UH, RECOGNIZING, UH, MANY OF OUR FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, UH, WE DO NEED TO SWEAR IN, UH, FOR A NEW MAYOR, PRO TEM TERM, UH, MARCH 16TH, EXCUSE ME, MARCH 26TH, 2022 TO JUNE 4TH, 2022. SO I CAN, UH, NOW ASK COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL TO APPROACH THE PODIUM AND FOR THE SWEARING IN. OKAY. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND REPEAT AFTER ME. I STATE YOUR NAME. I, ANNA LOV. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM OR AFFIRM THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY, THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. PAID, OFFERED, PAID, OFFERED, PROMISED TO PAY, PROMISED TO PAY, CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE, CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE, ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE, OR PROMISED ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR PROMISED ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT OR EMPLOYMENT FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING OF A VOTE OF A VOTE AT THE ELECTION, AT THE ELECTION AT WHICH I WAS ELECTED, AT WHICH I WAS ELECTED, OR AS A REWARD OR AS A REWARD TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT. TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT OR CONFIRMATION OR CONFIRMATION, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT MY PLANS FOR MAYOR PROTON . THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. ALL RIGHT. UH, IT'S [POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE  ] NOT LOST ON ANYONE THAT THE CHAMBERS TODAY LOOK LIKE A CAST CARONE EXPLODED, UH, HERE. UH, AND SO WE WELCOME ALL OF OUR SPECIAL GUESTS TO THE AUDIENCE TODAY. AND I, I HAVE, UH, THE PRIVILEGE OF WELCOMING A FEW GROUPS UP TO THIS PODIUM, UH, IN RECOGNITION OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR, FOR SEEMS LIKE MORE THAN TWO YEARS, BUT IT HAS BEEN A LONG TWO YEARS. AND THAT IS FINALLY CELEBRATING FIESTA IN SAN ANTONIO, 2022. UH, SO LET ME CALL UP FIRST OUR FIESTA COMMISSION, UM, OUR CHAIR, JOHN, AS WELL AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STEVE, WHOEVER OF THE GROUP WANTS TO COME FORWARD. IF YOU ALL WANT TO COME FORWARD, PLEASE COME GIVE US SOME REMARKS. AND I'VE GOT, UH, KING ANTONIO COMING UP AS WELL, AND THE FLAMBE PARADE AFTER THAT. THANK YOU, SIR. AND GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. VIVA FIESTA. VIVA, IF I MIGHT, UH, KING ANTONIO, THE 99TH THIS YEAR. BART SIMPSON, UH, GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK IN JUST A MOMENT. I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE MY TEAM BEFORE WE GET STARTED, BEFORE WE GET STARTED. UH, A TEAM THAT'S CERTAINLY EARNED THEIR STRIPES THIS YEAR. , UH, YOU KNOW, STEVE ROSENAU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LONGTIME, UH, ALUM FROM ST. MARY'S, RAN THE OYSTER BAKE OVER THERE FOR YEARS, AND NOW HE, UH, THIS WILL BE HIS FIRST FULL-UP FIESTA AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. UM, WALTER CERNA, YOU KNOW, FROM LAST YEAR AS PRESIDENT, IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT, MY WIFE CARRIE, FIRST LADY, UH, RETIRED ARMY COLONEL, PAST PRESIDENT OF, UH, MILITARY CIVILIAN CLUB, AND SHE'S ALSO THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK THAT'S IN YOUR BAG THERE. UM, JOHN MEYER, PRESIDENT ELECT. SO JOHN THIS YEAR, JOHN NEXT YEAR, EASY NOT TO GET CONFUSED. JOHN'S ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEXAS CAVALIERS. BESIDE HIM IS DAVID CHRISTIAN, OUR VICE PRESIDENT, ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH THE CAVALIERS AND THE CONSEJO ORGANIZATION. UM, NICK HOLT BESIDE HIM, HIS DAUGHTER WAS MS. FIESTA BACK IN 2011. AND IRMA DURAN, A FORMER MS. CHARO QUEEN DOWN THERE ON THE END. SO IT'S A GREAT TEAM OF PEOPLE. WE HAVE A FEW THAT ARE NOT HERE, BUT DONE A LOT OF HARD WORK THIS PAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO GET THIS FIESTA GOING THIS YEAR. THE FIESTA COMMISSION, AS YOU KNOW, IS NON-PROFIT. AND JUST LIKE A LOT OF THE OTHER NON-PROFITS IN THE CITY, WE'VE [00:10:01] HAD OUR CHALLENGES OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. WE OPERATE ON THE MARGINS, UH, NOT HAVING A FIESTA TWO YEARS AGO AND THEN A, A FIESTA, ABOUT THE THIRD OF THE SIZE OF A NORMAL FIESTA LAST JUNE, UH, WAS TOUGH. WE SOLD OUR BUILDING DOWN ON BROADWAY TO STAY FLUID. UH, WE'RE IN LEASED SPACE NOW, BUT STILL AT THE, AT THE INSISTENCE OF THIS GROUP, WE MANAGED TO GIVE BACK $216,000 TO NONPROFITS IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THIS YEAR. SO WE'RE STILL TRYING TO DO OUR PART. A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK, ARE WE GONNA HAVE A NORMAL FIESTA UH, FACING OUTWARD? I'D SAY, YES, YOU'RE GONNA SEE A NORMAL FIESTA BEHIND THE SCENES, PROBABLY NOT SO MUCH. THE BIGGEST VISIBLE CHANGE WILL BE THE CHANGE IN THE PARADE. ROUTES DO DO LARGELY TO CONSTRUCTION, BUT IT IS GONNA BE A GREAT FIESTA. WE'RE ANTICIPATING HUGE ATTENDANCE, AND IF THE RODEO'S AN INDICATION, I THINK THAT'LL HOLD TRUE. BUT WE THANK YOU, UH, WE HOPE YOU'LL COME OUT AND JOIN US, UM, AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET THINGS BACK ON TRACK FOR FUTURE FIESTA AND HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE OUT THERE. SO, VEEVA FIESTA, AND THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. VIVA VIVA, YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? O ON BEHALF OF THE CAVALIERS, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL DO TO FACILITATE FIESTA AND SAN ANTONIO, ALONG WITH THE FIESTA COMMISSION. UH, THE CAVALIER DON'T EVER WANNA SQUANDER THAT OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR. HAVEN FOR HOPE IS OUR CHARITABLE HONOREE. WE'VE GIVEN THEM 1.1 MILLION THROUGH OUR FIESTA EFFORTS. WE'LL GIVE 2.25 MILLION TO THE CHILDREN OF SAN ANTONIO AND AREA CHARITIES. UH, SO WE, AND WE COULD NOT DO THAT WITHOUT FIESTA. SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO EVERYTHING THE CITY DOES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'VE ALSO PLEDGED $5 MILLION TO THE, THE CHILDREN'S CENTER AT THE ALAMO OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. SO WE'LL CONTINUE WORKING HARD AS LONG AS YOU LET US, WE'RE DEEPLY, DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE, AND OUR COMMITMENT WILL NOT, WILL NOT EVER GO AWAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GREAT. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. UM, AND I KNOW WE HAVE A FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS LIKE TO COMMENT. SO LEMME START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ELAS. I, I ALWAYS SAY THAT, UM, YOU ALL LOOK LIKE THE BEST CENTRAL AMERICAN DICTATORS EVER IN THOSE OUTFITS. UH, AND, UH, BUT YOU'RE OUR DICTATORS AND WE LOVE YOU GUYS. UH, AND SO, UH, I I AM PROUD TO LIVE IN A CITY, UM, WHERE PEOPLE LIKE YOU, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND ALL OF THE COURTS AND THE CLUBS AND THE GROUPS AND ALL THAT COME TOGETHER, UH, JUST TO DO THE RIGHT THING. AND THAT IS TO GIVE BACK AND, AND HAVE FUN IN A UNIQUELY SAN ANTONIO WAY. YOU KNOW, ALL THE WORLD'S GREAT CITIES HAVE THEIR OWN VERSION OF THIS, RIGHT? AND, UH, YOU KNOW, BRAZIL, THEY'VE GOT THE CARNIVAL AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IN LOUISIANA, THEY'VE GOT THEIR, UM, THEIR MARDI GRAS, RIGHT? AND THERE'S GROUPS OUT THERE THAT HELP SUPPORT IT, BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY, UM, YOU KNOW, COMES EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT THE WAY THAT YOU GUYS MANAGE TO ECLIPSE EVERYBODY'S EXPECTATIONS EVERY SINGLE YEAR WITH THE WAY THAT YOU DELIVER IT. UM, AND I'M PARTICULARLY, UH, PROUD OF MY FORMER INTERN, JIM SATEL, UH, HERE. UH, JIM, IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'VE REALLY COME A LONG WAY. AND, UH, BEING YOUR LEADERSHIP COACH HAS BEEN ONE OF MY LIFE'S GREAT HONORS. UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. AND, UM, I, I HOPE TO, UH, TO SEE YOU GUYS ECLIPSE EXPECTATIONS AGAIN THIS YEAR. WITH ALL THAT YOU DO, VIVA FIESTA, EVA, COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN, THANK YOU. I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SITTING WITH BOTH OF Y'ALL AT THE MILITARY AMBASSADORS, UH, AND CLAYTON AT THE MILITARY AMBASSADORS PROGRAM. AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO GET US BACK OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC, CHAMPIONING, CHAMPIONING FIESTA, MOVING US ON, IS JUST GREATLY APPRECIATE, APPRECIATED OF ME AND MY DISTRICT, WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THE STUDENTS. AND THE ART CONTEST WAS INCREDIBLE TOO, AND I WAS SO PROUD TO BE THERE WITH MY COUNCILWOMEN AS WE WATCHED YOU AWARD. SO GREAT JOB, BARTON. SO JUST THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THE CHILDREN AND, AND OUR SENIORS, AND GETTING THEM THEIR FIESTA MEDALS THAT THEY NEED. SO THANK YOU, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING OUT THERE AND SEEING YOU. VIVA FIESTA VIVA, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER VIRON. UH, AND I THINK WE ALL WAIT EVERY YEAR TO, UM, GIVE THE FLOOR TO CLAYTON TO WELCOME OUR FIESTA GUESTS. SO CLAYTON, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, SIR. AND WELCOME, MAN. I'M, I'M, EVERY YEAR, WHAT DO I SAY? I'M EXCITED. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS. AND ALL THE VIVAS OUT THERE, IT'S LIKE, MAN, PEOPLE WAKE UP. COME ON, WE GOT SOME CELEBRATING TO DO, AND WE ARE GONNA HAVE A GREAT ONE THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE'RE BACK FULL ON. WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING EVERY [00:15:01] EVENT THAT WE USED TO HAVE, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND PARTICULARLY YOURSELVES ON RAISING THE MONEY THAT YOU DO, GOING TO CHARITIES TO HELP CHILDREN. IT IS FANTASTIC. THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE OUR HEARTS NEED TO BE IN HELPING THOSE THAT NEED HELP HERE IN THIS CITY AND, AND LOOKING FOR THIS TIME OF CELEBRATING AND GETTING OUT THERE AND HAVING A GREAT TIME. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT. LET'S GET SOME EXCITEMENT IN THIS ROOM. VIVA FIESTA. VIVA VIVA. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU GUYS OUT THERE, UH, A LONG TIME COMING AND, UM, HAVE A GREAT CELEBRATION. MAY IT BE PRODUCTIVE AND, AND FUN FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. NORMALLY AT THIS POINT, I WOULD DRAW MY SABER AND SAY VIVA FIESTA, BUT IT WAS CONFISCATED BY SECURITY , PROBABLY FOR GOOD REASON. ANYWAY, SO IF WE CAN HAVE ONE MORE VIVA VIVA VIVA. JUST ONE LAST COMMENT, I, YOU, YOU ALL HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU OUR POSTER, OUR, OUR THEME THIS YEAR IS RESILIENCE, AND I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT EARLIER. SO, AND THAT'S APROPOS FOR WHERE WE'RE RIGHT NOW. SO THAT'S, THAT'S OUR THEME THROUGHOUT FIESTA AND EVERYONE'S BEEN SHARING THAT MESSAGE. SO I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOW, ONE OF THE EVENTS THAT WE ALL MISSED DEARLY, UH, THE LAST COUPLE YEARS WAS OUR FLAMBE PARADE. AND SO LET ME WELCOME, UH, THE FLAMBE PARADE, GUESTS AND OFFICIALS. UH, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. AFTER A TWO YEAR HIATUS, IT IS WITH GREAT EXCITEMENT TO BE BACK. AS PRESIDENT OF THE FIERCE OF FLYING BULL PARADE ASSOCIATION, I AM EXTREMELY PROUD TO REPRESENT SUCH A TREMENDOUS ORGANIZATION OF DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS. OUR THEME THIS YEAR IS CELEBRATING LITERARY CLASSICS FROM CHARLOTTES WEBB TO CINDERELLA AND TREASURE ISLAND. SATURDAY NIGHT, APRIL 9TH IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY ANIMATED AND ILLUMINATED. OUR GRAND MARSHALL SEBASTIAN IS AN INTERNATIONAL ARTIST WITH ONE FAMOUS PIECE RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO CALLED THE FRIENDSHIP TOWER. OUR HONORARY GRAND MARSHALL GLAD SHARED HIS EXTREMELY INTENSE COVID EXPERIENCE AND BECAME AN AMAZING ADVOCATE FOR THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY TO GET VACCINATED WITH AN ESTIMATED 400,000 PLUS PARADE SPECTATORS. ON OUR NEW PARADE ROUTE, WE GUARANTEE A MEMORABLE NI, A MEMORABLE NIGHT OF LIGHT AND MEMORIES. THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT. VIVA FLAMM BOW VIVA. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR FLAM BOW GOODIE BAGS AND METAL. WITH ME TODAY IS JEANETTE FLORES, CORRESPONDENCE, SECRETARY TOBY KLINGEN, HOFFER DISBANDING DIRECTOR LETTI HAD GRANNY DUTY, SO SHE HAD TO LEAVE TERRY CARMONA OUR TREASURE. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER GROM. THANK YOU. I JUST, I WANNA THANK YOU BECAUSE THE NIGHT PARADE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE EVENTS AT FIESTA, AND LAST WEEK OR THE WEEK BEFORE, I TALKED ABOUT ALL OF OUR COMMITTEES COMING AND SUPPORTING THE ARTS, AND Y'ALL ARE DOING THAT WITH THE LITERARY THEME WITH SEBASTIAN, WITH JUST WHAT YOU'VE DONE YEAR AFTER YEAR, HAVING URBAN 15 THERE. SO I AM SO THANKFUL THAT YOU GUYS ARE BACK, THAT WE ARE GOING TO PARTY , LIKE WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T PARTIED IN TWO YEARS, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND I APPRECIATE YOU AND YOU HAVE MY UNDYING SUPPORT FOR THE PARADE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. AND I TOO. THIS, UH, THE NIGHTTIME PARADES ARE JUST FANTASTIC AND, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE A LOT OF DAYTIME PARADES, BUT NOT A LOT OF NIGHTTIME PARADES, AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY BRINGS OUT THE LIGHTS AND THE, THE FUN, UH, AND, AND THE CHILDREN'S, UH, FACES OUT THERE IN, IN THE CROWDS. THEY JUST REALLY, REALLY LIGHT UP, JUST LIKE THE LIGHTS THAT WE, UH, HAVE IN THE PARADE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO, AND, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE HERE WE'RE, IT'S FIESTA TIME, IT'S TIME TO GET OUT THERE AND PARTY, AND I ALWAYS HAVE A, A THING ON MY MEDALS THAT SAYS, PARTY WITH PERRY . VIVA FIESTA. VIVA VIVA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. I, I DO REMEMBER IT'S BEEN, IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO ALMOST TO THE DAY THAT WE WERE OUT AT THE FIESTA, UM, OFFICE PARKING LOT WHERE THE UNTHINKABLE WAS ANNOUNCED THAT WE HAD TO, UM, POSTPONE AND THEN ULTIMATELY CANCEL FIESTA. SO, UM, I THINK SOMEBODY JUST MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, IS IT GONNA [00:20:01] BE ACTING NORMAL? I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE, I DON'T THINK IT'LL EVER BE BACK TO THE WAY IT USED TO BE. THIS CITY IS ABOUT TO ERUPT LIKE A FAMILY REUNION THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD IN A VERY LONG TIME. AND THAT'S THE PART, UH, THAT I'M MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO, IS SEEING EVERYBODY'S SMILES AND, AND COMING BACK TOGETHER AGAIN. IT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE ALL DESERVE, UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO'VE BEEN WORKING SO HARD ON THE FRONT LINES OF VIRTUALLY EVERY SECTOR OF THIS COMMUNITY TO GET US TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN CELEBRATE AGAIN. SO LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL OUT THERE. VIVA FIESTA. THANK YOU. VIVA VIVA. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, UM, LET ME TURN THE FLOOR NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, UH, FOR POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UH, I'M HONORED TODAY TO RECOGNIZE ROBERT EL SANTOS, WHO EARLIER THIS YEAR WAS SWORN IN AS THE US CENSUS 26TH DIRECTOR, BECOMING THE VERY FIRST LATINO PERSON TO SERVE IN THIS ROLE. HIS TERM IS SET TO LAST FIVE YEARS. UM, AND ALSO I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE FOLKS WATCHING FROM DC THE CENSUS, UH, BUREAU OFFICE IS WATCHING US AND DIRECTOR SANTOS. UM, IF YOU'RE WATCHING, I KNOW YOU'RE PROBABLY MISSING FIESTA ALREADY. WHEN YOU SAW ALL OF THE THE FANFARE THIS MORNING, MR. SANTOS WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SAN ANTONIO. HE BUR HE, UH, EARNED A BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MATH, MATH MATHEMATICS FROM TRINITY UNIVERSITY IN SAN ANTONIO, AND AN MA IN STATISTICS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR. WE ARE THRILLED TO SEE THIS PROUD SAN ANTONIO SERVE IN THIS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ROLE. AND ALTHOUGH HE CAN'T JOIN US HERE IN PERSON TODAY, WE HAVE HIS SISTER IN ATTENDANCE THIS MORNING, DR. YOLANDA SANTOS, REPRESENTING HIM THROUGHOUT HIS 40 YEAR CAREER DIRECTOR, SANTOS HAS BECOME A LEADING EXPERT IN SURVEY RESEARCH, STATISTICAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS, AND EXECUTIVE LEVEL MANAGEMENT. HE SPECIALIZES IN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN, MY FAVORITE, INCLUDING PROGRAM EVALUATION, NEEDS ASSESSMENT, SURVEY METHODOLOGY, AND SURVEY OPERATIONS. HE ALSO HAS EXPERIENCE IN DEMOGRAPHY AND ADMINISTRATIVE DATA, DECENNIAL, CENSUSES, SOCIAL POLICY RESEARCH AND EQUITY ISSUES AND RESEARCH. HE PREVIOUSLY SERVED FOR 15 YEARS AS VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF METHODOLOGIST AT THE URBAN INSTITUTE AND DIRECTED ITS STATISTICAL METHODS GROUP. SANTOS HAS HELD LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN THE NATION'S TOP SURVEY RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, WHERE HE SERVED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF STATISTICS AND METHODOLOGY AND DIRECTOR OF SURVEY OPERATIONS, THE INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, AS DIRECTOR OF SURVEY OPERATIONS AND TEMPLE UNIVERSITY'S INSTITUTE FOR SURVEY RESEARCH AS SENIOR STUDY DIRECTOR AND SAMPLING STATISTICIAN, SAN ANTONIO IS FULL OF TALENTED INDIVIDUALS LIKE DIRECTOR SANTOS, WHO DESERVE THE RECOGNITION AND WILL SURELY LEAD OUR COUNTRY WITH HUMILITY, DIGNITY, AND INTEGRITY. EARLIER THIS WEEK I WAS AT DC AT THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES CONGRESSIONAL CONFERENCE WITH A FEW OF MY COLLEAGUES, AND WE HEARD PRESIDENT BIDEN ADDRESS THIS IN PERSON, AND IT WAS TRULY AN HONOR TO BE IN THE COMPANY OF LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IF I HAD BEEN GIVEN THE CHANCE, I WOULD'VE LOVED TO HAVE THANKED PRESIDENT BIDEN FOR CHOOSING TO APPOINT A REMARKABLE SANTON. I KNOW THE MAYOR AND MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES ARE JUST AS PROUD OF DIRECTOR SANTOS AND EXCITED ABOUT WHAT HIS LEADERSHIP WILL DO AT THE CENSUS BUREAU AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITIES. AS A LATINO MAJORITY CITY, WE KNOW HOW PREVALENT THE UNDERCOUNT CHALLENGES WE FACE IN OUR LATINO COMMUNITIES ARE, AND ESPECIALLY, UH, FOR OUR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. THE 2020 CENSUS WAS UNLIKE ANY OTHER, AND THE DELAYS IN COLLECTING AND RELEASING DATA CONTINUE TO IMPACT US. THAT'S WHY LEADERS LIKE DIRECTOR SANTOS ARE VITAL TO OUR EFFORTS TO HAVE MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH TO OUR RESIDENTS. THE NUMBERS IN THE DATA COLLECTED REPRESENT REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL NEEDS, AND WE CAN'T LOSE SIGHT OF THAT SIGNIFICANCE. PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS NEED TO FORM PART OF OUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS. AND GOVERNANCE MODELS BEING ACCESSIBLE, TRANSPARENT, ACCOUNTABLE, AND INCLUSIVE ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY IN OUR DEMOCRATIC FORM OF GOVERNMENT. DIRECTOR SANTOS EMBODIES THOSE PRINCIPLES AND UNDERSTANDS THE RESPONSIBILITY AND TRUSTED IN HIM. HE'S AN EXEMPLARY ROLE MODEL FOR LATINO YOUTH, ESPECIALLY THOSE EXPLORING CAREERS IN STEM, U T S A AND THE US CENSUS BUREAU ARE WORKING TOGETHER ON A NEW INNOVATIVE WAY UNDER ROB'S LEADERSHIP, A TRUE BI-DIRECTIONAL COLLABORATION THAT BENEFITS BOTH SAN ANTONIO AND OUR ENTIRE NATION. OUR STUDENTS AND FACULTY WILL PARTICIPATE IN INTERNSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AT THE CENSUS, AND AS IMPORTANTLY, CENSUS PROFESSIONALS WILL BE IMMERSED IN THE BROAD AND DEEP CULTURAL MOSAIC OF SAN ANTONIO TO INFORM THEIR THINKING AND WORK AT THE CENSUS, A TRUE WIN-WIN AT ALL LEVELS. THANK YOU, DR. YOLANDA SANTOS, FOR REPRESENTING YOUR BROTHER AND MAKING THE TIME TO JOIN US TODAY. WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE SAN ANTONIO REPRESENTING OUR CITY AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, AND I SINCERELY HOPE WE CAN ONE DAY HONOR DIRECTOR SANTOS IN PERSON [00:25:01] HERE IN HIS HOMETOWN. BUT DR. SANTOS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. OKAY. WELL, I'M VERY HONORED TO BE ABLE TO BE HERE TO REPRESENT MY BROTHER, MY BABY BROTHER. UH, HE REALLY WANTED TO BE HERE, AND HE WAS SORRY THAT HE COULDN'T BE HERE IN PERSON TO, UH, ACCEPT THIS RECOGNITION, BUT HE'S HARD AT WORK. UH, ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT HE ALWAYS POINTS OUT IS THAT ALL OF HIS BASELINE EDUCATION THAT HE GOT, THAT GOT HIM TO WHERE HE IS NOW CAME FROM SCHOOLS IN SAN ANTONIO. HE WENT LITTLE FLOWER SCHOOL, THEN HE WENT TO ST TO HOLY CROSS, THEN HE WENT TO SAC, AND THEN HE WENT TO TRINITY. SO THAT'S WHY ONE OF HIS MAIN COMMITMENTS IS TO COME BACK TO SAN ANTONIO TO BRING PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE CENSUS BUREAU SO THAT MORE YOUNG PEOPLE FROM HERE CAN LEARN TO VALUE STATISTICS AND THE IMPORTANCE THAT IT PLAYS AND, AND REALLY TO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO HAVE LATINOS IN THOSE POSITIONS SO THAT THEY CAN BRING THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE TO THE ANALYSIS OF THOSE STATISTICS. SO THAT'S WHAT HE'S COMMITTED FOR, TO DO, UH, WITHIN THE CENSUS BUREAU, IN ADDITION TO MANY, MANY OTHER THINGS. BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S CLOSE TO HIS HEART. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE HONOR THAT Y'ALL ARE GIVING HIM, AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT HE GETS IT. THANK YOU, DR. SANTOS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. UH, I THINK WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF ROBERT, UH, AND THE FACT THAT HE WAS BORN AND RAISED AND EDUCATED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, AND THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS THE CONFIDENCE TO APPOINT HIM IN THE HIGHEST POSITION ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH AN IMPORTANT CAUSE OF THE DECENNIAL CENSUS. SO, UH, HAVING SERVED AS THE 2021 PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN STATISTICAL ASSOCIATION, AND HAS HAVING HELD VARIOUS LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AT SOME OF THE NATION'S MOST RESPECTED RESEARCH INSTITUTES, IT'S EVIDENT THAT ROBERT, UH, AND HIS EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS ARE UNMATCHED, UH, FOR THE POSITION. AND AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE US CENSUS BUREAU, ROBERT'S AT THE HELM OF THE NATION'S LARGEST STATISTICAL AGENCY, TASKED WITH THE UNIQUE RESPONSIBILITY OF ENSURING THAT OUR DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS ARE INFORMED BY FAIR AND ACCURATE DATA. AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT HE WILL SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WELL AS WELL AS, UH, AS HE HAS IN SAN ANTONIO IN THIS CAPACITY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH MASSA SANTOS, FOR BEING HERE TO REPRESENT HIM. AND, UH, ROBERT, IF YOU ARE LISTENING, UH, WE ARE EXTRAORDINARILY PROUD OF YOU IN DC CONTINUE TO DO GREAT WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET ME TURN IT NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN TO WELCOME SOME GUESTS. THANK YOU. UH, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT FIRST TO, UM, HONOR SOMEONE WHO, UH, PASSED THIS WEEKEND COMMEMORATE A COMMUNITY LEADER AND A PILLAR OF SOUTH SIDE MR. RUBIN PUL SENIOR WHO PASSED LAST WEEK ON MARCH 7TH, AT THE AGE OF 90. THOSE WHO KNEW HIM, KNOW HE WAS A SERVANT OF HIS COMMUNITY AND HIS FAMILY. HE CARED VERY DEEPLY ABOUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS CUSTOMERS AT DON PEDRO'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT, AND WAS A BELOVED, RESPECTED AND DE AND DEDICATED HIMSELF TO STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITY. UM, REUBEN WAS BORN JULY 21ST, 1931. HE SURVI SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE OF 61 YEARS, LETICIA SEPULVEDA AND HIS SONS REUBEN, MARCO AND OSCAR, ALONG, OF COURSE WITH GRANDCHILDREN AND NIECES AND NEPHEWS, COUSINS AND FAMILY, FRIENDS. IF YOU'VE BEEN TO THE SOUTH SIDE, YOU KNOW THAT DON PEDROS IS A STAPLE, BUT I WANNA SHARE A LITTLE OF REUBEN'S STORY WITH YOU. MR. VELAS STORY, UH, ACCEPTING A JOB IN THE UNITED STATES IN A LARGE STEEL FACTORY IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN. HE WAS DRAFTED TO THE US NAVY AND SERVED IN THE KOREAN WAR. UPON HIS HONORABLE DISCHARGE, HE RETURNED TO MONTEREY, MEXICO AND MET HIS FUTURE WIFE, LETICIA. THEY WERE MARRIED IN 1961, UH, AND LIVED IN MEXICO HAVING A DAIRY FARM, BUT LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITY. HE MOVED HIS YOUNG FAMILY TO THE UNITED STATES THIS TIME TO SAN ANTONIO, WHERE HIS SISTER, UH, AND HER HUSBAND HAD OPENED A SMALL RESTAURANT IN 1968 CALLED DON PEDRO MEXICAN RESTAURANT, UM, WITH FEW POSSESSIONS AND LIVING WITH HIS SISTER IN A THREE BEDROOM A HOUSE. THEY, UH, STARTED WORKING AT THE RESTAURANT, REUBEN AS A WAITER AND HIS WIFE AS A COOK IN THE KITCHEN. AND IN 1979, REUBEN SR. WAS OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE DON PEDROS. AND WITH THE DESIRE TO GROW THE BUSINESS FOR HIS FAMILY, HE AND LETICIA BOUGHT THE RESTAURANT. AND IT HAS BECOME WHAT IT IS TODAY, WHICH IS A 350 SEAT RESTAURANT THAT PROVIDES THE SAME FAMILY FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE, GOOD FOOD, AND MANY COMMUNITY [00:30:01] ACTIVITIES AND CELEBRATIONS. IF YOU ARE A BASEBALL TEAM, IF YOU ARE A FAMILY OF 12, YOU CAN FIND A SPOT AT DON PEDROS. SO TODAY I'D LIKE TO REMEMBER HIM, AN IMMIGRANT, A VETERAN, A FATHER, A HUSBAND, A GRANDFATHER, AND A LEADER. UM, OPEN VISITATION WILL BE FRIDAY, UH, FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM WITH A ROSARY AT SIX 30 AT ST. LUKE LAWRENCE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON PETALUMA BOULEVARD. AND THEN THE MASS WILL BE ON SATURDAY AT 11:00 AM AT THE SAME LOCATION AT THIS TIME. MAYOR, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE. THANK YOU. NOW I'M WEARING WHITE BECAUSE IT IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, AND I, I THIS WAS ON THE PLAN SCHEDULE, WHICH IS HONORING WOMEN MAKING HISTORY AND THAT REPRESENT HISTORIC ORGANIZATIONS. SO I WOULD LIKE TO CALL, UH, THE FIRST GROUP I'M HIGHLIGHTING TODAY IS THE TEXAS BUSINESS WOMEN OF SAN ANTONIO. THEY ARE CELEBRATING THEIR 100TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR. LADIES, IF YOU CAN COME ON UP. THIS STORY BEGAN DURING THE SPRING OF 1922 WHEN 50 WOMEN TOOK NOTE OF THE NEED TO HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD AND THEIR ACTION RECOGNIZED. THESE WOMEN FROM VARIOUS CAREER FIELDS KNEW THAT TOGETHER THEY COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE LIVES OF WOMEN WHO WANTED TO BETTER THEIR POSITION IN LIFE. THE INITIAL GROUP REPRESENTED EDUCATION, INSURANCE, REAL ESTATE, NEWSPAPER WORKERS, BEAUTY SHOP OWNERS, ARTISTS, OSTEOPATH, CO-OWNER OF A SHOE STORE AND A MILLION MILLIONAIRE. AND TOGETHER THEY FOUND THE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S OF SAN ANTONIO. THROUGH THE YEARS, THIS ORGANIZATION HAS LOBBIED AT THE LOCAL AND STATE AND NATIONAL LE LEVELS FOR CHANGES FOR WOMEN IN THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM, FOR THE RIGHT, FOR WOMEN TO SERVE ON A JURY PANEL. AND THROUGH THEIR FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS SUPPORTED TO ESTABLISH OF THE MD ANDERSON CANCER CANCER HOSPITAL IN HOUSTON. THEN DURING THE 1970S, THEY WORKED VERY HARD TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE RECOGNIZED AND WERE ABLE TO BUY PROPERTY AND GET CREDIT CARDS. SO THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION BILL OF RIGHTS GRANTING EQUAL RIGHTS TO WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. THIS IS ALSO KNOWN AS PROPOSITION SEVEN. THE TEXAS EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT WAS PASSED IN NOVEMBER 7TH, 1972. IN 2009, THE BUSINESS BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S OF SAN SAN ANTONIO BECAME TEXAS BUSINESS. WOMEN OF SAN ANTONIO, AS ALL ORGANIZATIONS IN TEXAS, CHANGED THEIR NAME TO REFLECT THE FOCUS TO SHIFT TO TEXAS WOMEN, THEIR PERSONAL GROWTH AND SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS. THE MISSION OF TEXAS BUSINESS WOMEN OF SAN ANTONIO IS TO HELP WOMEN GROW THEIR CAREERS THROUGH EDUCATION, NETWORKING, AND COMMUNITY E OUTREACH. IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS ORGANIZATION, THIS IS A, A STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN WHO BENEFIT FROM COLLECTIVE POWER. I WANT TO, UM, THEY MEET AT THE THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, VIRTUALLY, OR IN PERSON CHECK THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE, BUT I'D LIKE THEIR PRESIDENT TO SHARE A FEW WORDS. UM, JENNY, IT'S, YOU'VE GOT THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN VRAN. ON BEHALF OF TEXAS BUSINESS WOMEN'S SAN ANTONIO, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR RECOGNIZING OUR 100TH YEAR. TOGETHER WE EMPOWER WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES BY PROVIDING A SUPPORTIVE NETWORK AND PROGRAMMING TO STRENGTHEN THEIR BUSINESSES. IT'S BEEN A TRUE PRIVILEGE TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF THIS WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION. AS WE CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE OUR 100TH YEAR. MANY OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WOMEN FACE START AT HOME, WHETHER IT'S FINDING THE SOURCE OF SUPPORT OR GAINING CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES TO START AND GROW THEIR BUSINESS, TEXAS BUSINESSWOMEN SAN ANTONIO HELPS FILL IN THE GAPS AND EMPOWERS WOMEN TO CONTINUE ON THEIR LIVES PURPOSE, TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS THAT TAKES CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITY. OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH SEVERAL SAN ANTONIO ORGANIZATIONS HELP US BE A RESOURCE TO ALL WOMEN. ALL OF THE WOMEN THAT ARE BEHIND ME ARE THE WOMEN THAT HAVE CREATED AND STRENGTHENED, UM, OUR ORGANIZATION, AND THEY HAVE PAVED A PATH FOR WOMEN AND TO FOLLOW, TO MAKE THEIR TRAJECTORY A LITTLE BIT EASIER. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCILWOMAN FOR BEING A MEMBER OF TEXAS BUSINESSWOMAN SAN ANTONIO, AND SHE ACTUALLY WAS AT MY SOARING END, UM, LAST YEAR. I WISH ALL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL GREAT THINGS AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND MAKING IMPACTFUL DECISIONS REGARDING SMALL BUSINESS AND THE EFFORTS THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT WOMEN. AND WE HAVE PRESENTED THE WOMEN OF THE COUNCIL WITH A SMALL TOKEN. AND YOUR LITTLE RED [00:35:01] BAGS, YOU'LL FIND, UM, A LITTLE TUMBLR FROM US AS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FOR THIS RECOGNITION. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, AND HAVE A GOOD ONE. THANK YOU LADIES. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP GIRL SCOUT TROOP 9 62, BECAUSE WE CANNOT HAVE A WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT OUR GIRL SCOUTS. WE HAVE ADDISON AVERY, SOPHIA, SHELBY, MACKENZIE, EMMALINE ZALIE, NATALIE, UM, AND KAYLEE, AND THE TROOP LEADERS, JESSICA RUBINA, ELIZABETH, AMANDA, AND THE, AND THEN THEY HAVE OTHER TROOP MEMBERS THAT WEREN'T ABLE TO JOIN US, KENDALL AND CLAIRE, BUT ESTABLISHED IN 20 20 12, TROOP 9 62 HAS BEEN A POWERFUL FORCE IN ADVOCATING FOR STRONG WOMEN OF COURAGE, CONFIDENCE, AND CA CHARACTER. THIS TROOP IS A MULTI-LEVEL ORGANIZATION, AND IT'S, IT HAS MEMBERS THAT RANGE FROM FIVE TO 16. THEY ARE WORKING IN THE HARLANDALE COMMUNITY. THEY DO VARIOUS SERVICE PROJECTS, AND THEY'RE TEACHING THEM TO TAKE BOLD ACTIONS IN, IN, UM, RESPONDING TO A COMMUNITY IN NEED. AND I'D LIKE Y'ALL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE FACES, 'CAUSE I'M EXPECTING ONE OF THEM TO BE ON COUNCIL OR SERVE ON A SCHOOL BOARD HERE PRETTY SOON. BUT THE, THE TROOP 9 62 IS DEVELOPING AN ACTION COURSE TO INCREASE LITERACY IN OUR SERVICE COMMUNITY THROUGH AN ONGOING BOOK DRIVE. AND THEY'RE ALSO LEAPING FORWARD WITH BUILDING BAD HOUSES TO ENSURE THE LOCAL BAT POPULATION CONTINUES TO THRIVE DURING THE WINTER SEASON. UM, THEY'RE LEARNING FROM THEIR COMMUNITY AND LEVERAGING LEADERSHIPS WITHIN THEMSELVES AND OTHERS. AND I'M SO GLAD TO HAVE TROOP 9 62 BECAUSE THEY ARE MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. AND I'M GOING TO LET THEM SHARE A LITTLE ALSO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE SO HONORED TO BE HERE. WE THANK YOU COUNCIL FOR THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. UM, AS YOU KNOW, GIRLS SCOUTS HAS BEEN BUILDING GIRLS' CONFIDENCE AND SKILLS IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS FOR OVER 100 YEARS. WHETHER SHE'S A BROWNIE WORKING ON THE MAKING FRIENDS BADGE, OR SHE'S A SENIOR GOING BEHIND THE BALLOT, OUR TROOP HAS GAINED USEFUL SKILLS AND THE CONFIDENCE NEEDED TO TACKLE WHATEVER HURDLE LIFE OFFERS AS A TEAM. OUR TROOP 9 6 2 EXPLORES BUSINESS ETHICS, COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL EFFICACY AS AMAZING INNOVATORS. OUR TROOP CONTINUES TO INSPIRE, BE CURIOUS, AND BECOME BETTER PROBLEM SOLVERS, CRITICAL THINKERS AND TEAM PLAYERS, SO THAT TRUE CHANGE CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHIN THE HARLANDALE COMMUNITY. WITH OVER 42 VARIOUS PHILANTHROPY OPPORTUNITIES, 108 CRAFTING STEM AND ACTIVIST OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, THESE YOUNG WOMEN ARE THE TRUE GEMS OF OUR FUTURE. WE THANK COUNCILWOMAN VRAN AND THE REST OF COUNCIL FOR THIS HONOR AND HUMBLY IMPLORE YOU TO CONTINUE TO OPEN PATHWAYS FOR YOUNG LADIES SUCH AS THESE, SO THAT YOUNG MINDS MAY CONTINUE TO BE VIGILANT IN CHANGE. AS YOUR THEME IS RESILIENCE, THERE IS NOT A MORE DESERVING GROUP OF YOUNG, RESILIENT WOMEN WHO HAVE GRIT, DETERMINATION, AND TENACITY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND I AM NOT DONE YET. IF GIRLS INC. CAN COME UP. OH, I'M SORRY. WITH GIRLS INC. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GIRLS. SO GIRLS INC. AND WE'VE GOT MARTHA, COREY, RACHEL, NICOLE, KELSEY, DALIA, LORI ROSALIE, MELISSA MINKA, MONICA, SALLY, APRIL, AND HERMIONE OR HER MIND, THEY ARE HERE TODAY. AND GUYS, I, THIS IS A CITYWIDE, UH, ORGANIZATION AND MANY OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT IT'S WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH AND I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS GIRLS ON THE RUN INC. IS MAKING HISTORY BY GET INSPIRING GIRLS TO BE JOYFUL, HEALTHY, AND CONFIDENT, USING A FUN EXPERIENCE-BASED CURRICULUM, WHICH CREATIVELY INTEGRATES RUNNING. AND WE ALL KNOW HOW MUCH STRESS WE'RE FEELING TRYING TO GET OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC. AND GIRLS INC HAS BEEN DOING THIS PRE PANDEMIC AND THEY'RE DOING IT NOW TO GET GIRLS FROM EIGHT TO 12 OUT THERE ACTIVATED THE OUTDOOR SPACES AND JUST LEARNING TO LOVE THEMSELVES. I WAS ABLE TO BE THERE AT THEIR FIVE K, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT, THE GIRL DADS, THE MOMS. BUT WHAT AMAZED ME WAS IT'S 150 VOLUNTEER COACHES, OTHER WOMEN, AND, UH, SAYING, YES, I WANNA SERVE AND GIVE BACK. SO I WANTED TO HONOR YOU GUYS TODAY, UH, AND HAVE YOU COME UP BECAUSE THIS IS JUST, [00:40:01] UM, A TREMENDOUS SERVICE BECAUSE IT SPEAKS TO OUR GOALS OF GETTING PEOPLE OUT THERE, EXERCISING HEALTHY EATING HABITS, AND THE IMPACT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE FOR THE FUTURE IS, IS JUST SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE THE MISSION OF GIRLS ON THE RUN IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO HIGHLIGHT THIS THIS MONTH AND EVERY MONTH AS THEY DO ACTIVITIES. SO PRE PANDEMIC GIRLS ON THE RUN, BEAR COUNTY SERVED AN AVERAGE OF 768 GIRLS RIGHT NOW IN THE SPRING. THEY'RE SERVING 290 OVER 11 YEARS. THE ORGANIZATION HAS SERVED OVER 5,500 GIRLS THROUGH 1,373 VOLUNTEERS. AND THAT'S JUST AMAZING. AND AS WE HAVE YOU HERE, WE ARE JUST GONNA SEE IT GROW. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND MKA, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW WORDS, WELL, THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN, UH, MAYOR BERG CITY COUNCIL FOR HONORING THE WORK THAT GIRLS ON THE RUN IS DOING IN THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE REALLY HONORED TO BE HERE TODAY. UM, ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO HELP GIRLS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE A VOICE IN THIS WORLD AND THAT THEIR VOICE IS IMPORTANT AND THAT THEY HAVE A CHOICE IN WHO THEY GET TO BE. UM, AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT IF KIDS SEE IT, THEY CAN BE IT. AND WE'RE REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH AMAZING VOLUNTEERS FROM THE COMMUNITY. MANY OF YOU SEE HERE BEHIND ME, UM, WHO, WHO THE GIRLS CAN SEE AND THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN BECOME. AND WE'RE ALSO REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE SOME AMAZING CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT GIRLS CAN SEE WHAT THEY CAN BE AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE, AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND AS WE CONTINUE TO, UH, CELEBRATE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, I JUST ASK THAT, UH, ALL OF YOU MAKE SURE YOU CELEBRATE THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE AND THE WOMEN THAT THAT GAVE YOU STRENGTH TO GET HERE DATE. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. CONTINUE TO DO A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. LEMME TURN IT NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL FOR A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. I THINK WE'VE BEEN REALLY BLESSED SO FAR IN CHAMBERS THIS MORNING TO HAVE SO MUCH ROYALTY WITH US OF ONE FASHION OR OR ANOTHER. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT DOESN'T END HERE. THERE'S, UH, THERE'S STILL A LOT MORE TO COME. SO, UH, IN MY CASE, WE ARE ALSO BLESSED TO HAVE WITH US SOME LITERARY ROYALTY. IT IS MY HONOR TO RECOGNIZE TWO SAN ANTONIO AUTHORS, MARSHA ARRIETA MICKELSON, AND JOHNNY GARA VILLA, IF YOU TWO WOULD LIKE TO APPROACH THE PODIUM. YEAH, THANK YOU. WHO RECEIVED RE AWARDS? AM I SAYING THAT RIGHT? RE AWARDS AT THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION'S YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS THIS YEAR, THE BUDHA RE AWARD WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1996 AND IS NAMED AFTER BUDDHA RE, THE FIRST LATINA LIBRARIAN AT THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY. IT IS AWARDED TO LATINX WRITERS WHOSE WORK BEST PORTRAYS AFFIRM AND CELEBRATE THE LATINO CULTURAL EXPERIENCE IN YOUTH OR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. MARSHA'S YOUNG ADULT NOVEL WHERE I BELONG, WAS NAMED A BERE YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR HONOR BOOK WHERE I BELONG, FOLLOWS THE STORY OF GUATEMALAN AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR MILLIE VARGAS. AS SHE STRUGGLES TO BALANCE HER FAMILY'S NEEDS WITH HER OWN AMBITIONS AMID THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION DEBATE, SHE UNEXPECTEDLY FINDS HERSELF IN MARSHA DREW ON SOME OF HER OWN EXPERIENCES FOR THIS BOOK. LIKE MILLIE, HER FAMILY IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES FROM GUATEMALA WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD. SHE IS ALSO THE AUTHOR OF THE YOUNG ADULT NOVEL, THE WAKA. AM I SAYING THAT PROPERLY? YEAH. OKAY. ALONG WITH THREE INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN'S NOVELS, HER NEXT WORK, THE WEIGHT OF EVERYTHING IS ABOUT A GIRL COPING WITH THE DEATH OF HER MOTHER AND IS SLATED FOR RELEASE NEXT YEAR. CONGRATULATIONS. THAT IS A PROLIFIC WORK FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NOT ONLY AN AUTHOR, BUT A MOTHER AND AN EDUCATOR. SHE CURRENTLY TEACHES FOURTH GRADE AT CABLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND RESIDES IN SAN ANTONIO WITH HER HUSBAND, THREE SONS, TWO DOGS. AND SHE IS CURRENTLY ON SPRING BREAK RIGHT NOW. AND THAT'S WHY WE CAME ON MARCH 17TH TO DO THIS, UH, TO DO THIS RECOGNITION. AND, UH, MARSHA, I'LL SAY YOUR BOOK HAS MULTIPLE HO HOLDS RIGHT NOW AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, SO I WASN'T REALLY ABLE TO GET MY HANDS ON IT, BUT IT IS ON, IT IS ON ORDER. THANK YOU. UM, SO I'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT, UH, ABOUT JOHNNY'S AWARD AS WELL. JOHNNY GAVI. YES. 1500 MILES FROM THE SUN, SORRY. THIS ONE I GOT , 1500 MILES FROM THE SUN, WAS ALSO NAMED A BERE YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR HONOR BOOK AT THE 2022 YOUTH [00:45:01] MEDIA AWARDS. IT IS JOHNNY'S DEBUT NOVEL, INSPIRED BY THEIR OWN TENET AND CHICANA AND QUEER IDENTITIES. 1500 MILES FROM THE SUN, FEATURES A TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR WHO ACCIDENTALLY COMES OUT TO THE WORLD ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND MUST JUGGLE THE JOY OF FIRST LOVE AND FEAR OF HIS SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE FATHER FINDING OUT BEFORE HE IS READY. JOHNNY IS A NATIVE TEXAS BORN AND RAISED NEAR AND ALONG THE GULF COAST, AND NOW LIVES IN SAN ANTONIO. WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US. JOHNNY. UM, JOHNNY IS A MEMBER OF LAS MUSA, A COLLECTIVE OF TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED LATINA AUTHORS AND LATINA AUTHORS OF MARGINALIZED GENDERS, WRITING CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE. UM, BUT JOHNNY'S GOT MORE PLANS, HIS SECOND YOUNG ADULT NOVEL AND, AND AM I SAYING THAT RIGHT? AND SANTI WERE HERE IS SET IN SAN ANTONIO, YAY. AND IS SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE EARLY NEXT YEAR. SO I WANNA THANK BOTH OF YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY, AND I REALLY WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU ON WINNING THIS WELL-DESERVED AWARD. YOU MAKE US ALL SO, SO VERY PROUD. SO IF YOU WANNA SAY A COUPLE OF WORDS AND THEN, UH, THE MAYOR AND I WILL GO DOWN AND TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH WITH YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION TO BE HERE TODAY. I AM VERY HAPPY AND HONORED TO BE HERE. UM, I WAS VERY GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO WRITE A BOOK THAT TOLD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AS AN IMMIGRANT FROM GUATEMALA AND ABOUT A FAMILY WHO CAME TO THE UNITED STATES UNDOCUMENTED AND LOOKING TO ACHIEVE THE AMERICAN DREAM, AND WANTED TO RELATE SOME OF THE FEELINGS THAT I HAD GROWING UP HERE, UM, IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES THROUGH THIS BOOK. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME TALK ABOUT IT HERE TODAY. AND MY NEXT BOOK DOES TAKE PLACE IN SAN ANTONIO TOO. SO, , UH, THANK YOU FOR THE HONOR OF BRINGING US HERE. UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT, UM, BEING AMONG SAN ANTONIO PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR IS A REALLY GREAT HONOR BECAUSE GROWING UP IN A SMALL TOWN A COUPLE HOURS EAST OF HERE REALLY WASN'T SUPER CONDUCIVE TO GROWING UP, UH, BROWN, GROWING UP QUEER, BUT MOVING HERE TO, UH, QUOTE UNQUOTE SHOW UP TO COLLEGE FOR A FEW YEARS AND MEETING PEOPLE, UM, WHO REALLY LET ME EMBRACE THOSE IDENTITIES REALLY SHAPED ME INTO THE PERSON I AM TODAY INTO, UH, WHAT THAT BOOK IS AS, AS A CELEBRATION OF QUEERNESS AND BEING MEXICAN AND BEING BROWN AND FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE. UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO CELEBRATING THAT AS LONG AS, UH, PUBLISHERS WILL PAY ME. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING, UH, TEXAS AND IN PARTICULAR SAN ANTONIO, UM, AS LONG AS AGAIN, THEY WILL PAY ME . THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. AND FINALLY TO, UH, WRAP US UP ON OUR CEREMONIALS TODAY. LET ME TURN IT TO COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HALBERDA FOR POINT OF PERSON PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, WELL, SENIOR MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK STACEY MARTIN, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM WHILE SHE MAKES HER WAY UP. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT STACEY. STACEY'S BEEN A PART OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND MUNICIPAL COURT TEAM FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS. SHE OVERSEES THE COURT'S WARRANT OFFICER PROGRAM AND HAS DIRECT OVERSIGHT OF COMPLIANCE INITIATIVES UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK FRED GARCIA. IN OCTOBER OF 2021, THE TEXAS COURT CLERKS ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZED STACEY WITH THEIR DISTINGUISHED EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. THE AWARD HIGHLIGHTS STACEY'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO SERVICE AND IMPROVING CLERK ENGAGEMENT, AS WELL AS HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS T C C A MEMBERSHIP. HER MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT IS, UH, STACEY IS NOW A CERTIFIED MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. THIS IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT. UH, FUN FACT. THE CITY'S HR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CRYSTAL STRONG WAS THE 17TH COURT CLERK IN THE STATE OF TEXAS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A CERTIFIED MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK BACK WHEN SHE WORKED FOR MUNI COURT AT THE BEGINNING OF HER CAREER WITH THE CITY. TODAY, STACEY MARTIN WILL BE NUMBER 116 IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO IT'S AN EXCLUSIVE, UH, HONOR AND EXCLUSIVE DESIGNATION. THE MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK CERTIFICATION PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1996 TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO COURT STAFF IN MUNICIPAL AND JUSTICE COURTS. [00:50:01] IT COMPRISES THREE LEVELS OF COMPETENCY WITH A TEST ADMINISTERED AT EACH LEVEL TO GAUGE SKILL AND APTITUDE. STACEY COMPLETED ALL THREE LEVELS OF THE DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM CURRICULUM SUCCESSFULLY. AND HERE TO FORMALLY PRESENT HER WITH THE CERTIFICATION IS TEXAS COURT CLERKS ASSOCIATION, FREEDOM TRAIL CHAPTER PRESIDENT ANDREA GOFF, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS ANDREA GOONS. I AM THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE CITY OF HELOTES MUNICIPAL COURT AND THE CURRENT PRESIDENT FOR THE FREEDOM TRAIL CHAPTER FOR THE TEXAS COURT CLERKS ASSOCIATION. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUT OF APPROXIMATELY 4,000 COURT CLERKS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, THERE ARE MERE 126 THAT HAVE REACHED THE STATUS OF CERTIFIED MUNICIPAL COURT CLERKS, AND YOU HAVE ONE OF THEM WORKING TO SERVE THE CITIZENS AND THE STAFF OF THE SAN ANTONIO MUNICIPAL COURT. I AM HERE TO HONOR STACEY MARTIN FOR ACHIEVING HER STATUS AS A CERTIFIED MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK NUMBER ONE 16. STACEY HAS WORKED WITH THE SAN ANTONIO MUNICIPAL COURT FOR 16 YEARS. SHE'S YOUR ONLY ACTIVE LEVEL THREE COURT CLERK. I HAVE WATCHED AND WAS BESIDE STACY THROUGHOUT HER WHOLE JOURNEY AS SHE WORKED DILIGENTLY THROUGH ALL OF THE RIGOROUS REQUIREMENTS TO COMPLETE THE COURSE OF STUDY FOR THE CERTIFICATION TO ACHIEVE THE TITLE OF CERTIFIED MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK, A CLERK MUST COMPLETE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BOTH LEVEL ONE AND TWO AND PASS ALL THE REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVEL THREE. THESE REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE PASSING A FOUR HOUR EXAM AT EACH LEVEL TO ACHIEVE LEVEL THREE. A CLERK MUST NOT ONLY PASS THE LEVEL ONE AND TWO TEST, BUT ALSO ATTEND A 24 HOUR ASSESSMENT CLINIC, A 12 HOUR COURT ADMINISTRATOR SEMINAR, AND COMPLETE 40 HOURS OF COURT OBSERVATIONS IN DIFFERENT SIZE COURTS AROUND TEXAS. AFTER OBSERVATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, A JOURNAL OF THE OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS MUST ALSO BE SUBMITTED AND REVIEWED BY A STATE COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT IN THE, IN THIS INTENSE COURSE OF STUDY, CONFIRMED STACEY'S DEDICATION TO THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND THE CITY ON BEHALF OF THE TEXAS COURT CLERKS ASSOCIATION, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER, THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS ASSOCIATION, AND TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY, I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT STACEY MARTIN WITH HER CERTIFIED MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK CERTIFI CERTIFICATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYBE JUST SCOOT OVER POSITION THERE. OKAY, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU STACY, FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO, UH, OUR COURT SYSTEM AND, UH, TO OUR CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER EO HDA. UM, AND ONE LAST, UH, NOTE, UH, IF YOU WILL, BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR AGENDA, UH, WE ALL LOST, UH, IN A FRIEND AND A PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY A WEEK AGO THURSDAY IN MARY ESTHER AL THE FORMER, UH, EXCUSE ME, THE, UH, UH, WIFE OF THEN OR FORMER, UH, STATE SENATOR JOE AL. UH, SHE WAS A PILLAR OF THIS COMMUNITY. SOMEONE WHO MANY OF YOU MAY NOT EVEN BE AWARE WAS ENTERTAINING YOU FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS AS THE MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL, A PASSIONATE, BILINGUAL EDUCATION ADVOCATE, AN EMPLOYEE OF S A I S D FOR FOUR DECADES, AND CERTAINLY A BELOVED MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY. UH, AND SO I'D LIKE TO ASK US FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE, UH, TO RECOGNIZE A WONDERFUL WOMAN, UH, WHO WE'VE LOST. UH, JUST AS NOTE, UH, SHE RECEIVED A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN MUSIC AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY. UH, AND AT SS A I SS D, SHE HELD MANY TITLES INCLUDING PROGRAM SPECIALISTS FOR THE DISTRICT'S BILINGUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, DIRECTOR OF THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE ARTS CENTER, DIRECTOR OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND DIRECTOR OF ARTS AND LANGUAGES. SHE DID RETIRE IN 1995 AND RAN FOR THE DISTRICT'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND WON IN 1991. SHE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE SAN ANTONIO WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME. AND IN 2010, THE NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE HALL OF HONOR NAMED HER AS ONE OF THE ANNUAL HONOREES FOR HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION. UH, MARY ESTHER HAS SURVIVED BY HER HUSBAND, JOE SONS, RICHARD AND PATRICK AND DAUGHTER REBECCA VIEL, SIX GRANDCHILDREN AND TWO STEP GRANDCHILDREN. SO IN HONOR OF MARY ESTHER, UH, PLEASE LET US OBSERVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE. [00:55:08] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. AND THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE, UH, GOT THROUGH KIND OF A LENGTHY CEREMONIAL TODAY. WE HAD MANY SPECIAL GUESTS AGAIN, UM, [CONSENT AGENDA  ] I WANT TO NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT THERE ARE NO ITEMS LISTED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. SO I'LL ASK MY COLLEAGUES NOW IF THERE ARE ANY ITEMS TO, TO BE HEARD INDIVIDUALLY FROM THE AGENDA. 29 ITEM 29. ANY OTHERS? OKAY. YEAH. OKAY. IF THERE ARE NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S ALL ITEM SAY FOR NUMBER 29. UM, ALSO, PLEASE NOTE ON, ON ITEM 35, I HAVE SOMETHING TO READ INTO THE RECORD BEFORE WE TAKE THAT CONSENT VOTE. UM, ALRIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS FOR CONSENT ITEMS? OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, I'M GOING TO, UM, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE FOLKS ON ITEM 24. I'M GONNA RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER ELAS TO WELCOME, UH, OUR GUEST FOR THAT ITEM. UM, BUT LET ME GO NOW TO ITEM 28 AND LET ME CALL AGA PITA, AMI FORWARD TO SPEAK ON ITEM 28. IS AGA PITA JARAMILLO HERE? OKAY, IF NOT ON ITEM 34, ERIC ESTRADA. ITEM 34, ERIC ESTRADA. OKAY, THAT'S 29. SHE'S ON 29. THAT'S BEING PULLED. YEAH. ALRIGHT, WE'LL GO NOW TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. SO LET ME RECOGNIZE NOW COUNCIL MEMBER PAL, AND WE DO HAVE THE TWO, TWO FOLKS TO CALL FORWARD. DO WE DO THAT NOW? YEAH, SURE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ON ITEM 29, AND I'LL GIVE THE FLOOR OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER PAL AFTER OUR CITIZEN SPEAK. LET CALL, UH, DR. WILLIAM HENDRICH AND DR. HEND BE FOLLOWED BY DANIEL HITLER HIL. EXCUSE ME. GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE. I'M HERE TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR ITS SUPPORT OF A PROJECT TO BRING BIOSCIENCE NEW TECHNOLOGY TO SAN ANTONIO IN THE FORM OF A PROTON CENTER FOR TREATING CANCERS. UH, THE REASON THAT WE'RE HERE, AND I'M HERE WITH A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MATERIAL TO MAKING THIS PROJECT SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE REASON WE'RE HERE IS BECAUSE THERE IS PROJECTED TO BE A 35% INCREASE IN CANCER DIAGNOSES IN SAN ANTONIO AND IN OUR REGION IN THE NEXT DECADE. NOW, THIS BURDEN NEEDS TO BE TREATED WITH THE LATEST BIOSCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, AND PROTON THERAPY IS SUCH A TECHNOLOGY. IT'S MORE PRECISE, CAUSES LESS TISSUE DAMAGE TO SURROUNDING TISSUES, AND IS THEREFORE SOMETHING WE WANT TO BE AVAILABLE FOR OUR CITIZENS HERE SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL TO GET IT. IT'S GOOD FOR PROSTATE CANCER, BREAST CANCER, BRAIN CANCERS, AND PEDIATRIC CANCERS. TO BE SPECIFIC, I'M JOINED BY MARK BONIN, OUR CHAIR OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY HERE, WHO CAN ANSWER ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. BUT THE THE POINT IS THAT IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IT TAKES THE CITY AND YOUR HELP AS A COUNCIL. IT TAKES THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SAN ANTONIO MEDICAL FOUNDATION. IT TAKES THE LEADERSHIP OF UT HEALTH, AND OF COURSE IT TAKES THE LEADERSHIP OF THE COMPANY THAT'S BRINGING IT HERE, PROTON INTERNATIONAL. SO I'M PLEASED TO BE HERE, MAYOR, TO ADVOCATE FOR THIS, AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE NOT TOO FAR AWAY TO GETTING IT DONE. WHEN IT STARTS CONSTRUCTION, IT'LL TAKE ABOUT 18 MONTHS TO BUILD AND IT'LL BE LOCATED IN THE SOUTH TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER. SO IT'LL BE CONVENIENT FOR EVERYBODY HERE. THANK YOU, DR. HENDS. OKAY, THANK YOU. LEMME CALL NOW. DANIEL SCHER. IS MR. SCHER HERE? ALRIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER PIA. THANKS, MAYOR. SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, I THINK IS A, A UNIVERSAL RULE IS THAT ELECTED OFFICIALS, [01:00:01] UH, GRAVITATE TOWARDS HYPERBOLE. WE'RE ALL ADEPT AT IT UP HERE AND, UH, AND ALL FUTURE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND PAST COUNCILS WILL BE EXCELLENT AT DOING IT, BUT I DON'T THINK IT IS HYPERBOLIC TO SAY THAT. UH, TODAY WE TAKE ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS CURING CANCER, AND THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, BECAUSE WE ADD ONE MORE BRICK, UH, IN THIS FOUNDATION OF RESEARCH AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND BIO AND TECH AND HEALTH. AND SO, UH, WITH THIS PROTON CENTER, SAN ANTONIANS, UH, WILL NO LONGER HAVE TO TRAVEL FOR EIGHT WEEKS, SOMETIMES MISSING WORK AND MISSING THEIR FAMILY OBLIGATIONS. UH, FOR, UH, EIGHT WEEKS OF TREATMENT, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO IT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE'LL BE ABLE TO ERADICATE BRAIN CANCER, PROSTATE CANCER, KIDNEY CANCER, BREAST CANCER, LUNG CANCERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. LOCAL CHILDREN, UM, VUL, YOU KNOW, FROM, FROM VULNERABLE FAMILIES AND FROM SOME OF OUR POOREST CENSUS TRACKS WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF THIS CUTTING EDGE SCIENCE THAT UP UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, WAS ONLY RESERVED FOR PEOPLE WHO COULD PAY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN CASH BECAUSE THERE WAS NO COMMERCIALIZED SERVICE LIKE THIS UNTIL, UH, OPERATIONS LIKE THE PROTON CENTER AND PROTON INTERNATIONAL, UM, MADE IT POSSIBLE. THE, UH, THE OTHER MIRACLE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS THAT THIS IS GOING TO NOT JUST PROVIDE A CURE FOR CANCER. UH, IN MANY INSTANCES, THIS IS GOING TO PROVIDE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UH, YOUR STUDENTS, DR. HENRICH OVER AT UT HEALTH. UH, THIS IS GONNA OP, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE JOBS OVER AT THE MEDICAL CENTER. UM, AND ALSO, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, I THINK IT MAY BE THE ONLY FACILITY, UH, THAT'S GOING TO EMPLOY, UH, QUANTUM PHYSICISTS, UH, YOU KNOW, TO ACTUALLY DO, UH, WHATEVER IT IS THEY NEED TO DO TO KEEP THIS MACHINE RUNNING 24 7. AND SO, UM, I'M, I, I, I CONSIDER SAN ANTONIO TO BE INCREDIBLY LUCKY. I'M DELIGHTED THAT THIS STAYS ON CONSENT, UM, AND THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, UNANIMOUSLY BEEN SUPPORTED BY CITY COUNCIL UP UNTIL NOW. UH, WE HAVE NOT HEARD ANY OBJECTIONS FROM THIS COUNCIL AS TO, YOU KNOW, BRINGING A PROJECT LIKE THIS HERE. UM, AND THEN THIS IS AN EQUITY MOVE TOO. UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UH, MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR KIDS AT U T S A AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR LOCAL SCIENTISTS TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD ON THINGS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST SCIENCE FICTION UP UNTIL QUITE, QUITE RECENTLY. AND SO, CONGRATULATIONS. I'M PROUD OF ALL OF YOU. YOU, YOU DESERVE. UM, YOU, YOU DESERVE A VICTORY LAP. AND, UM, IT'S 68 MIL OR $62 MILLION THAT YOU'RE INVESTING IN SAN ANTONIO. YOU COULD'VE DONE THAT ANYWHERE, BUT YOU CHOSE OUR TOWN. AND SO, UM, THANK YOU MICHELLE HAUSMAN, THANK YOU TRADE JACOBSON FOR THE WORK, PETE CARBON. THANK YOU, DR. HENRICH, UH, YOU AND YOUR TEAM, AND ALSO JIM REED, YOU AND YOUR BOARD, VERY GENEROUS AND ALWAYS FORWARD THINKING AND, UM, I MOVE TO APPROVE. SECOND. ALRIGHT, WE DO HAVE, UH, WE DO HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH THIS ITEM IS ON. UH, LET ME ALSO JUST ECHO SOME COMMENTS HERE. UH, FIRST OF ALL, UH, MY THANKS AND, UM, CONGRATULATIONS ON GREAT WORK. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PIAS ALEX, OUR ENTIRE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM FOR, UH, BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND, AND GETTING IT DONE, UH, WHICH WE WILL GET TO VOTE ON TODAY. UH, PROTON INTERNATIONAL'S INVESTMENT IN ESTABLISHING SAN ANTONIO'S FIRST PROTON THERAPY FACILITY. AS COUNCIL MEMBER PLY SAYS, KEEPS OUR CITY AT THE LEADING EDGE OF INNOVATION AND QUALITY HEALTHCARE AND EQUITABLY AS WELL. THE GLOBAL COVID TO 19 PANDEMIC UNFORTUNATELY HIGHLIGHTED THOSE INEQUITIES IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM ACROSS THE GLOBE. AND NOW PRO PROTON'S INVESTMENT OF $62 MILLION IN SAN ANTONIO WILL HELP TO PROVIDE MORE EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE MEDICAL CARE AS AN ONGOING INITIATIVE FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THE FUTURE OF PROTON INTERNATIONAL'S FACILITY WITHIN SAN ANTONIO OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LIFESAVING CANCER TREATMENT, AND THE COMPANY HAS ALSO SET UP A CHARITY AND HARDSHIP DISCOUNT PROGRAM THEY INTEND TO OFFER AT THE SAN ANTONIO FACILITY WHEN GOVERNMENT OR PRIVATE INSURANCE IS NOT AVAILABLE. THE COMPANY ALSO WILL CREATE HIGH QUALITY JOBS TO OUR COMMUNITY AND WILL OFFER A CHARITY AND HARDSHIP DISCOUNT PROGRAM TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO SERVICES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL THE RESIDENTS IN NEED. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU, UH, CONTINUE TO INVEST IN SAN ANTONIO WITH YOUR SERVICES AND THE WORK THAT PROTON INTERNATIONAL ON THIS EXCITING DEVELOPMENT, UH, IS VERY WELCOME. SO, UH, TO CONTINUE TO PARTNER ON STRATEGIC COMMUNITY PRIORITIES THAT BUILD AND IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY TO SOMETHING THAT WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE THE SUPPORT OF OUR COLLEAGUES UP HERE. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UM, ALL RIGHT, WE DO HAVE A FEW MORE COMMENTS, UH, TO GO AROUND THE DAIS, BUT I DO, UH, WE HAD AN ERROR IN THE SYSTEM, UH, OR [01:05:01] TRANSCRIPTION OR SOMETHING. BUT GLAD TO SEE YOUR BACK. JACK, WE MISSED YOU FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. COME ON UP AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SPEAK ON CONSENT ITEMS. YES, MR. MAYOR, JUST A POINT OF CLARIFICATION, UM, I SIGNED UP ON ITEMS 24 28 29 AND 34. MAYBE YOU CAN ORIENT ME. ARE WE DISCUSSING JUST 29 RIGHT NOW? NO, WE'RE, WE'RE SPEAKING ON ALL THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE REMAINING ON CONSENT. JACK, I'LL CALL YOU UP AGAIN FOR 29. OKAY? OKAY. VERY GOOD. OKAY. SO SHALL I SPEAK IN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW OR, OKAY, BUT THE CONSENT, CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS, I TAKE IT. OKAY. WELL, VERY GOOD. MR. MAYOR, I'LL, IF THE CLERK WOULD, UH, RE CLOCK ME AT THREE MINUTES, I'D APPRECIATE THAT. GO AHEAD, JACK. YES. MAYOR NURENBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK MINGER. I, DESPITE OUR ERRORS, I MADE IT UP HERE. AND, UH, CONSEQUENTLY I WISH TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION. A FEW ITEMS ON THIS CONSENT PORTION OF THE AGENDA ITEM, UH, 24 IS, WELL, QUITE FRANKLY, A LOT OF 'EM IS JUST A, A BUNCH OF GIVEAWAYS THAT, UH, CITY COUNCIL IS KNOWN FOR. YEAH. UM, 24 IS, UH, AS A BIG TAX ABATEMENT AND YES. UH, MAYBE YOU PUT THAT THERE, MR. AUDIOVISUAL MAN THERE. YEAH. TAX ABATEMENT. WHAT'S THE SHOW? MAYBE YOU CAN BLOW UP THE, SOME OF THE, UH, MARKED AREAS THERE. A LITTLE BLURRY THERE. OKAY. 27 NEW FULL-TIME JOBS THERE. OKAY. UH, SCROLL ON DOWN. YOU'LL SEE HOW MUCH ARE WE, WE SHELLING OUT FOR THIS? WELL ARE NOT GETTING BACK. $828,000 IN ONE POINT FOR 50% TAX RE REBATE. UM, SCROLL ON DOWN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER. AND ESTIMATED COST TO THE CITY PER YEAR, 10 YEARS IS 102,000. OKAY, MR. RIDGE, MAN, TURN OVER THAT. UH, YEAH, THERE YOU GO. IT'S, SEE WHAT IT SAYS. THE COST PER NEW JOB IN THE ABATEMENT HERE IS A ABATEMENT IN CITY TURBO IS NEARLY A MILLION BUCKS THERE. $931,000. AND WHAT IS IT PER, FOR ONLY 27 JOBS. THAT BOILS DOWN TO $34,000 PER JOB. $34,000 PER JOB. I DON'T THINK, UH, OKAY. CAN, CAN, OKAY. RE RETURN THE CAMERA TO THE PODIUM, IF YOU WOULD. CAN YOU OR I, AS A REGULAR TAXPAYER GET THAT, UH, KIND OF MONEY FOR ANY NEW JOB THAT WE CREATE AT OUR BUSINESS? I, I DON'T THINK SO. YEAH. UM, WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE HERE? UM, WELL, ITEM, UH, 28, LET'S SEE. WE GOT QUITE A FEW BA BOONDOGGLES HERE. YEAH. UM, YEAH. AND THIS IS IN, UH, MS. CASTILLO, I THINK THIS IS IN YOUR DISTRICT. THE, UH, THE CZARS ARE MORE AREA LOCATION THERE. YEAH. WE, UH, BASICALLY IT'S A, UH, UH, OH, ABOUT THE, UH, YEAH, THE, THE, THE PROSPER WEST, UH, LOCATION. YOU KNOW, IF A, UH, IF, IF, IF THIS ITEM, UH, THIS LOCATION, 20, THE, THE, THIS BUILDING THAT YOU WANT US TO SHELL OUT, HOW, HOW MUCH IS IT? UH, MY GOODNESS. TENS OF THOUSANDS. IF IT'S THAT GOOD, WHY, UH, WHY ISN'T IT, UH, BEING, IF, IF IT'S THAT POPULAR? WELL, WHY DON'T THE PRIVATE BUSINESSES USE THEIR OWN MONEY FOR IT INSTEAD OF OURS? THAT'S WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT. YES. UM, BASICALLY, UH, THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. AND I'M, MY TIME IS ABOUT UP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. WE'LL RESUME, UH, COUNCIL DISCUSSION NOW. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, I JUST WANNA WELCOME ONE OF OUR NEWEST COMPANIES TO SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND THANK COUNCILMAN BELIES FOR HIS WORK IN, UH, IN BRINGING THEM HERE AS THE CHAIR OF OUR ECONOMIC AND, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. UH, I CHAIR THE, THE COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY HEALTH. SO HAVING THIS OPTION AVAILABLE FOR OUR, FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS IS TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT. UH, WE ARE STRICKEN, UH, I'M SURE DR. HEINRICH, YOU KNOW, BY, BY CANCER TREMENDOUSLY. AND, AND YOU WOULD'VE BENEFITED FROM, FROM SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS, UH, NOT LONG AGO. SO, UH, WELCOME, AND WE'RE REALLY GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT THE FOUNDATION THAT YOU'VE ALSO OPENED UP. UM, SO THANK YOU AND WELCOME. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UH, LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE ALSO ON ITEM 12. UH, WE HAVE, UH, KIM ABERNATHY HERE FOR FROM CHILD SAFE, AND WE'VE OFTEN DISCUSSED THE LINEAR CREEKWAY TRAILS AND THE AMOUNT OF THE FINANCIAL [01:10:01] INVESTMENT OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS PUT INTO THOSE TRAILS. BUT WE DON'T COUNT OFTEN. SOME OF THE DONATIONS, IN FACT, A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF LAND DONATION TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR TRAIL SYSTEM, WHICH CHILD SAFE IS DOING NOW BY THE DONATION OF AN EASEMENT, UH, THAT WILL CONNECT TO THE GREENWAY TRAILS AT THE SOTO. UH, SO KIM, WOULD YOU COME FORWARD AND, UH, IF YOU WANNA MAKE A COUPLE REMARKS ABOUT THAT, WE THANK YOU AND CHILD SAFE, NOT ONLY FOR THE SERVICES THAT YOU PROVIDE OUR COMMUNITY, UH, THAT ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED EVERY DAY, BUT ALSO THESE THINGS THAT PROBABLY AREN'T DISCUSSED, UH, MUCH AT ALL. YEAH, I DON'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE SAYING A FEW WORDS, SO IT MIGHT BE MORE THAN A FEW. BUT, UM, YEAH, IN 2017, WE PURCHASED 30 A 36 ACRE WOODED SP SPOT ON THE EAST SIDE AT EAST HOUSTON AND I 10. IT WAS, WHICH IS KIND OF RARE BECAUSE IT'S NEVER, IT WAS, HAD NEVER BEEN DEVELOPED BEFORE, BUT IT GOES, IT'S ADJACENT TO THE M L K PARK AND IT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SALATO CREEK, UH, TRAIL. AND SO WE DONATED 17 OR DEEDED 17 OF THOSE ACRES TO THE CITY TO BE CONTIGUOUS WITH ML TO BE PART OF M L K PARK, WHICH WE'RE CONTIGUOUS WITH, AND GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SATO CREEK, UM, TRAIL WHERE THE, A CHILD, CHILD SAFE IS, UH, BEXAR COUNTY'S ONLY CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER, AND THERE'S ADVOCACY CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE'RE THE FIRST, WE'RE THE ONLY URBAN CENTER IN, IN THE COUNTRY TO BE CONNECTED TO TWO PARKS, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE CHILDREN THAT WE SERVE AND THE FAMILIES THAT WE SERVE TO HAVE. UM, IF YOU, FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVE BEEN HERE, THERE, IT'S BUILT LIKE A, IT'S MORE LIKE A NATURE CENTER, AND WE KNOW NATURE IS HEALING. UM, AND SO THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY GOES WAY BEYOND THAT. WE, WE RECEIVE MONEY FROM THE CITY TO EDUCATE AND TRAIN OVER 11,000 INDIVIDUALS HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND REPORT ABUSE LAST YEAR ALONE. UM, AND WHAT'S ELSE IS CRITICAL IS THAT WE, THE, THE PANDEMIC HAS DONE SOMETHING THAT I THINK EVERYONE HAS SEEN IN THE, UM, LAST FEW WEEKS. THOSE OF US THAT WORKED IN THIS, IN THIS, UM, PROFESSION KNEW THAT THERE WAS GOING TO, THERE WAS A LOT OF KIDS THAT WERE NOT BEING SEEN BY ANYONE, BY TEACHERS, AND THAT WE WERE GONNA HAVE SOME CRITICAL, VERY CRITICAL CASES. AND WE HAVE SEEN THOSE DEATHS AND SEEN WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE CHILDREN IN CHILD AT CHILD SAFE. WE ARE, WE'RE, WE'RE INTERVIEWING THOSE CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN WITNESS TO THOSE CRIMES. WE'RE AVERAGING ABOUT A HUNDRED. NO, WE'RE AVERAGING 180 FORENSIC INTERVIEWS A MONTH, AND THAT'S WHERE THE KIDS COME IN THE DOOR. WE'VE PROVIDED OVER 5,500 COUNSELING SESSIONS IN THIS FISCAL YEAR FOR US, FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. WE JUST RECENTLY RESERV, UM, RECEIVED THE TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE CERTIFICATION. WE'RE THE SECOND ENTITY IN THE, IN THE COUNTY. AND TO RECEIVE THAT, WHICH MEANS EVERYTHING WE DO IS TRAUMA INFORMED. OUR BUILDING IS TRAUMA INFORMED, AND I, I, I CAN'T HELP, I HAVE TO DO THIS TO, AS WE HAVE ASKED THE CITY TO, TO CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH US FOR ARPA FUNDS. AND I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE CONSIDERING THAT NEXT WEEK AND HOW THAT'S GONNA BE. AND I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE CONSIDER, UH, WHAT WE'VE ASKED FOR, TO CONTINUE TO COMPLETE OUR, UH, OUR FUNDING FOR OUR BUILDING AND, AND LAND. BUT ALSO, I, I, I REALLY WANNA TELL A STORY, UM, BECAUSE WE BUILT THIS, UM, BUILDING TO BE SAFE AND HEALING FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THAT COME IN THERE. AND IT'S NOT LIKE ANY, I, I, I CAN SAY IT'S NOT LIKE ANY OTHER NONPROFIT BUILDING IN, IN THE CITY BECAUSE IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND IT TELLS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHEN THEY COME ON THE DOOR, YOU'RE IMPORTANT AND YOU'RE SAFE. WE, WE SURVEY A LOT OF OUR FAMILY, ALL OF OUR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN, AND WE GET SOME WONDERFUL FEEDBACK. BUT I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I, I, A STORY I LIKE TO TELL THAT HAPPENED NOT TOO LONG AFTER WE GOT THERE. WE HAD A 12 YEAR OLD BOY COME IN FOR A FORENSIC INTERVIEW, UH, FOR A CASE OF SEX CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. HE WAS THERE FOR A GOOD WHILE. HE MADE AN OUTCRY, AND WHEN HE LEFT, HE SAID, CAN I HAVE MY NEXT BIRTHDAY PARTY HERE? SO A CHILD THAT CAME IN FOR THAT, WANTS TO COME BACK. SO, UM, I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR, UM, THINKING ABOUT US NEXT WEEK AS YOU'RE DOING THAT STUFF ON ARPA, AND THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, KIM. ALRIGHT. AND ONE LAST NOTE FOR THE RECORD HERE ON ITEM 35, AN UPDATE ON ITEM 35, AMENDMENT TO THE MAJOR THOROUGHFARE PLAN [01:15:01] FOR A SECTION OF MARBACH ROAD. THIS ITEM WILL BE CONSIDERED DURING THE 2:00 PM PORTION OF TODAY'S AGENDA. IT WILL BE A CONSENT ITEM ON THE 2:00 PM AGENDA TODAY, UNLESS PULLED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER AT THAT TIME. ALL RIGHT. AND I MEAN TO, I DON'T SEE ANYONE REMAINING ON THE CONSENT QUEUE, SO IF YOU ARE INTENDING TO PLEASE HIGHLIGHT CONSENT AGENDA, UM, OR JUST SIGNAL ME, COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I HAD A QUESTION FOR, UH, PROTON INTERNATIONAL FOR THE REPRESENTATIVES OF PROTON INTERNATIONAL. UM, AND I, I REALLY WELCOME YOUR, YOUR PROTON THERAPY CANCER CENTER, AND I HAD SOME, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, A FRIEND OF MINE, UH, WHO HAS CANCER, JUST HAD TO TRA UH, TRAVEL TO HOUSTON TO HAVE SOME, SOME, UH, MEDICAL CARE THERE. AND THE, UM, THE CHEMOTHERAPY WASN'T WORKING. THEY ENDED UP HAVING TO CUT OUT A PORTION OF HIS LUNG AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN HE HAD TO GO THERE, THEY HAD TO MAKE A DECISION WHO WAS GONNA TRAVEL THERE WITH HIM. UM, YOU KNOW, AND NOT EVERYBODY FROM THE FAMILY COULD GO AND BE THERE WITH HIM. I KNOW THERE'S A FINANCIAL BURDEN WITH STAYING OUTTA TOWN, SO I THINK IT'S GREAT. WHERE, WHERE'S THE CLOSEST, UH, PROTON CANCER THERAPY CENTER RIGHT NOW TO SAN ANTONIO? IF A PATIENT IN THIS AREA NEEDS PROTON THERAPY AND IT'S CLINICALLY APPROPRIATE, THEY EITHER HAVE TO GO TO HOUSTON OR TO DALLAS RIGHT NOW, HOUSTON OR DALLAS. SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE BRINGING ONE HERE TO OUR COMMUNITY, MAKING IT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO OUR COMMUNITY. UH, THE OTHER ISSUE IS THAT, UH, I READ THE TOP STORY IN THE SAN ANTONIO REPORT TODAY IS THAT USING CENT, LOOKING AT CENSUS DATA, SAN ANTONIO REMAINS THE MOST IMPOVERISHED MAJOR US CITY. AND SO I WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD ELABORATE ON HOW OUR LOW INCOME PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY, WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SERVICES THAT YOU ALL ARE GONNA BE PROVIDING HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. SURE. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO, UH, SPEAK ON P CARBONI WITH PROTON NATIONAL, UM, THE, UH, UH, TREATMENTS, UH, AND, AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROCESSES, UH, DONE THROUGH TRADITIONAL INSURANCES, OBVIOUSLY MEDICARE AND MEDICAID, AND THEN IF THERE'S SOMETHING NEEDED BEYOND THAT, WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE IN OUR OTHER PROJECTS AND WE'LL DO HERE TOO, IS WE ADOPT THE, UH, CHARITY, UH, POLICY OF OUR CLINICAL PARTNER, OBVIOUSLY HERE BEING, UH, UT HEALTH. CAN, CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT ANYMORE? ON WHAT, UH, HOW LOW INCOME PEOPLE WOULD BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH UT HEALTH TO BE ABLE TO GET SERVICES? UH, I WOULD, IF ANY FURTHER DETAIL, I WOULD PROBABLY DEFER TO DR. BONDING AS THEY, YOU KNOW, MONITOR THAT POLICY. BUT, UM, NO, NO ONE WOULD GO UNTREATED IN A, IN A SCENARIO LIKE THAT. GREAT. UM, WHILE WE WERE WORKING THROUGH THIS PROJECT, UH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS, AND AGAIN, BRENDA HICKS AND SOME OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, THE DATA THAT UT HEALTH PROVIDED US WAS THAT LESS THAN 1% OF THE PATIENTS, UH, THAT THEY SEE ARE WHAT'S CALLED SELF-PAY, WHICH COULD INCLUDE UNINSURED OR THOSE THAT ARE PAYING INDIVIDUALLY. UH, AND SO AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS, UH, WITH PROTON AND UT HEALTH, UH, IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT, AGAIN, LESS THAN 1% OF THE PATIENTS THAT COME IN ARE IN THAT CATEGORY. AGAIN, AS WHEN SOMEONE IS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, UH, THEY USUALLY RECEIVE SOME KIND OF OMBUDSMAN AND GET CONNECTED TO VARIOUS RESOURCES. UH, AS WAS REFERENCED, THERE IS A CHARITY AND HARDSHIP POLICY AND PROGRAM THAT IS IN PLACE, UH, AND WILL BE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO FOR ANY PATIENTS. AND IT IS BASED ON POVERTY LEVEL, UH, INCOME FOR THE FAMILY. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMEBODY'S AT A 200% POVERTY LEVEL, UH, FOR THEIR INCOME, THEN I HAVE LOTS OF PEOPLE WILLING TO JUMPING IN. UM, THEN IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT IT'S A 0% PAY FOR THAT FAMILY. AND AGAIN, IT'S ON A SLIDING SCALE. AND SO THAT WAS A COMMITMENT THAT WE RECEIVED THAT THAT WOULD BE IN PLACE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. FOR THAT, LESS THAN 1%. THANK YOU, BRENDA. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER RAVO, UH, IF THERE'S GONNA BE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE ITEM, UH, I'M GONNA PULL IT FROM CONSENT SO WE CAN HAVE A SEPARATE VOTE. UH, IS THERE, DO YOU HAVE MORE? NO, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, WITH KIM, WITH CHILD SAFE, THAT WAS, UM, I, I TOOK A TOUR OF, UH, CHILD SAFE WITH KIM AND IT WAS A FANTASTIC TOUR. IF ANY OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVEN'T DONE IT, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO SO, AND I HOPE THAT OUR CITY WILL CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON CONSENT ITEMS? ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR ITEM 29. PLEASE VOTE. [01:20:04] MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL MOVE NOW TO ITEM [Miscellaneous  ] 29. ITEM NUMBER 29 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING A CHAPTER THREE 80 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOAN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE WEST SIDE TOURS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PROSPER WEST AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $945,000 FOR THE PURCHASE AND REHABILITATION OF THE BASC FOX BUILDING LOCATED AT 5 0 2 NORTH ZAMORA. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU. VETO, WE DON'T, UM, NEED A PRESENTATION. I PULLED THE, ACTUALLY, COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M SORRY. WE DO HAVE, UM, PUBLIC COUPLE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. I APOLOGIZE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. UM, VELMA PENA, ARE YOU HERE, MS. PENA? VELMA PENA. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. OH, SORRY. JACK FINGER MY ERROR. I'M SORRY. Y'ALL. OKAY. UH, MR. MAYOR, ARE WE ON NUMBER 29? I, I BELIEVE. OKAY. VERY GOOD. WELL, MAYOR NURENBERG, ANOTHER MEMBERS OF OUR SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER, AND DESPITE THE, THE, THE MESS UPS WE HAD EARLIER, I MANAGED TO GET UP HERE AND GET A LITTLE BIT BETTER ORGANIZED HERE. UH, I AM 29. WHAT IT SAY? WELL, IT'S ABOUT, UH, OH, ECONOMIC DEVELOP LOAN AGREEMENT WITH THE WEST SIDE T I R Z FOR THE AMOUNT OF, ABOUT, UH, NEARLY A MILLION BUCKS HERE, $945,000 FOR THE PURCHAS AND REHABILITATION OF THE ILLA FOX BUILDING LOCATED AT 5 0 2 NORTH OR MORE, AS I MENTIONED IN MS. CASTILLO, I BELIEVE THIS IS IN YOUR DISTRICT. AND, UH, BUT A FEW THINGS I WISH TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION ABOUT IT THERE. LET'S SEE. MR. VISSION, MA'AM, PUT THAT ON THERE AND SEE WHAT THE, UH, I'LL BLOW UP THE, THOSE AREAS WHERE, WHERE THE, WHERE IT'S MARKED. THESE ARE THE BACKUP DOCUMENTS FOR IT. IT SAYS THE BUILDING HAS BEEN VACANT. THE BUILDING HAS BEEN VACANT FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS WITH SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL, I REPEAT UNSUCCESSFUL REDEVELOPMENT ATTEMPTS. YEAH. SCROLL ON DOWN A JUST A LITTLE BIT THERE. I HIGHLIGHTED A FEW OF THINGS. PROSPER. WHAT'S THE SEEKING, WHAT IS IT? $575,000 IN A FORGIVABLE LOAN, A FORGIVABLE LOAN FROM THE WEST SIDE, T R E Z, MEANING OUR TAX DOLLARS THERE. UH, IN ADDITION, PROSPEROUS IS SEEKING ANOTHER $370,000 IN A FORGIVABLE LOAN FROM THE WEST SIDE, T I R Z. YOU KNOW, THIS GETS CLOSE TO A MILLION BUCKS HERE. UH, AND WHERE IS IT? OH, WE'RE AT 5 0 2 NORTH ZOR ZAMORA. OKAY. WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE FOR, OKAY, THANK YOU. I'LL JUST BRING THE, TURN THE CAMERA THERE. YOU KNOW, A MILLION BUCKS IN A FOR, FOR A FORGIVABLE LOAN. DON'T, DON'T YOU WISH THAT YOU AND I COULD GET A FORGIVABLE LOAN FROM OUR CITY COUNCIL HERE. HUH? A FORGIVABLE LOAN. YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAY, IF THIS THING IS SO DARN GOOD, IF IT'S GONNA BE SO PROFITABLE, WHY DID THERE WERE, THERE ARE SO MANY UN SO UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO REHABILITATE IT ALL THESE FOR 15 YEARS. NOW YOU SAY THAT YOU THINK THIS THING IS REALLY GONNA SUCCEED HERE. WELL, UH, EXCUSE ME. AN UNFORGIVABLE LOAN. WELL, WHY IS A LOAN HAVE TO BE UNFORGIVABLE? HUH? WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY NOT MAKE 'EM PAY? PAY IT OFF LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO. BETTER YET, WHY NOT LET 'EM DO IT ON THEIR OWN DIME INSTEAD OF OUR DIME? HUH, MS. CASTILLO? I MEAN, AFTER ALL, THIS IS IN YOUR DISTRICT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I PULLED THIS ITEM 'CAUSE UH, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES HAS SOME QUESTIONS ON IT, BUT I WANNA BE SURE THAT I EMPHASIZE THAT. OFTENTIMES WHEN THE CITY DOES, UH, DO DEVELOPMENTS AND INCENTIVE DEALS OF THESE TYPES, IT'S ALWAYS A QUESTION OF NECESSITY. BUT AS WE'VE SEEN FROM THE SITE PHOTOS AND TIMELINE, IT WILL SPUR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF A LONG TIME [01:25:02] LIGHTED, BUT GORGEOUS BUILDING IN THE HEART OF THE WEST SIDE. THE PROJECT WILL ULTIMATELY RESULT IN $3.7 MILLION OF INVESTMENT AND WILL DRAW OTHER BUSINESSES AND INVESTMENT INTO THE SURROUNDING AREA. ONCE BUILT AN INFLUX OF SILLA FROGS, TENANTS WILL PRIORITIZE AND PATRONIZE THE GREAT BUSINESSES WITHIN DISTRICT FIVE AND THE GREAT RESTAURANTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE THE FLAT TUMMY RESTAURANT AND LOS ANGELES TORIA. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE NEW SILLA FROGS WILL REPRESENT A LARGE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR PROSPECT HILL GARDENDALE AND THE WEST END HOPE IN ACTION NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS WHO HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THIS REVIVAL FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES. WE KNOW THAT THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT HAS SUCH AN IMPACT ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOME OF THE PROJECT'S, BUS BIGGEST ADVOCATES LIKE CARLOS, UH, GONZALEZ AND JASON MATA ARE EXCITED THAT THIS INVESTMENT WILL PROVIDE RESIDENTS WITH AN ADDITIONAL SENSE OF SECURITY. A BIG THANKS TO JASON AND CARLOS AND ALL THE RESIDENTS WHO PROVIDED INPUT ALONG THIS PROCESS. UM, THIS ITEM BECA CAME BEFORE THE WEST SIDE TOURS IN JUNE, JUST BEFORE I JOINED COUNCIL. AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, WORK WITH, UH, IAN AND EDGAR AND, UH, RAMIRO TO NEGOTIATE AND SECURE SOME COMMUNITY BENEFITS FOR DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS. IN ADDITION TO WHAT WAS LISTED IN THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE CONTRACT, I'M PROUD TO SHARE THAT DISTRICT FIVE WORK TO SECURE ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY VEN BENEFITS SUCH AS REDUCED RENTAL RATES AT PRISCILLA FROCKS FOR AREA MICRO BUSINESSES, THE USE OF A PRISCILLA FROGS AS A MEETING SPACE FOR NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS AT NO CHARGE TO THEM, THE USE OF LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES. PROSPER WEST ALSO AGREED THAT THE BUDDING PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD BE AMONG THE FIRST ITEMS TO BE ADDRESSED. THERE WERE SOME OTHER TECHNICAL CONTRACTUAL TIDBITS THAT OUR OFFICE ADVOCATED FOR, BUT I WON'T BORE Y'ALL WITH THOSE DETAILS. UM, THIS IS A GREAT DEAL THAT WILL COME INTO FRUITION FOR DISTRICT FIVE AND PROSPER WEST. I ALSO WANT TO EXTEND MY GRATITUDE AGAIN TO IAN AND EDGAR WITH N H S D, AS WELL AS THE, UH, CITY ATTORNEYS WHO PROVIDED INPUT ALONG THIS PROCESS. UH, THEY ENSURED, UM, THAT OUR OFFICE REQUESTS WERE RECEIVED, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR PROSPER WEST AND RAMIRO FOR, UM, BEING AMENDABLE TO OUR REQUEST. UM, YOU HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS ROOTING FOR THIS PROJECT IN THE WEST SIDE, AND WE'RE READY TO SEE IT COME INTO FRUITION. UH, AND WITH THAT, I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM 29. SECOND, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 29. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN FOR PULLING THE ITEM FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I, I WANNA CONGRATULATE, UH, DISTRICT FIVE AND OUR WHOLE CITY ON THIS MILESTONE. I THINK IT'S, IT'S TREMENDOUS THAT WE'RE HERE. UH, RAMIRO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. I KNOW YOU'VE HAD THIS, UH, IN MIND AND IN YOUR VISION FOR, FOR A WHILE NOW, FOR PROSPER WEST AND FORMERLY THE WEST SIDE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. AND I THINK IT'S OUTSTANDING, UH, THE WAY THE D FIVE STAFF HAS SHEPHERDED THIS PROJECT AND MANAGED TO ACHIEVE SO MANY COMMUNITY BENEFITS, UH, FOR IT. UH, I OFTEN PASS BY THIS BUILDING WHEN I DON'T TAKE THE FREEWAY HOME AND I TAKE WEST MARTIN. UH, SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL TO, TO SEE IT RESTORED. AND IF YOU KEEP GOING DOWN WEST MARTIN AND YOU HIT WILSON, YOU WILL HIT THE PANCO BAKERY, AND THAT IS A GREAT PLACE TO STOP ON THE, ON THE WAY HOME. UM, SO, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF OF QUESTIONS. UH, I KNOW MY TEAM SPOKE WITH, I BELIEVE IT WAS YOU, UH, IAN, UM, ABOUT HOW, UM, THIS PROJECT HAD ASSESSED, UH, THE APPLICABILITY OF, OF A PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN SAN ANTONIO CALLED THE PROPERTY ASSESS CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAM. UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS BEING CONSIDERED BY THE APPLICANT, UH, BUT THAT ITS APPLICABILITY WASN'T NECESSARILY VETTED PRIOR TO THE FORM FORMALIZATION OF TODAY'S AGREEMENT. IS THAT CORRECT? GOOD MORNING. COUNCILWOMAN IAN BENAVIDEZ, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AT NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES. UM, THAT'S CORRECT. SO, UM, THE DEVELOPER IN PROSPER WEST HAVE LOOKED INTO PACE FUNDING, UM, WHICH YOU'VE REFERENCED. UM, THEY'RE STILL IN THE DESIGN PHASE, SO THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT COMPONENTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE REHABILITATION AND HOW THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ALIGN WITH ELIGIBILITY FOR THAT PACE FUNDING. UM, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON THAT, I'D, I'D BE HAPPY TO BRING UP, UM, PROSPER WEST AND THEIR DEVELOPER. I, I GUESS WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW IS, ARE THERE, UM, YOU KNOW, I TRUST RAMIRO THAT HE'LL GO THROUGH, UH, WITH THIS, BUT WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW IS, ARE THERE ANY GUARANTEES THAT IF IT'S NOT PROSPER WEST, BUT SOMEONE ELSE IN THE FUTURE THAT IS RECEIVING CITY INCENTIVES TO DO A REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT, ANY GUARANTEE THAT THEY ACTUALLY WILL FOLLOW THROUGH ON ENSURING, UM, YOU KNOW, DOING, DOING THEIR PART TO ENSURE THAT THEY CHECK THAT THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR IT AND [01:30:01] IF THEY ARE, GO THROUGH THOSE STEPS? ABSOLUTELY. AND, AND WE CAN DO THAT, UM, FROM STAT STAFF. IS THAT PART OF THE CONTRACT PERSPECTIVE? IT'S NOT PART OF THIS CONTRACT. LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT WAS INCLUDED IN THIS CONTRACT. UM, WE DO KNOW THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT PACE FUNDING, BUT THEY'RE NOT CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED. AND I THINK THAT HAS TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FUNDING AND THEY WON'T KNOW THAT UNTIL THE FULL DESIGN IS DONE. SURE. BUT GOING, OH, SORRY. BUT, BUT WE COULD, UM, THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED TO USE IT, BUT THEY COULD BE CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED TO EVALUATE ITS APPLICABILITY, RIGHT? THEY COULD BE YES, THAT'S CORRECT. AND IF APPLICABLE TO DO WHAT THEY CAN TO PURSUE IT. THAT'S CORRECT. BUT THAT IS NOT IN TODAY'S CONTRACT. THAT'S NOT IN TODAY'S CONTRACT. UM, BUT THAT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT I CAN TALK WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO INCLUDE. DO YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? SURE. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UM, AND, UM, PARDON ME, UH, I'M GONNA DEFER TO, UH, RENEE GARCIA, WHO'S OUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNER, UH, PRINCIPAL WITH RAMON GROUP. THANK YOU MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE SIO COUNCIL. WE, WE AS A DEVELOPER ARE, UM, UNIQUE IN THAT THESE ARE REALLY THE PROJECTS THAT WE FOUNDED OUR BUSINESS ON. UH, WE'RE NOT A TRADITIONAL DEVELOPER THAT DOES BIG BOX DEVELOPMENTS. WE LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS. AND I CAN TELL YOU JUST FROM AN ECONOMICS, FROM A DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. UH, WE'VE BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE PACE PROGRAM. WE HAVEN'T DONE IT YET, BUT, UH, WE'VE MET WITH, UH, VERONICA GARCIA AND ERICA RAGSDALE, AND THEY'VE INTRODUCED THE PROGRAM TO US. AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WE'RE GONNA BE EX EXPLORING EVERY OPTION THAT WE CAN TO MAKE THIS PROJECT SUCCESSFUL. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, I, I'LL JUST CLOSE OUT WITH A, A FEW COMMENTS. NO, THANK YOU. I YOU KNEW WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK, SO , THANKS. UM, SO I JUST, UH, WANTED TO MAKE THE POINT THAT WE ADOPTED THIS PROGRAM AS A COUNCIL ON MARCH 5TH, 2020, AND IT IS, UH, ONE OF THE FEW PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE MANAGED TO IMPLEMENT SINCE THE ADOPTION OF OUR CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN. UH, IT MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR ENERGY UPGRADES TO RECEIVE THEIR OWN LINE OF CREDIT THAT WOULD BE PAID BACK THROUGH THE BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT ITSELF. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE AS A CITY WOULD NEED TO INVEST LESS AND THEN WE COULD USE THAT MONEY FOR OTHER PROJECTS THAT MAY BE, UH, IN THE PIPELINE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I, I BROUGHT THIS UP ALSO IN 2021 WHEN COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ WAS BRINGING FORWARD THE LONE STAR, UH, REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AND HAD ASKED THE SAME QUESTION, WAS PACE CONSIDERED? UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A YEAR AFTER ITS ADOPTION. UH, WE GOT A, A SIMILAR ANSWER AT AT THAT TIME. UM, OF COURSE THAT PROJECT HAS GONE IN ANOTHER, UH, DIRECTION SINCE THEN. SO, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S GREAT THAT WE ADOPTED IT, BUT IT WORKS BEST WHEN WE USE IT. UM, SO AGAIN, FOR THE REASON FOR THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE MADE IN OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE USING TURS MONEY, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING WE WANT WITH TURS MONEY. UM, BUT NONETHELESS, IT'S STILL TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND I THINK WE WANNA BE AS CAREFUL AS POSSIBLE WHEN WE AWARD THOSE DOLLARS, UH, WHETHER IT'S A FORGIVABLE OR AS JACK HAS SAID, AN UNFORGIVABLE LOAN THAT WE, UM, THAT WE MAKE SURE THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS THERE AS WELL. SO I, I GUESS WHAT I'D LIKE TO, UH, ASK STAFF TO CONSIDER GOING FORWARD IS HOW DO WE INSTITUTIONALIZE THAT INTO OUR PROJECT? 'CAUSE I WILL NOT ALWAYS BE ON COUNCIL TO BRING UP THIS QUESTION. YES, COUNCILWOMAN, THAT'S A GREAT POINT. UM, AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE WORKING WITH COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA AND HER COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON UPDATING OUR, OUR TIF POLICY. BUT I THINK THE ANSWER IS GENERALLY WHENEVER, UM, THE CITY IS MAKING AN AWARD THROUGH THOSE POLICIES THAT ESTABLISH THOSE FUNDING AWARDS, THAT WE STIPULATE, UM, THAT THEY EVALUATE THOSE POSSIBLE FUNDING SOURCES. SO WHAT I CAN SAY RIGHT NOW IS THAT AS WE EVALUATE OUR TIF POLICY GOING FORWARD, WHICH IS THE POLICY THAT STAFF UTILIZES ON MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROJECTS THAT WE INCLUDE, UM, SOME OF THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED, WHICH IS TO EVALUATE UPFRONT WHETHER OR NOT PACE FUNDING WILL BE USABLE AND TO, TO INCLUDE THAT IN CONTRACTS GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. THAT'S GREAT. UNTIL THEN, I WILL CONTINUE TO BRING THIS UP. . OKAY. CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO, UM, COMMUNICATE MY SUPPORT FOR THIS. I WANNA THANK, UH, WEST PROSPER FOR ALL THE HARD WORK FOR COUNCILMAN COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, FOR I KNOW PROBABLY GETTING EVERYTHING SHE COULD TO NEGOTIATE OUT OF THIS. THE DILEMMA WE SEE ON THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, OF COURSE, IS GETTING PEOPLE TO COME TO INVEST, TO BELIEVE. AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT HERE. UM, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO USE [01:35:01] WHATEVER PROGRAMS ARE OUT THERE, BUT I'M THANKFUL THAT YOU'RE HERE AND YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THE STEPS THAT MAKE IT AFFORDABLE FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO STAY IN AND, UM, AND BE PART OF THIS PROJECT. AND I JUST WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT OUR WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE REPRESENTED, UH, AND THAT THEY HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO, THIS IS A, AN INCREDIBLE PART OF THE CITY. THIS IS A CITY PROJECT, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VIRON, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 29. HEARING. NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, THAT IS THE BALANCE OF OUR MORNING AGENDA. WE DO HAVE A 2:00 PM ZONING AGENDA BEFORE WE DO BREAK INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION THOUGH. ERIC, UH, DO YOU [City Manager's Report  ] HAVE A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT? I DO. MAYOR, JUST A QUICK VIDEO EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO. OUR EMPLOYEE VIDEO TODAY IS ON OUR 3 0 1 CUSTOMER SERVICE, UH, DEPARTMENT. AND, UM, WHICH, UH, UH, MARCH IS CUSTOMER SERVICE MONTH. AND, UH, WE RECEIVED A LITTLE OVER 900,000 PHONE CALLS, UH, TO OUR THREE OH ONE SYSTEM LAST YEAR. UH, WE EXCEED A MILLION INTERACTIONS A YEAR WHEN YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OUR MOBILE APP AND OUR WEBSITE. UM, AND IT'S AN EXCELLENT REMINDER, AND, AND I'LL TELL YOU IF YOU, IF YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO VISIT THE THREE ONE ONE CALL CENTER, UM, THEY ARE AN ENTHUSIASTIC, UM, GROUP OF EMPLOYEES THAT, UH, KNOW, UM, EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS CITY BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT A, THEY'VE GOT A, UH, IT'S THEIR JOB AND, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC. I'M, I'M THANKFUL THAT WE'VE GOT A GREAT WORKFORCE DOWN THERE. SO LET'S ROLL THE VIDEO. THANK YOU FOR CALLING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO 3 1 1. THIS IS 3 1 1 DAY IS MARCH THE 11TH. IT'S REMINDING CITIZENS THAT 3 1 1 IS HERE. WE'RE ALWAYS, UH, HERE TO HELP AND GUIDING THEM IF THEY HAVE ANY ISSUES, GIVING THEM INFORMATION FOR DIFFERENT CITY PROGRAMS, SERVICES. AND THIS IS A TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHAT I'D LIKE IS HELPING CITIZENS, I MEAN, GUIDING THEM, HELPING THEM RESOLVE THEIR ISSUES. I REALLY APPRECIATE WHEN SOMEONE THANKS ME AND IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD THAT I WAS ABLE TO HELP SOMEONE WHEN THEY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THEY KNEW WHERE TO GO. SEE IF YOU'RE ON SCENE, YOU'RE EXPERIENCING SOMETHING, YOU DON'T WANNA CALL, WE HAVE AN APP, JUST 3 1 1 SA AND YOU'RE, I MEAN, IT'S AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND YOU'RE ABLE TO TAKE PICTURES AND TAKE AND SUBMIT THOSE REPORTS RIGHT AWAY. LABOR ROAD, THEY ARE OPEN TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM UH, 3 1 1 IS HERE TO HELP THEM WITH ANY CITY RELATED ISSUES OR ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED. YOU'RE WELCOME TO CALL US HERE AT THREE ONE ONE. WE'RE ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL. THAT'S IT, MARY. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANKS ERIC. ALRIGHT, THE TIME IS NOW 10:59 AM ON THE 17TH DAY OF MARCH, 2022. PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 5 5 1, THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE AND THE CITY, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL NOW MEET AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND DELIBERATE TO DISCUSS THE ITEMS POSTED ON THE MARCH 16TH B SESSION AGENDA, BUT NOT REACHED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS PURSUANT SEC TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.087, THE PURCHASE EXCHANGE LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.072 IN CONSULTATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ISSUES OR ADVICE RELATED TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LITIGATION INVOLVING THE CITY AND C OVID 19 PREPAREDNESS UNDER SECTION 5 5 1 0.071. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. [2:00 P.M. (Time Certain) Public Hearing and Consideration of the following Adoption and Amendments of the Neighborhood, Community and Perimeter Plans as Components of the Master Plan and Zoning Cases. Plan amendments and Zoning cases presented by Roderick Sanchez, Assistant City Manager; Michael Shannon, Director, Development Services.  ] THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. THE TIME IS 2:09 PM ON THE 17TH DAY OF MARCH, 2022. UH, CITY COUNCIL HAS RECONVENED FROM ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION. NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN. WE WILL NOW BEGIN OUR 2:00 PM ZONING AGENDA. UH, AND MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAB BERDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PALIS. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. HERE. MAYOR NIERENBERG. HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. WE HAVE A FULL AGENDA TODAY. WE HAVE A FEW ITEMS LISTED FOR [01:40:01] INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. ITEM 40, ITEM 42, 43, 44, 45, AND 46. I DO HAVE A COUPLE ITEMS, 38 AND 39 THAT WILL BE CONTINUED AND I'LL CALL FOR THOSE IN JUST A SECOND. OTHER THAN THOSE ITEMS, ARE THERE ANY TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT ZONING AGENDA? ALRIGHT, IF THERE ARE NONE, LET ME ENTERTAIN A MOTION FIRST ON ITEMS 38 AND 39, WHICH WILL BE, UH, CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE. SO MOVE SECOND. ALL RIGHT. CAN WE GET A, A, UH, DATE CERTAIN, THE 21ST MOTION TO THE 21ST, CONTINUATION TO THE 21ST ON ITEMS 38 AND 39. OKAY. UH, CONCUR WITH THE SECOND. ALL RIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION ON THE CONTINUANCE OF ITEMS 38 AND 39 TO APRIL 21ST? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, LET ME NOW TAKE UP A MOTION ON THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT ZONING AGENDA, AND I'LL JUST READ THE ITEMS THAT ARE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S 37 41, 47, 48, 49 50, AND 51 MAYOR AND 35. EXCUSE ME. DOES THAT, YES. ALL RIGHT. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THAT. I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THERE'S A MOTION, A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT ZONING AGENDA ITEMS 35, 37, 41, 47, 48, 49 50, AND 51. ANY DISCUSSION? LET ME JUST CHECK TO MAKE SURE I CALL FOLKS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP ON ITEMS THAT ARE GONNA REMAIN ON CONSENT. ALL RIGHT, LET ME CALL NOW. CAROLYN MCDONALD ON ITEM 41, CAROL. OKAY, YOU'RE PASSING. UH, AND IF YOU JUST WANNA SIGNAL ME, UH, SINCE THESE ITEMS ARE GONNA BE VOTED ON, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S STAYING ON CONSENT. JUST SIGNAL ME IF YOU WANNA WAIVE YOUR TIME. CYNTHIA SPIELMAN ON ITEM 41. I HAVE YOU ON BOTH. NOT ON 41 THOUGH, CYNTHIA. OKAY. JACK FINGER ON ITEMS 42 AND 43. OH, I'M SORRY, JACK. SORRY, WAIT A MINUTE. THEY'RE ALREADY, THEY'RE GONNA BE INDIVIDUALLY HEARD. 47. JUST 47. THAT'S RIGHT. 47. GO AHEAD. WELL, MAYOR BERG, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER ON ONE ITEM I DO WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT I WISH YOU WOULD RECONSIDER. ITEM NUMBER 47, UH, MS. BERDA, THIS IS IN, UH, YOUR, YOUR AREA THERE. YEAH, OVER ON, UH, ROGERS ROAD, THERE IS, UH, AN ATTEMPT TO, UH, PLACE 370 LIVING UNITS, 370 UNITS IN ONE LITTLE PIECE THERE. YEAH. AND, UH, UH, THIS IS, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'D WANT TO, IN MY VERNACULAR, WANT TO SHOEHORN THESE THINGS IN THERE, BUT MS. HDA, BUT, UH, LEAST ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD IDEA AND THAT WAS THE MOUNTAIN VIEW ACRES NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION. THEY OPPOSED THAT THERE. MS. HDA, UH, YOU HAD AS MANY AS 14 PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE 200 FOOT, UH, RADIUS SAYING, PLEASE DO NOT PLACE SUCH AN INTENSE COMPLEX IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. YES, THEY, THEY DID 14 OF 'EM. THERE'S, UH, TWO, TWO PEOPLE ACTUALLY SPOKE UP AT A HEARING ON THERE AND THAT WHEN ANYTIME WE'RE GETTING MORE, MORE THAN ONE . THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THERE. SO I WOULD, UH, ASK YOU MA'AM TO, UM, PLACE ITEM NUMBER 47 ON THE, YOUR, YOUR POOL TO UH, GROUP THERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. FINGER. ALRIGHT, THAT'S EVERYONE WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS THAT REMAIN ON CONSENT. SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCED CONSENT AGENDA. IS THERE ANY COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON THE [01:45:01] CONSENT AGENDA? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL MOVE NOW TO THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. WE'LL START WITH ITEM 40. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 40 IS A REZONING FROM R FIVE TO R FIVE CD WITH A CONDITIONAL USE FOR TWO DWELLING UNITS LOCATED AT 48 0 3. JOHN VICTOR DRIVE, STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL ZONING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. 17. NOTICES MAILED 10 IN FAVOR, ZERO OPPOSED. WE HAVE TWO CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 40, SO LET ME CALL THEM IN ORDER. JACK FINGER, MR. FINGER, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY JUAN SCOTT, MAYOR BERG, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. ONCE AGAIN, MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER, UH, IN DISTRICT TWO. THIS IS WHERE THIS IS. FOLLOW ME, MR. JALEN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. YES, SIR. THE, UH, THE REASON WHY I'M BRINGING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION IS BECAUSE THE ZONING STAFF THOUGHT IT DESERVED A RED FLAG. YOU KNOW, THEY, UH, THEY PULLED IT BECAUSE, UH, THEY THOUGHT IN THEIR WORDS IT WAS THIS ATTEMPT TO HAVE A, UH, WELL PLACE TWO DWELLING UNITS AND JUST ONE LITTLE PIECE OF PROPERTY IS NOT CONSISTENT, SIR, WITH THE, UH, THE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES, THE SURROUNDING THAT AREA. THE IDEA IS TO, UM, TRY AND MAKE IT A MORE LIVABLE AREA WITHOUT ALL THE EXTRA INTENSITY. SO CONSEQUENTLY, SIR, I APPRECIATE IF YOU WOULD JUST SAY, SAY NO TO THIS ONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. JUAN SCOTT. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR. UH, MY NAME IS JO JUAN SCOTT. I WORK WITH THE DILL ARCHITECT GROUP. I'LL SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF RODNEY TAYLOR, THE PROPERTY OWNER. UM, HE HAVE A LETTER, HE HAS A LETTER THAT HE SENT IN. HE WANTS ME TO REACH TO YOU GUYS TO KIND OF SPEAK TO THE REASON WHY HE WANTS THIS PROJECT, UH, VOTED ON. SO, MR. TAYLOR IS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER RAISED ON THE EAST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO FOR OVER 30 YEARS. HE'S OPERATED HIS COMPANY AND REFURBISHING DILAPIDATED PROPERTIES AND BUILDING NEW BUILDINGS, UM, TO BRING LIFE INTO THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. AND HIS WHOLE FOCUS IS TO PROVIDE SAFE AND, UM, LIVING OPTIONS FOR FAMILIES WITH LIMITED MEANS. UH, THE MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS LOCATED ON A CORNER OF SAPPHIRE IN EAST HOUSTON IS THE SAME. IT'S, IT'S THE SAME AS THE, UH, THE, THE ZONING, UM, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE REQUESTING TODAY. IT'S A SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE THAT WAS, UH, TORN DOWN AND THAT LOT WAS SUBDIVIDED FOR TWO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. UH, THE FIRST HOME WOULD BE, UH, TWO BEDROOM, ONE BATH OR HOUSE, WHICH IS I THINK 640 SQUARE FEET. AND THEN THE SECOND HOUSE WOULD BE A TWO BEDROOM, TWO BATH AT, UH, 780. SO THESE ARE, UH, SMALL HOMES, SO THEY DO FIT WITHIN THE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, HOUSING. BUT, UH, AS FAR AS, UH, HIS RESPONSE, HE SAYS HE WAS ASKING THAT THE, UH, STAFF GIVE, UH, SPECIFIC, UM, GIMME ONE SECOND. HE'S ASKING THAT THE STAFF, UH, STAFF GIVE SPECIFIC, UH, POSE QUESTIONS FOR HIS DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE IT'S INTENDED TO, UH, BE AT BELOW MARKET RATE. THE, UM, HIS IMMEDIATE MARKET RATE IS 80% OF MEDIAN INCOME OR BELOW. BECAUSE THIS COMPANY IS SMALL, HE HAS A SMALL, UH, I GUESS, ADVERTISING BUDGET. AND SO HIS MARKETING IS VERY MINIMUM. MOST OF HIS CLIENTS ARE, ARE, UM, WORD OF MOUTH OR, UM, PEOPLE WHO ARE RECOMMENDED TO HIM AS FAR AS FOR PROVIDING HOUSING. THE PROPERTY IS, UH, LOCATED NEAR SAM HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL. AND SO HE WAS OFFERING, UM, RENTAL, UH, OPTIONS FOR STAFF AT SAM HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL OR, OR DAVIS MIDDLE SCHOOL. AND, UM, GIMME ONE SECOND. THE, UH, THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTS THE, UH, CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THIS AREA. HE'S, UH, PROVIDED ADDITIONAL, UM, LETTERS, UH, TO PROVIDE THAT, THAT THEY'RE IN FAVOR FOR TO GET REZONING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SCOTT. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU. UM, SO MY OFFICE HAS WORKED WITH THE APPLICANT TO IRON OUT A FEW DETAILS ON THIS PROJECT. UM, AND THANK YOU MR. JUWAN SCOTT FOR BEING HERE. UM, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS YOU HAD SOME COMMITMENTS TO READ INTO THE RECORD, WAS THAT THE DOCUMENT? UM, COULD GET A COPY OF THAT TO PUT INTO THE RECORD. WITH THAT BEING ADDED TO THE RECORD, UM, I MOVE TO APPROVE, UM, AND I APPRECIATE, UH, MR. TAYLOR'S, [01:50:01] UH, COMMITMENT TO AFFORDABILITY. ALL RIGHT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 40, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM 42. ITEM 42, REZONING FROM C TWO TO C TWO NA. C D WITH CONDITIONAL USE FOR WRECKER SERVICE WITH OUTSIDE STORAGE, SALES AND AUCTION. LOCATED AT 28 0 6 RISBY RIGSBY AVENUE. STAFF AND ZONING COMMISSION RECOMMEND APPROVAL WITH CONDITIONS NO FREESTANDING POLE, L E D OR TEMPORARY SIGNAGE, DOWNWARD FACING LIGHTING ONLY. NO OUTDOOR AMPLIFIED SOUND OR SPEAKERS PERMITTED ALL BUILDINGS SHALL NOT EXCEED 40 FEET IN HEIGHT. SIX FOOT SOLID SCREEN FENCING ON ALL SIDES, 40 FEET BUFFER ON SIDES. ABUTTING RESIDENTIAL ZONED ADJACENT PROPERTIES. 18 NOTICES MAILED TO IN FAVOR TO OPPOSED EASTERN TRIANGLE IS OPPOSED. THE APPLICANT HAS SUBMITTED DOCUMENTS TO REVISE THE ACREAGE FROM 5.1 ACRES TO 2 2 4 0.2 ACRES. ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 42. JACK FINGER, MAYOR NURNBERG, UH, THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER. THE, UM, THIS ITEM FALLS INTO MS. VILLA GRANDE'S, UH, AREA AS I RECALL, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. THE, UH, DISTRICT THREE. AND, UH, CONSEQUENTLY, THE REASON WHY THIS ONE IS A BAD IDEA IS THAT, UH, WELL YOU HAD AS MANY AS 18 NOTICES WENT OUT AROUND THE 200 FOOT AREA AND YOU HAD, UH, TWO PEOPLE ARE ABOUT, UH, ONE IN 10 SAY THIS. NO, WE DO NOT WANT WHAT THIS THING, WHAT IS IT? IT'S A RECORD SERVICE. RECORD SERVICE AND, UM, IT, IT BUTTS RIGHT UP AGAINST A, UH, THE, UH, UH, SOME RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENCES, SINGLE FAMILY. SO, YES, I THINK, UH, MAYBE WE WANNA SAY NO TO THIS ONE AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU. I WANNA THANK THE APPLICANT FOR WORKING WITH OUR OFFICE ON THIS SET OF CONDITIONS THAT IS BEING RECOMMENDED BY CITY STAFF AND THE ZONING COMMISSION. THE APPLICANT ALSO AMENDED THEIR ACREAGE THAT FURTHER REDUCES THEIR FOOTPRINT BY ALMOST ANOTHER ACRE. RIGSBY AVENUE IS A MAJOR COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE AND IS, AND THIS ZONING CHANGE TODAY RESTRICTS ANY ALCOHOL CELLS AND MAINTAINS THE BASE COMMERCIAL ZONING DESIGNATION SO THAT THIS BUSINESS CAN RELOCATE AND MAKE USE OF THE CURRENTLY VACANT UNDERUTILIZED LARGE LOT. THE 40 FOOT BUFFER CONDITION ALSO PROVIDES SOME ADDITIONAL SPACE FROM THE RESIDENTIAL ZONE PROPERTIES THAT ABUT THIS PROPERTY ON THE SOUTHERN END OF THE SITE. SO AT THIS TIME, I WILL GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE FOLLOWING MOTION, MOTION TO APPROVE AS AMENDED WITH THE CONDITIONS AS STATED. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 42 WITH AMENDMENTS AS NOTED IN THE RECORD. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 43, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 43 IS A REZONING FROM C ONE TO C TWO CD WITH THE CONDITIONAL USE FOR BAR TAVERN LOCATED AT 1804 WEST MARTIN STREET. STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL ZONING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL WITH CONDITIONS DOWNWARD FACING LIGHTING, NO TEMPORARY SIGNS, PENANCE, BANDIT OR SNIP SIGNAGE. 35 NOTICES MAILED ZERO IN FAVOR, ZERO OPPOSED. GARDENDALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS OPPOSED PER PROSPECT HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS IN FAVOR AND PROSPECT HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ALSO PROVIDED A MAP PETITION WITH 15 SIGNATURES IN SUPPORT. ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE A FEW CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 43, SO I WILL CALL THEM IN ORDER. WE'LL START WITH JACK FINGER. MR. FINGER, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY NATASHA RIFFLE. MAYOR NURNBERG, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, ONCE AGAIN, MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER, THIS ITEM NUMBER 43 FALLS IN DISTRICT [01:55:01] FIVE. MS. CASTILE. IN FACT, UH, THIS ONE AND A FEW OTHERS ARE IN YOUR AREA AS WELL. UM, YOU HAVE THE LIONS SHARE OF 'EM TODAY. APPARENTLY THE, UH, YOU REPRESENT FOR THE MOST PART THE NEAR WEST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, AND SADLY, IT'S, IT'S NOT HAD THE VERY BEST REPUTATIONS OVER GENERATIONS. BUT THE IDEA IS TO TRY AND MAKE THE WEST SIDE A MORE LIVABLE, MORE PLEASANT PLACE TO LIVE FOR, FOR ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO AT LEAST LOOK AT, UH, AT AS A PLACE TO LIVE. UH, THE IDEA IS THAT DOES THE WEST SIDE REALLY NEED ANOTHER BAR ON THE, ON ANOTHER CORNER OF, OF THE, OF THE STREET THERE? I, I DON'T THINK SO IN THAT FACT. THE, UH, THAT'S WHY THE, THE ZONING STAFF THOUGHT, UH, THAT THIS WAS A, UH, A BAD IDEA IS WHY THEY, THEY RECOMMENDED DENIAL FOR IT. WHY? WELL, THEY SAY BASICALLY THEY LOOKED AT THE, UH, THE SURROUNDING AREA AND THEY SAID IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE GIVEN ITS PROXIMITY TO SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES. THAT'S RIGHT, RIGHT THERE. UM, WHAT, WHO, WHAT ELSE? WELL, YOU, I THINK IT WAS THE, THE GARDENDALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION OPPOSED IT AS WELL. UH, THEY, THEY SAW THIS AND THOUGHT IT WAS ALSO A BAD IDEA. SO, UH, WHY NOT, UH, SIMPLY SAY NO TO ANOTHER BAR OR TAVERN ON THE WEST SIDE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. NATASHA RIFFLE. MS. RLE, YOU BE FOLLOWED BY VERONICA RIFFLE. UH, ARE Y'ALL SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TOGETHER? YES. OKAY. GO, COME ON UP AND YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES. IS THERE SOMEONE ELSE JOINING YOU? JUST US THREE PARTNERS, AND THEN WE HAVE A COUPLE CITIZENS. AND WHAT'S YOUR NAME, MA'AM? VERONICA RIFFLE. AND I'M NATASHA RIFFLE. NATASHA. MELANIE MARTINEZ. MELANIE ARE OKAY. YOU'RE ALL SPEAKING TOGETHER? YES. YES. OKAY. YOU'LL HAVE NINE MINUTES. YES, SIR. UM, GOOD MORNING. UH, OUR GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCILMEN AND WOMEN. UM, WE, WE DID OUR, WE UM, BOUGHT THAT PROPERTY ON 1804 ON WEST MARTIN. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S ON THE WEST SIDE. UM, FIRST OF ALL, WE COME FROM THE WEST SIDE. WE, UM, WERE, WE WERE RAISED AND GREW UP THERE ON THE WEST SIDE, SO WE UNDERSTAND THE DEMOGRAPHICS. WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, OPENING A, A BEER TAVERN THERE, UM, A BEER GARDEN THAT WE'D LIKE TO OPEN. UM, IT'S NOT JUST A BEER GARDEN, BUT IT'S ALSO, UM, WE DO A LOT OF COMMUNITY EVENTS THERE. WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF COMMUNITY EVENTS SINCE WE'VE BEEN IN THE PANDEMIC. WE HAVE 37 YEARS OF COMBINED INDUSTRY AND MANAGEMENT IN THIS INDUSTRY. SO IT'S NOT LIKE SOMETHING THAT WE JUST WENT ON A WHIM FOR. WE HAVE A LOT OF, UM, EXPERIENCE AND IN DOING THAT DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE HAVE, UM, THE GIRLS HAVE DONE A LOT OF POPUPS, WHICH WE WORKED WITH THE FOOD BANK AND, UM, WE WORKED WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND WE WORKED WITH A LOT OF, UM, JUST, UM, A LOT OF, A LOT OF, UM, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HELP OUT HERE IN THE CITY. SO WE'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT. SO THAT'S MAINLY ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE LIKE TO OPEN THE BAR. IT'S IN A VERY GOOD PLACE RIGHT THERE IN THE CENTRAL, IN THE AREA. WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THERE AT THE MOMENT. THE CLOSEST THING THAT WE HAVE DOWN THE STREET IS PROBABLY SHARKY'S HAS BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME. WE UNDERSTAND THE AREA. WE DID DO A COMMUNITY WALK ON A SATURDAY AND WE DID SPEAK TO THE NEIGHBORS ONE BY ONE. WE SPENT HALF THE DAY OUT THERE AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET SIGNATURES, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT, SO THAT HELPED A LOT. UM, WE, UM, DID THAT BLOCK WALK. WE GOT THE SIGNATURES, WE SPOKE TO ALL THE BUSINESS OWNERS AND EVERYBODY HAS BEEN IN SUPPORT FOR US. WE, UM, HAVE PROSPECT HILL, UM, HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION WHO, UM, SUPPORTS US. WE ALSO WENT TO THE , WHICH IS, UM, THE WEST END, ALSO HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION MEETING. WE WERE THERE LAST WEEK AND THEY WERE ALL IN SUPPORT IN FAVOR OF US. UM, GARDENDALE. UM, SOME OF THEM OPPOSE, BUT SOME OF THEM WE DO HAVE THEIR SIGNATURES ON, ON EARTH. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO SECURE PARKING THAT'S ACROSS THE STREET. WE, WE WERE DILIGENT ABOUT THAT. WE DID OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND MY NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET HAS A, A VERY BIG, BIG GIANT LOT THAT'S EMPTY. AND, UM, I WAS ABLE TO SECURE A LEASE FOR PARKING FOR THAT ALSO. UM, IT'S NOT A VERY BIG, LIKE A NIGHTCLUB. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A MICRO TAVERN BAR. UM, SOME SCREEN TVS, UM, SOME COMMUNITY EVENTS ON THE WEEKEND. WE LIKE TO HAVE SOME FOOD TRUCKS AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE EAT. AND, UM, WE, UM, WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, SOME SUPPORT. THIS IS, UM, JUST GONNA BE A FEMALE OWNED [02:00:01] BUSINESS. THERE'S NO MAN, IT'S JUST US THREE WHO ARE OPENING IT, AND WE'D REALLY LIKE A CHANCE AT IT. UM, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE IN THE INDUSTRY ALSO. ALL OF US HAVE BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY. THE GIRLS ARE IN THE INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW. BUT RIGHT NOW, AT THE TIME, I AM A POLICE OFFICER. I HAVE BEEN A POLICE OFFICER FOR 17 YEARS AND THAT IS WHAT I DO. THAT IS WHAT I DO ALL DAY. BUT, UM, THIS IS ALSO MY PASSION. IT'S A, IT'S A DIFFERENT WAY OF SERVING PEOPLE. SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GIRLS HAVE ANYTHING REAL QUICK. PRETTY MUCH IT. I THINK THAT'S IT. , REAL QUICK. I THINK ALSO THAT WE DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE TWO CONTINUANCES WITH, UM, SOME OF THE CONDITIONS. WE UNDERSTAND THE CONDITIONS, WE UNDERSTAND THE FLAGS, NO FLAGS, NO BANNERS, UM, THE DOWNWARD, UM, LIGHTING. UM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE GOTTA RESPECT OUR NEIGHBORS. WE HAVE TALKED, WE HAVE SPOKEN TO EVERYBODY. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S AN ELDERLY NEIGHBORHOOD. AND DISTRICT FIVE IS MY DISTRICT. I DO PATROL IN THAT DISTRICT, SO I DO UNDERSTAND THE DEMOGRAPHICS. I THINK THAT'S US BRINGING SOMETHING NICE TO THE, TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS GONNA HELP BRING UP THE WEST SIDE A LITTLE BIT. YOU KNOW, THE CLOSEST PLACE THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO GO TO IS DOWNTOWN WHO WANTS TO GO TO DOWNTOWN AND PAY $25 AT A PARKING GARAGE WHEN THEY CAN JUST COME DOWN THE STREET AND BE ABLE TO WALK. WE ALSO HAVE THE GREENWAY THAT IS COMING UP, UM, COMING UP REAL SOON WITH ALL THE TRAILS AND THE, AND THE, AND THE BIKES. AND THAT'S A PERFECT SPOT FOR THEM TO COME GET BRUNCH. AND WE ARE ALSO GONNA BE SERVING SOME NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS. WE'LL HAVE SOME TOPO CHICO, SOME RE AND SOME COFFEE TO START WITH BRUNCH. SO IT'S NOT JUST, UM, WHAT PEOPLE THINK THAT WE'RE JUST A NEIGHBORHOOD CANTINA. 'CAUSE THAT IS NOT THE, THE, THE IMAGE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. WE LIKE TO BEAUTIFY IT. AND, UM, OF COURSE I'VE, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE SOUND ENGINEER IF WE'RE APPROVED TODAY. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO JUST BE RESPECTFUL TO EVERYBODY. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE GIVEN OUR, I HAVE GIVEN MY PERSONAL CELL NUMBER TO EVERYBODY IN CASE WE HAVE ANY, THEY HAVE ANY CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS, SO THEY DON'T GOTTA BE CALLING YOUR OFFICE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO RUSSELL PHELAN ON ITEM 43. MR. PHELAN, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY BRITTANY MYERS. HOW YOU DOING? RUSSELL FALLON, 24 10 WEST COMMERCE. I'M ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE PROSPECT KILL ASSOCIATION. AND IN THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN WE, WHEN WE HEARD ABOUT THE ZONING CHANGE ON THERE, A COUPLE OF MEMBERS WERE SKEPTICAL ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. SO I MET WITH THEM, THE APPLICANTS, AND THEY BRIEFED ME ON WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO. AND I SUGGESTED IF I COULD TAG ALONG WITH THEM TO WALK THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO GET BETTER FEEL FOR WHAT WAS GOING ON THAT WOULD HELP US TO EITHER SUPPORT OR NOT SUPPORT IT. WALKING WITH THEM FOR THE WHOLE DAY ON A SATURDAY, UH, 99% OF 'EM LIKED IT. UH, IN FACT, THE FATHERS AND SONS WANTED TO GO THERE AND EAT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS IN SUPPORT OF IT. THERE WAS ONE PERSON THAT, UH, DIDN'T WANT TO, UH, SUPPORT IT OR, OR AGREED TO SUPPORT IT. SO, UH, HE SUSTAINED FROM SIGNING. BUT EVERYBODY THAT WE TALKED TO SIGNED, UH, FOR APPROVAL. SO WE DECIDED WE'RE GONNA SUPPORT THIS 'CAUSE IT WAS KIND OF MORE OF A FAMILY THING AND, UH, WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA. THANK YOU, MR. FILON. BRITTANY MYERS, MS. MYERS WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY REBECCA LOPEZ. HELLO EVERYONE. MY NAME IS BRITTANY MYERS AND I AM A LOCAL MUSICIAN AND BUSINESS OWNER. I'VE WORKED WITH THESE LADIES IN MULTIPLE SPACES AND, UM, THEY REALLY KNOW HOW TO PROGRAM APPROPRIATELY FOR THESE SPACES AND NEIGHBORHOODS OUTSIDE OF SUPPORTING ME AS AN ARTIST AND MUSICIAN, I'VE WATCHED HOW MUCH THEY'VE SUPPORTED THEIR COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE IN THEIR AREA. THEIR LOCATION IN THE WEST SIDE IS CONSIDERED A MICRO BAR, WHICH WOULD BE 50 PEOPLE, UM, AS THE CAPACITY OR LESS. AND THIS WILL STEER THEIR FOCUS TO BEING A FAMILY FRIENDLY PLACE WITH THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AGES AT TIMES DURING THE DAY WHEN APPROPRIATE. THEY WANNA PROVIDE A PLACE TO EAT, HAVE BEVERAGES FOR ALL AGES DURING THE DAY. THEY ALSO WANT TO PROVIDE A SAFE SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO HANG OUT AND SOCIALIZE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. THESE WOMEN WERE BORN AND RAISED MILES FROM WHERE THEY'RE WANTING TO START THIS BAR AND THEY KNOW THE CULTURE VERY WELL, MAKING THEM THE PERFECT [02:05:01] CANDIDATES TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND TO BUILD THIS BUSINESS. IT'S AN HONOR FOR ME TO SPEAK ON THEIR BEHALF, AND I HOPE YOU WOULD CONSIDER ALLOWING THESE AMAZING WOMEN TO CARRY OUT THEIR DREAM AND OPENING THEIR OWN PLACE. UM, IF I HAVE MORE TIME, I DO, I WANT TO SPEAK ON ANOTHER PERSON'S BEHALF. ON BEHALF OF CHRISTINA MARTINEZ, SHE IS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER OF VERY, THAT A NINE-YEAR-OLD BUSINESS ROOTED IN THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. AS A WOMAN-LED SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, IT'S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER BEFORE THAT WE JOIN FORCES TO CREATE SAFE, SAFE PLACES THAT ARE BOTH SUPPORTIVE OF CULTURAL SPACES IN THE NAME OF COMMUNITY. I'VE WORKED WITH THESE WOMEN OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS AND HAVE COME TO KNOW THEM AS A VITAL PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. I PUT MY FULL FAITH IN THEIR BUSINESS VENTURE AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR PROJECT. SAN ANTONIO IS EVER GROWING AND I'M PROUD THAT OUR HOMEGROWN WOMEN-LED SPACES ARE PLANTING SEEDS IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY'RE ROOTED IN THE WEST SIDE, WHICH IS OFTEN RELOOKED DESERVES A BUSINESS FOR US TO GATHER, FOR US TO BUILD, AND FOR US TO SUPPORT. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU MS. MYERS. REBECCA LOPEZ, MS. LOPEZ, YOU BE FOLLOWED BY VANESSA MATA. HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. SOME OF YOU KNOW ME AS REBEL MARIOSA. I'M THE OWNER OF LA TANIKA CAFE. IT WAS TEXAS'S FIRST VEGAN BAR WITH A COMMUNITY VENUE AS WELL AND RESTAURANT. AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THESE NEW OWNERS, UH, MELANIE AND NATASHA. UM, AS YOU KNOW, I'M IN THE SAME INDUSTRY AS THEM. UM, I HAVE KNOWN AND WORKED WITH MELANIE AND NATASHA FOR ALMOST A DECADE NOW. AND ALTHOUGH WE MAY LOOK YOUNG, WE ARE NOT NEW TO THE FOOD AND DRINK SERVICE INDUSTRY AND WE ARE NOT NEW TO SAN ANTONIO. WE WERE ALL BORN AND RAISED HERE. I ACTUALLY SPENT A GOOD CHUNK OF MY CHILDHOOD NOT FAR FROM THE SPACE WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT. I WENT TO THE FOIA MIDDLE SCHOOL AND I SWAM AT THE NATATORIUM WHERE I LEARNED TO BECOME A COMPETITIVE SWIMMER. AND I CURRENTLY CONTINUE TO LIVE ON THE WEST SIDE NEAR MARTINEZ CREEK. WE OWN AND, UM, LIVE IN OUR HOME, ME AND MY WIFE. SO WHAT HAPPENS ON THE WEST SIDE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US. MELANIE. TASHA ARE NOT NEW TO THE SERVICE INDUSTRY. THIS IS NOT THEIR FIRST PLACE THAT THEY HAVE MANAGED. THEY ARE SEASONED. THEY ARE, THEY ALSO VALUE THEIR FAMILY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY. IT IS PROVEN THAT SMALL, LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES HELP A, HELP A COMMUNITY AND A NEIGHBORHOOD TO THRIVE. IT PROVIDES SAFE SPACES FOR FOLKS TO GATHER, PROVIDES JOBS SAFETY, AND CAN HELP WITH FUNDRAISING FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS, NONPROFITS, AND SERVE AT OTHER COMMUNITY NEEDS. ANY QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS OR HESITANCY FOR CHANGING? THE ZONING, I'M SURE CAN BE ANSWERED IN EASE WITH THE CONVERSATION WITH MELANIE NATASHA AND NATASHA'S MOTHER. I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THIS OFFERS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I LOOK FORWARD TO LA BOTANICA BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH AND ENJOY THIS NEW SPACE. I ALSO, SINCE I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, WE'LL READ FROM WAYNE HOLTZ, WHO'S HERE PRESENTLY, BUT COULDN'T SIGN UP IN TIME. SO, UM, WAYNE HOLTZ IS AN ARTIST AND A PERFORMER THAT HAS BEEN BORN RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND HAS HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH NATASHA WI RIFFLE FOR OVER A DECADE. HE HAS PERFORMED AND HOSTED EVENTS IN NEARLY EVERY VENUE, BAR GALLERY IN SAN ANTONIO. HE KNOWS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR A SPACE TO HAVE A DEDICATED, INNOVATIVE, AND CARING LEADER LIKE NATASHA. AND HE'S HERE TODAY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IN HER VISION FOR CHIEF LARA. A SPACE THAT WILL NOT JUST BE A BAR, BUT A CULTURAL HUB THAT WILL BRING REVENUE NOT ONLY TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, BUT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS IT RESIDES IN A COMMUNITY DRIVEN BUSINESS THAT IS DEDICATED TO GIVING BACK THROUGH CHARITABLE EVENTS, LOCALLY FOCUSED FUNDRAISERS AND MORE. HE HAS 17 YEARS AS A BARTENDER AND EVENT COORDINATOR UNDER HIS BELT AND MS. RIFFLE WILL NOT BE ANOTHER BUSINESS OWNER, BUT A GAME CHANGER BECAUSE SHE KNOWS HOW IT IS AND HOW SHE WANTS IT TO BE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, REBEL. VANESSA MATA, MS. MATA, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY LIBBY DAY. HI, UM, MY NAME IS VANESSA MATA. I'M A CITIZEN OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE BEHALF OF THE WOMEN IN THE . UM, I MOVED TO SAN ANTONIO ABOUT FIVE YEARS, ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, AND, UM, I WAS EMPLOYED AT LAB BOTANICA DURING THAT TIME. AND, UM, I COLLABORATED WITH BOTH, UM, NATASHA AND MELANIE FOR LOTS OF EVENTS AND WORKING WITH [02:10:01] THEM. UM, IT WAS JUST VERY OBVIOUS THAT THEY HAVE A VERY DEEP LOVE AND CONNECTION WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND WORKING WITH THEM, BEING SOMEBODY FROM THE OUTSIDE, I WAS ABLE TO FEEL, TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT THE CITY AND FEEL VERY WELCOMED BY THEM. UM, WE COLLABORATED ON EVENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, FUNDRAISERS THAT WERE THE, FOR THE ENJOYMENT AND THE BENEFIT. THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO, ALWAYS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON LIKE UPLIFTING WOMEN AND OTHER COMMUNITIES. UM, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THEY HAVE LIKE THEIR FINGER ON THE PULSE OF SAN ANTONIO, OF, YOU KNOW, TRYING FOR THE BETTERMENT, FOR THE GROWTH OF SAN ANTONIO, AS WELL AS LIKE ALWAYS PAYING HOMAGE TO ITS CULTURAL HISTORY. AND, UM, ALSO WITH WORKING WITH THEM, IT WAS ALSO VERY OBVIOUS THAT THEY HAVE A VERY DEEP RESPECT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, AROUND THERE AT LABU, DANICA, ALWAYS MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE RESPECTED THE NEIGHBORS, WE KEPT IT CLEAN. UM, WE DIDN'T GET TOO LOUD. UM, MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS INVITE THEM IN. UM, ALSO AFTER WORKING AT LA, UM, WORKING AT LA BOTANICA, IT WAS A SAFE PLACE FOR ALL. AND YOU, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW OUR DOORS ARE CLOSED, BUT IT'S BECOME VERY OBVIOUS THAT IT'S A SPACE THAT'S NEEDED. YOU KNOW, MANY TIMES WORKING THERE, WE WERE THANKED, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR CREATING THIS SPACE. I FEEL SAFE HERE. DON'T REALLY FEEL SAFE IN OTHER PLACES. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE A VERY LARGE BENEFIT, AND THEY'D BE PROVIDING A GREAT SERVICE TO CREATE ANOTHER SPACE LIKE THAT AGAIN, FOR PEOPLE TO FEEL SAFE, UM, ALL COMMUNITIES TO FEEL SPACE, ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND, UM, FAMILIES. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. MATA. LIBBY DAY. HELLO MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS LIBBY DAY. I'M AT 2 0 6 PINEWOOD LANE. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE SAN ANTONIO PARKS FOUNDATION AND THE OWNER OF SS A T X MUSIC, A LOCAL BUSINESS THAT HAS OPERATED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. BUT TODAY I'M HERE TO SPEAK AS A MEMBER OF THE CYCLING COMMUNITY AND AN ADVOCATE OF OUR TRAIL SYSTEM. I WANT TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THE LOCATION OF THIS BUSINESS. IT IS JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE ALL AMAZON CREEK GREENWAY TRAIL, ONE OF THE NEWER SEGMENTS OF OUR TRAIL SYSTEM, AND ONE THAT AS A CYCLIST I WOULD LIKE TO USE MORE. UH, WE HAVE ALMOST, YOU KNOW, 80 PLUS MILES OF TRAILS AND THAT MILEAGE IS GROWING. WE NEED BUSINESSES LIKE THIS ALONG THE TRAIL SYSTEM TO SERVE AS DESTINATIONS AND HAVENS FOR THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE ACTIVE, WHO WANNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE TRAILS AND ENCOURAGE MORE SAN ANTONIONS TO GET OUT AND EXPLORE AND KNOW THEIR CITY BETTER, TO KNOW WHAT THE WEST SIDE HAS TO OFFER. THESE WOMEN HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB IN THE TIME THAT I HAVE KNOWN THEM THE LAST DECADE. THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE, STRONG STEWARDS OF COMMUNITY, AND THEY KNOW HOW TO BRING VALUE TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THEY OPERATE IN AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THEY LOVE. SO, MIND SHORT AND SWEET, I CAN STAND HERE AND ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF THE WOMEN WHO HAVE SPOKEN BEFORE ME IN, IN, UH, SUPPORTING THIS PROJECT, BUT REALLY AS A CYCLIST, UM, AND SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES VERY STRONGLY IN THE VALUE THAT THE CITY HAS INVESTED IN OUR TRAIL SYSTEM, THESE ARE THE TYPE OF BUSINESSES THAT CAN LEVERAGE AND ADD VALUE TO WHAT ALREADY EXISTS. SO PLEASE GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. AND, UM, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO RIDING ALONG THE TRAIL, STOPPING TO GET SOME FOOD, UM, AND TRAINING FOR LA TAPE. I HAVE CERTAINLY MISSED OUT ON MY, ON MY HILLS TRAINING AND MY MILES, SO PLEASE, UH, PLEASE LET THEM TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. DAY. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU OFFICER RIPPLE AND TEAM. TODAY'S ZONING THEME SEEMS TO BE WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT, AND I'M HERE FOR IT. . UM, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR WORKING WITH OUR OFFICE ON THE CONDITIONS FOR THIS ITEM. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG, SEVERAL CONTINUANCES AND LOTS OF BLOCK WALKING ON Y'ALL'S BEHALF, AND I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD PRODUCT HERE, AND I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT THE PROSPECT HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND SUPPORT, AS WELL AS THE WEST HOPE AND ACTION, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HAS EXPRESSED SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM AS WELL. THE APPLICANT HAS WORKED OUT OF OUT A COOPERATIVE PARKING AGREEMENT WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER AT THE END OF THE BLOCK, AND THE APPLICANT HAS GIVEN EVERYONE ON HER BLOCK HER NUMBER IN CASE THERE'S NOISE COMPLAINTS. I TRUST THESE WOMEN, UH, HUSTLING TO BRING GOOD VENUE, A GOOD VENUE INTO THE INNER WEST SIDE. UH, SO I MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. SECOND. THERE'S A MOTION AND A FEW SECONDS. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO, THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO, UM, THANK YOU LADIES FOR COMING OUT TODAY. UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE IN SUPPORT COMING OUT AND, UH, SHARING FOR COUNCILMAN CASTILLO AND HER HARD WORK TO GET THIS HERE. I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THAT THIS, THIS MEETS SOME OF OUR GOALS, AND THAT IT'S A WOMAN, A WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS, THAT IT IS THE DECADE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOU'RE FOCUSED ON A NEIGHBORHOOD, [02:15:01] AND THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT WALKABILITY FOR THE NEIGHBORS, UH, CYCLING TO THE LOCATION, UM, AND PROVIDING, UH, SPACES FOR PEOPLE TO GET THERE BY CARS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EFFORTS FOR LISTENING TO WHAT WE'RE SAYING HERE ON, UH, CITY ON, ON THE CITY COUNCIL, AND I, I LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER FRAN, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 43. GO AHEAD. WITH CONDITIONS. WITH CONDITIONS IS READ WITH CONDITIONS. YEAH. OKAY. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM 44, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 44 IS A REZONING FROM MF 33 TO C TWO NA C D WITH A CONDITIONAL USE FOR A HUMAN SERVICE CAMPUS LOCATED AT 2318 CASTROVILLE ROAD. STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL ZONING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. 63 NOTICES MAILED 16 IN FAVOR, SIX OPPOSED 181 IN FAVOR AND 33 OPPOSED OUTSIDE. THE 200 FOOT BOUNDARY, WESTWOOD SQUARE AND LOS J NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS OUR OPPOSED. ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 44. SO IF I CAN ASK FOR NOT ONLY YOUR PATIENCE, BUT ATTENTION, UM, AS FOLKS C COME UP, UH, YOU'LL HEAR YOUR NAME CALLED, I'M GONNA CALL THE NEXT PERSON IN LINE, IF YOU CAN KIND OF MOVE TOWARDS THE FRONT SO WE CAN MOVE THROUGH EFFICIENTLY. WE DO HAVE MANY CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY. SO, UH, I'M GONNA CALL FOLKS IN ORDER IN WHICH THEY SIGNED UP. SO, UH, LET ME START WITH AGA PITA JARAMILLO. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL AND HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, THIS PROJECT GOT OFF TO THE WRONG START. TRANSPARENCY WAS AN ISSUE, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS COULD NEVER GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER. TWO MEETINGS WERE HELD WITH THE Y W C A AND SOME OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE WEST, WEST, WEST SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS COALITION AND THE Y M C A. THE Y W C A HELD AN OPEN HOUSE IN A COMMU, A COMMUNITY MEETING IN WHICH COMMUNITY DID NOT ATTEND WESTWOOD SQUARE IN LOS HELD A MEETING ON MARCH THE 12TH WITH AT LEAST 20 RESIDENTS IN ATTENDANCE. AT THAT MEETING, 19 MEMBERS VOTED TO HAVE A CONTINUANCE IN ORDER TO DISCUSS THIS PROJECT MORE IN DETAIL. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE SOME DISCREPANCIES ON THE ZONING REQUEST FORMS THAT WERE SUBMITTED, AND I KNOW FOR A FACT BECAUSE WE WERE OUT THERE COLLECTING THEM ALSO. AND, UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S VERY DISTURBING BECAUSE THE NUMBERS JUST, JUST ARE NOT RIGHT. UM, UH, BUT, UM, THE MEMBERS OF THE, THE THEREFORE, I, I AM, I AM REQUESTING, I AM OPPOSING, I'M SORRY, I AM OPPOSING THE APPROVAL OF THE PROGRAM AND AM REQUESTING A CONTINUANCE, BUT I DO WANNA SAY THAT, UM, I KNOW THAT CITY COUNCIL IS ALWAYS ASKING FOR INPUT AND FOR US TO VOICE OUR CONCERNS. AND, AND WE, IT TOOK, YOU KNOW, THESE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS TO GO OUT THERE AND IT, AND VOICE THEIR CONCERNS. AND NOW I DON'T FEEL THAT THEY'RE BEING HEARD. AND YOU, YOU HAVE A LOT OF ELDERLY RESIDENTS THAT LIVE BEHIND THIS PROPOSED PROJECT, AND THEY'RE, THEY REALLY DON'T HAVE ALL THE DETAILS. AND I THINK IT'S FAIR THAT WE HAVE A CONTINUANCE IN ORDER TO DISCUSS MORE IN DETAIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. AMI. VELMA PENA. VELMA PENA, FOLLOWED BY ERIC ESDA. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS VELMA PENA, PRESIDENT OF THE WESTWOOD SQUARE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT THE WESTWOOD SQUARE, NA, AND LOS HAVE NOT SIGNED ANY AGREEMENTS WITH THE Y W C A. ALSO, WESTWOOD SQUARE AND LOS SALINAS REACHED OUT TO DISTRICT SIX FOR THEIR ASSISTANT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILWOMAN MELISSA HDA AND D SIX STAFF, WESTWOOD SQUARE AND LOS SALINAS INVESTED HOURS IN CONJUNCTION WITH D D SIX STAFF ON DE RESTRICTIONS. THE WESTWOOD SQUARE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. LOS LINAS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HELD A COMMITTEE MEETING ON SATURDAY, MARCH 12TH REGARDING THE Y W C A ZONING CASE. THE MEETING WAS TO INFORM THE COMMUNITY OF THE PROCESS AND DISCUSS THE ZONING CHANGE THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE ZONING COMMISSION ON TUESDAY, [02:20:01] FEBRUARY 15TH. AND TO ADVISE ON THE CHOICES OF WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, INCLUDING DISCUSSIONS ON COVENANTS AND DATE RESTRICTIONS AND SITE PLAN. THE COMMUNITY NEIGHBORHOODS WERE ADVISED THAT THE Y W C A ZONING CASE WAS SCHEDULED TO COME TO CITY COUNCIL ON MARCH THE 17TH. THE COMMUNITY NEIGHBORHOODS VOTED FOR MORE TIME TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AND TO PROCESS WHAT WAS DISCUSSED AT THE MEETING REGARDING THE COVENANTS AND RESTRICTIONS ON, AND THE SITE PLAN. DISTRICT FIVE AND SIX WERE PRESENT AT THE MEETING, AND WERE AWARE OF THIS REQUEST. WE BELIEVE THAT THOSE WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THIS DECISION HAVE A RIGHT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DEC DECISION MAKING PROCESS. WESTWOOD SQUARE, NA AND LOS NA ARE SUBMITTING THIS REQUEST TO CITY COUNCIL FOR A CONTINUANCE OF TWO WEEKS TO MARCH 31ST TO SECURE SOLUTIONS THAT WORK FOR THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT WITH THIS REASONABLE REQUEST, WE CAN FIND A RESOLUTION. THIS Y W C A CASE HAS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT, A VERY DIFFICULT CASE FOR THE WEST SIDE RESIDENTS. ALL I ASK IS FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR TO PLEASE SUPPORT A REQUEST SO THAT OUR WEST SIDE RESIDENTS CAN BE HEARD AND HAVE THEIR VOICES, UM, SO THEY CAN HEAR, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S WHAT'S, UH, WITH THE COVENANTS. THEY NEED TO HEAR WHAT THE RE DE DEEDED RESTRICTIONS ARE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. PENA. ERIC CAST MR. ADA. YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY CORINA CASTILLO JOHNSON. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS ERIC ESTRADA. I'M THE PRESIDENT OF LOS CARINAS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IN DISTRICT SIX. THE ZONING CASE IS LOCATED AT THE BOUNDARIES OF DISTRICT SIX AND DISTRICT FIVE. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARY IS ALSO LOCATED AT THAT SAME INTERSECTION. THIS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT CASE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND AS BEMA MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, I STAND IN SUPPORT WITH HER NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IN REGARDS TO THE ZONING AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND RESIDENTS. AND WE DO REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL TIME TO ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY INPUT. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME AND THANK OUR, UH, DISTRICT SIX COUNCILWOMAN, MELISSA CAVE HALBERDA AND HER STAFF FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND PROFESSIONALISM. SORRY, IN THIS CASE WHEN ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE THAT WAS CRITICALLY NEEDED. IN THIS CASE, SHE AND HER STAFF ALLOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF AN OLIVE BRANCH TO BE EXTENDED. COUNCILWOMAN HALBERDA IS AND HAS ALWAYS ADVOCATED AND FOUGHT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS, ESPECIALLY IN THE EDGEWOOD AREA WHERE THIS CASE IS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEND MY THANKS AND APPRECIATION ON BEHALF OF LOS ENA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR ALL THE TIME INVESTED IN THIS CASE BY YOU AND YOUR STAFF, COUNCILWOMAN. I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT AN EXTENSION ON THIS CASE AND ENSURE THAT THE NEIGHBORS ARE HEARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CORINA CASTILLO JOHNSON, FOLLOWED BY LETICIA PENA LORENZI. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS CORINA CASTILLO JOHNSON. I'M ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE Y W C A OF SAN ANTONIO, AND I'M HERE TO REQUEST YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS ZONING CHANGE REQUEST. AND JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT SINCE THE, I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE, ESPECIALLY TODAY WITH THIS MORNING'S ACTIVITIES RECOGNIZING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAYS AND THE PRIOR ZONING CASES REGARDING WOMEN'S BUSINESS, BECAUSE THAT IS THE MISSION OF THE Y W C A, ELIMINATING RACISM AND EMPOWERING WOMEN. THAT IS WHY WOMEN LIKE ME WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WORK THROUGH BEING IMMIGRANTS ENGLISH LANGUAGE, SECOND IS OUR SECOND LANGUAGE, AND BEEN ABLE TO SUCCEED, ARE ON THE BOARDS OF THE Y W C A AND ARE ASKING TO HAVE YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT AND FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE ZONING COMMISSION TO ALLOW US TO CREATE A CAMPUS FOR HUMAN SERVICES FOR THESE WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE LOOKED TO ALL OF THE INITIATIVES THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS BEEN CHAMPIONING, LIKE HOUSING EQUITY, READY TO WORK, AND WE ARE LOOKING AT THE REPORTS YOU HAVE GIVEN US AND IDENTIFYING THOSE CITIZENS OF THIS CITY, WHICH DEEPLY NEED THE SERVICES WE ARE PUTTING FORTH, AND THAT IS WHO WE'RE HOPING TO SERVE. THIS PROPERTY WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY RELIGIOUS ORDER OF NUNS AND IS ZONED FOR MULTIFAMILY HOUSING. THEY WANTED TO SELL THIS PROPERTY TO US, ALTHOUGH THEY HAD MANY OFFERS FROM MANY MULTIFAMILY HOUSING DEVELOPERS BECAUSE WE WERE CONTINUING THEIR MISSION OF SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY AND YOUNG WOMEN WHO ARE IN DEEP NEED OF ROLE MODELS AND SUPPORT TO OPEN BUSINESSES. AND SINCE 1910, WHEN THIS [02:25:01] Y W C A WAS ESTABLISHED HERE, WE'VE DONE NOTHING BUT THAT. AND WE HAVE A RECORD OF COLLABORATING, WORKING WITH THE CITY, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THE CITIZENS IN A WAY THAT COMES TO FRUITION TO SUPPORT YOUNG WOMEN TO GET ON THEIR FEET, TO HAVE EDUCATION, AND TO SUPPORT THEIR OWN FAMILIES. SO I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE WOMEN THAT YOU LOVE IN YOUR LIFE THAT HAVE LOVED YOU, AND ALL OF YOU WOMEN WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL, HELP US TO EMPOWER THE WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. CASTILLO JOHNSON. LETICIA PENA LORENZI. OKAY, MOVING ON. CYNTHIA SPIELMAN. MS. SPIELMAN, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY LINDA BOCANEGRA. GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THIS CASE WHICH HAS INVOLVED THE YWCA'S REQUEST FOR ZONING CHANGE FROM MF 33 TO C TWO N A C D WITH A CONDITIONAL USE FOR HUMAN SERVICE CAMPUS HAS BEEN ONE THAT'S BEEN CONTENTIOUS AND FELT RUSHED, AND OFTEN LACK THE MEANINGFUL INPUT PUBLIC INPUT OF THE NEAR NEIGHBORS TO THE PROJECT. IN A RECENT NEIGHBORHOOD, MEETING THE ONLY ONE TO GIVE NEIGHBORS INFORMATION ABOUT THE ZONING, SINCERE NEAR RESIDENTS REQUESTED A RESCHEDULING OF THIS CASE SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND AND HAVE MEANINGFUL INPUT ON THE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE THEY CAN SUPPORT. THEY'RE NOT ASKING FOR 30 DAYS, THEY'RE MERELY ASKING FOR TWO WEEKS. THIS DOES NOT SEEM TOO MUCH TO ASK, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE DETAILS OF THIS CASE HAVE CONSTANTLY CHANGED. HAVING SUPPORT FROM AND WORKING WITH COMMUNITY HAS BEEN THE STATED GOAL OF THE Y W C A AND GIVING RESIDENTS MORE TIME TO GIVE SUPPORT CAN ONLY HELP THE WISE PROJECT AS THEY SEEK RESIDENT INPUT IN FUTURE DECISIONS. GIVING RESIDENTS MORE TIME WILL BUILD TRUST AND COOPERATION. THE TRUTH IS, NO NEIGHBORHOOD ANYWHERE IN ANY OF YOUR DISTRICTS IN THIS CITY WOULD EVER APPROVE A ZONING CHANGE LIKE THIS WITHOUT TRUST. AND A COUPLE OF WEEKS MORE WILL HELP CREATE THAT TRUST. WE REQUEST THAT THE CASE BE RESCHEDULED FOR A VOTE UNTIL THE NEXT COUNCIL SESSION, TO GIVE RESIDENTS MORE TIME TO UNDERSTAND AND TO GIVE MEANINGFUL INPUT ON THE RESTRICTIONS FOR COVENANT BEFORE THEY CAN, BEFORE THEY GIVE THEIR SUPPORT. THE Y HAS THE POWER AND INFLUENCE TO GET WHATEVER THEY WANT PASSED. IT'S OUTTA RESPECT THAT YOU SHOULD GIVE THESE NEIGHBORS A LITTLE MORE TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR COMMUNITY. THIS ZONING CHANGE IS SERIOUS AND IS IN PERPETUITY. AND WHETHER THE Y IS ABLE TO COMPLETE THEIR PROJECT OR SELL THE PROPERTY THAT ZONING STAYS, PLEASE GIVE THESE RESIDENTS A LITTLE MORE TIME TO BUILD CONSENSUS AND TO CREATE A WIN-WIN FOR ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. SPIELMAN. LINDA BOCANEGRA, UH, TO JUAN? YES. UM, SOLIS, I'M, I'M SORRY. SANCHEZ. SANCHEZ, SORRY. UM, ONE SECOND. LET ME FIND YOU ON THE LIST. MR. SANCHEZ. OKAY. GOT IT. ALRIGHT. I'LL CALL YOU WHEN YOUR, WHEN YOUR NAME COMES UP, MR. SANCHEZ, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES. LEMME MOVE NOW TO JACK FINGER. WELL, MAYOR NURENBERG, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER. YES. WELL THEN MS. UH, MS. CASTILLO ONCE AGAIN IN OUR ATTEMPT TO MAKE THE WEST SIDE A MORE LIVABLE LOCATION TO LIVE. UH, FIRST WE ESTABLISHED A BAR AND NOW WE'RE ESTABLISHING A HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS. WHAT KIND OF HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS IS IT? WELL, I UNDERSTAND IT'S ABOUT A CAMPUS WHERE YOUNG LADIES ARE ALLOWED TO RESIDE AND LEARN SKILLS FOR OR JOG, UH, JOB OCCUPATIONS AND SO FORTH. SOUNDS NICE. UH, WHOS IS BEING SPONSORED BY, UH, BY THE Y W C A, WHICH YES, GENERATIONS AGO IT DID HAVE A, UH, A GOOD REPUTATION. I WISH IT STILL HAD SUCH A GOOD REPUTATION, BUT THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. WHY MS. CASTILLO? WHY DID THE ZONING STAFF SAY THIS WAS A BAD IDEA? THE ZONING STAFF? WELL, THEY, THEY, UH, THEY SAID MAINLY BECAUSE, UH, IT'S A LITTLE BIT TOO INTENSE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU HAVE, WHAT'S IT SAY HERE? GIVE THEM [02:30:01] MUL. YEAH. MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT JUST RIGHT. YES. RIGHT NEXT TO, UH, UH, RIGHT NEXT TO THE, THE, UH, SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES ALL AROUND THERE. IT REALLY IS OUT OF CHARACTER FOR, FOR THE AREA. BUT, UH, NOT ONLY THAT, UH, A NUMBER OF CITIZENS DIDN'T WANT IT EITHER. 'CAUSE THEY KNOW THAT UNLESS YOU HAVE ROUND THE CLOCK AROUND THE BLOCK SECURITY, IT IS AN SUCH AN, A CAMPUS IS AN ATTRACTION TO THE MORE CRIMINAL ELEMENT OF OUR SOCIETY. YES. IT'S SO MUCH SO THAT AS MANY AS, WELL, WHAT IS IT? UH, OUTTA 63 NOTICES SENT UP AROUND THE 200, UH, FEET, THERE AT LEAST SIX OPPOSES. THAT'S ABOUT, UH, ONE IN 10. WHEN YOU'RE GETTING PAST ONE IN 20, YOU'RE . THAT'S, UH, SOMETHING TO CONSIDER RIGHT THERE. THIS IS ONE IN 10. YOU HAD, UH, UH, 32 PEOPLE OPPOSE IT OUTSIDE OF THAT 200 FOOT, UH, UH, BOUNDARY. AND, AND THEN YOU HAD, THEN THERE ARE THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, THE, THE, THE WEST WESTWOOD SQUARE AND THE LOS HARIDAS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS WADE AND SAY THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD IDEA. I'M SORRY, BUT I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THE Y W C A TO FIND A DIFFERENT LOCATION BECAUSE THESE RESIDENTS ARE THE ONE ONES WHO HAVE TO LIVE THERE. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. ASHLEY DOMINGUEZ. MS. DOMINGUEZ, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY RUDY LOPEZ. GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM PART OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAM, WHICH IS A PROGRAM THAT HELPS YOUNG WOMEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 TO 25, UM, GET OUR LIFE. LIKE WE SAID, BASICALLY, I HEARD ABOUT THE PROGRAM, UH, THROUGH A FLYER, AND I SAW IT AS A, AS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME SINCE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS MY NEXT STEP IN LIFE. UM, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE UNA FOR ALL AND PLUS, WHICH PROVIDES MAMMOGRAMS FOR WOMEN WITH LOW INCOME. THE, THEY EITHER GO BASED ON, UM, UH, LOW COST, OR THROUGH GRANTS. I'VE ALSO LEARNED HOW TO APPROACH DIFFERENT SITUATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, SUCH AS ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND HEALTH WISE, AND HELP FIND RESOURCES FOR THOSE WHO NEED THEM. I'VE WORKED WITH, UH, DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS TO HELP US TO HELP SET UP, UM, VACCINE CLINICS, UH, WITH, IN COMMUNITIES WITH LOW VACCINATION VACCINATION RATE. BEEN A RECENT HAS BEEN WITH, UH, RESET HAS PROVIDED ME WITH DIFFERENT, UM, OPPORTUNITIES AT THE MOMENT. I'M CURRENTLY WORKING, UM, SIMULTANEOUS SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH ACCOUNTING, WHICH HAS INTEREST ME ENOUGH TO CONSIDER IT AS A CAREER PATH THROUGH MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND GROWTH. I'VE SEEN HOW THE RESEARCH PROGRAM HAS NOT ONLY HELPED ME, BUT THE REST OF THE RESEARCH GROWTH, UM, THAT WORK AROUND ME REACH OUR INDIVIDUAL OR COMMUNITY GOALS. I, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE PROGRAM EXPAND AND CONTINUE TO, FOR MORE WOMEN LIKE ME TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES OR BEST OPPORTUNITY OR, YOU KNOW, BETTER OPPORTUNITIES SO THEY CAN SUCCESS SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS IN LIFE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. DOMINGUEZ. RUDY LOPEZ, FOLLOWED BY LARO DE LEON. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND MR. MAYOR. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL TODAY. I RISE AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE THOMPSON NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IN CONCERN OVER THE PROPOSED ZONING FOR THE ADDRESS FOR THE, UM, FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 36 IN, AT THE CORNER OF 36 IN CASTROVILLE, UH, THE OLD CONVENT. UM, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HUMBLY REQUESTS THAT YOU DELAY THE DECISION ON THIS PROPERTY. SO THAT DISCUSSION MAY CONTINUE WITH THE THOMPSON COMMUNITY, WHICH SITS DIRECTLY SOUTH IN LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE OF THE PROPERTY. IT ALSO PROVIDES TIME FOR OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS, WHICH WERE NOT INCLUDING IN THE INITIAL DISCUSSIONS, AND MAY ALSO BE AFFECTED BY THIS HUMAN RESOURCE CAMPUS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A TREMENDOUS NEED FOR THESE TYPES OF SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT AGAINST THE NOBLE WORK OF THE Y W C A. IT IS TRYING TO PER THAT IT, IT IS TRYING TO PERFORM THAT. HOWEVER, WE ARE CONCERNED THAT THE ZONING REQUESTS IF FOR THIS CAMPUS MAY HURT THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES AS THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT THE SITE WILL NOT CHANGE HANDS IN THE FUTURE. OUR COMMUNITY IS UNDERSTANDABLY CONCERNED. WE WILL BE LEFT TO DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH OF ANOTHER HOMELESS SHELTER, METHADONE CLINIC, OR A NON CONDUCIVE DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL STUN GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITIES. IF THIS [02:35:01] PROPERTY IS SOLD IN THE FUTURE, OUR COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING ZONING RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, AND THE POSSIBLE REPERCUSSIONS FOR NOT VOICING OUR CONCERNS. I KNOW THAT EACH OF YOU SHARE THE COMMON GOAL, LIKE EVERY COMMUNITY LEADER, OF MAKING SURE YOU SERVE YOUR COMMUNITIES BY ENSURING THAT COMMUN, THAT EACH COMMUNITY MEMBER AND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HAS A CHANCE TO BE A PART OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS AND THE DECISION MAKING. THE THOMPSON COMMUNITY FEELS, WE WERE NEVER GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS WHY WE ARE ASKING FOR THE DELAY ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. SO OPPORTUNITY SO THAT THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE, RAISE OUR CONCERNS, AND WORK TOGETHER ON A SOLUTION THAT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE INVOLVED ON THIS PROJECT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REMIND THAT EACH, EACH ONE OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND THE PEOPLE WHO, WHO PARTICIPATE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE ALL THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS ASSOCIATIONS SO AWARE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH OF THOSE MEMBERS IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS HAS A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE. SO I JUST, I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME AND THINK ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND HOW IMPORTANT THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS ARE, AND HOW YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO PARTICIPATE AND GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS. I WOULD ASK YOU AGAIN, TO JUST DELAY THE VOTE. WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING ELSE, BUT TO DELAY THE VOTE SO THAT WE HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO. THANK YOU, MR. LOPEZ. LARO DELEON, FOLLOWED BY ANTHONY GRESS. MR. MAYOR, COUNCILMAN, UH, THE REASON THAT I'M HERE IS TO REQUEST THAT YOU DELAY THE ZONING. WHY? IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LISTEN TO ALL THE CITIZENS, WHAT THEY WANT AND WHAT THEY DON'T WANT. AND, UH, SOMETIMES, UH, WE HAVE TO REACH A COMPROMISE EYES AND THOSE PEOPLE THAT, UH, ARE ASKING QUESTIONS OR ENTITLED TO DO SO, AND THEY'RE ENTITLED FOR US TO DO THE RESEARCH AND GET TOGETHER WITH THE Y W C A, UH, AND SEE IF WE CAN AGREE ON THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO DO. THERE ARE, UH, THINGS THAT WE HAVE, UH, DISCUSSED WITH, UH, DISTRICT FIVE, DISTRICT SIX, AND, UH, WE ALL IN IN FAVOR OF DOING, IN HELPING OUR CONSTITUENTS JUST THE SAME AS, AS YOU DO. I SEE, UH, ALL THE TIME ON TV WHERE, UH, YOU ARE ADVOCATING FOR WHAT THEY WANT. SO I'M ASKING THAT YOU CONSIDER TO, UH, POSTPONE THE TIME. UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE DISCUSSED OR SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO AGREE WITH. SO, UH, UH, I, I, I DO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME IN LISTENING TO ME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. MR. DELEON. ANTHONY GRES, FOLLOWED BY KIANA NAVID. MS. UH, JANIE VIDAL. SHE'S A RESIDENT, UH, NEAR THE, UH, JANIE, UH, JANIE VIDAL. I'LL BE READING FOR HER 'CAUSE SHE'S NOT ON THE LIST, AND I WAS GONNA GIVE HER MY TIME. SHE IS ON THE LIST. SHE, ARE YOU TAKING HER TIME? NO, NO. I'M GONNA GIVE IT TO HER. COME ON, JANIE. SHE WANTED ME, I WAS GONNA GIVE HER MY TIME. SHE WANTED MORE TIME. OKAY. WELL, IF SHE'D LIKE TO, DO YOU WANNA SEED YOUR TIME TO YEAH, I'M GONNA SEED MY TIME TO HER. OKAY. DO YOU WANT ME TO DO AN HOUR? YEAH, GO AHEAD, MS. VIDAL. YOU GO. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UM, CITY COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR, FOR, UH, ALLOWING ME THIS TIME TO SPEAK. UM, I WAS RATHER DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN THAT THE REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL TIME [02:40:01] ON THE STUDY OF THE Y W C A REZONING CASE WAS NOT GRANTED. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED. IT SEEMS THAT THIS WAS ALREADY A DONE DEAL. WHY EVEN BOTHER NOTIFYING THE AFFECTED COMMUNITY? YOU HAVE FAILED TO SEE THE IMPACT THAT THIS PROJECT WILL HAVE ON NUMBER ONE, THE FIVE SCHOOLS THAT ARE LESS THAN THREE MILES FROM THE CONVENT. NUMBER TWO, THE TRAFFIC ISSUES ON 36TH STREET AND CASTORVILLE ROAD. THIS IS, THE TRAFFIC IS TREMENDOUS ON THAT ROAD. I DID, UH, AND IN, UM, A SURVEY SOME TIME BACK, AND I TOOK THE TRAFFIC COUNT AT THREE DIFFERENT PERIODS OF THE DAY, AND THERE WAS MORE THAN 40 VEHICLES AT A TIME DURING THOSE SPECIFIC DAYS, AND THAT WAS ON REGULAR, UH, REGULAR DAY. SO THE TRAFFIC IS TREMENDOUS. THIRDLY, THE TRAFFIC ISSUES WITH THE FIRE STATION THAT IS LOCATED RIGHT AT THE CORNER OF 36 AND NORTHINGTON. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THAT IS GOING TO CAUSE? ALL THE ISSUES. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE ELDERLY HOUSEHOLDS LOCATED ON EL HARDIN ROAD AND OLGA DRIVE. AND I'LL ASK YOU TO THINK ABOUT THIS AT THIS VERY MOMENT. THE CITIZENS OF UKRAINE ARE FIGHTING AND DYING FOR THEIR FREEDOM AND LIBERTIES. AND THEN RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, YOU HAVE COMMUNITIES WHERE OTHER PEOPLE GET TO DECIDE WHAT INSTITUTIONS AND BUSINESSES ARE PLACED IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. I AM ALL FOR THE Y M C A, I PARTICIPATE WITH THE Y M C A. THERE IS A PLACE THAT IS A PLACE THAT I CHERISH AND LOVE, BUT I THINK THAT THEY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO. WHERE IS THE TRANSPARENCY THAT PEOPLE ARE RUNNING FOR OFFICE PROMISED TO HAVE WITH THEIR COMMUNITY? IT SEEMS PRESENT DURING THE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS, THE ONCE ELECTED, SOME OFFICIALS SEEM TO FORGET THOSE PROMISES. MY 93 YEAR OLD MOM AND ANGELITA, MY 87 YEAR OLD AUNT MARIA ELENA, AND MY 67 YEAR OLD COUSIN FRED, WHO HAS THE BEGINNING STAGES OF DEMENTIA, THEY LIVE ON EL HARDIN STREET, ALONG WITH OTHER ELDERLY CITIZENS. ALL OF THESE FOLKS WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE REZONING OF THE COVENANT. SO I ASK YOU PLEASE, PLEASE GIVE US SOME MORE TIME TO STUDY THIS AND TO BE ABLE TO WORK AND COMPROMISE, BRING ABOUT SOME COMPROMISES WITH THE WHY SO THAT EVERYONE CAN BE SERVICED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. VIDAL. KIANA NAVID. MS. NAVID, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY ARIANA S. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL. UH, MY NAME IS CANON NAIDA AND I AM A RESIDENT IN DISTRICT FIVE, AND I AM ALSO A GRADUATE STUDENT AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE, REPRESENTING THE STUDENT COMMUNITY. TO SUPPORT THE Y W C A, I WOULD LIKE TO READ TO YOU SUPPORT LETTERS ON BEHALF OF, UH, FORMER MAYOR HENRY CTOS, FORMER COUNCILWOMAN MARY ALICE CTOS, UH, AND SUPERIOR GENERAL SISTER PEARL, UH, CAESAR AND SISTER JANE ANN SLATER OF THE CONGREGATION OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. WE ARE PLEASED TO SUPPORT THE PURCHASE OF ST. ANDREWS BY THE CONVENT, BY THE W Y W C A THAT WILL PROVIDE 24 HOUSING UNITS, ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES. THE Y W C A WILL SUPPORT 24 WOMEN WHOSE DEMOGRAPHICS SELF-IDENTIFY AS SINGLE PARENTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 30, MANY OF WHOM HAVE ENCOUNTERED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, HOMELESSNESS, AND A LACK OF STABLE HEALTH AND WELLBEING. FAMILIES WHO WILL RECEIVE THIS ASSISTANCE WILL BE PROVIDED WITH, UH, RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES AND HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WILL INCLUDE MULTIPURPOSE SPACES AND COMMUNAL LIVING, KITCHEN, LAUNDRY, AND DAYCARE AREAS. ADD ADDITIONAL SERVICES CRITICAL TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT, INCLUDE CASE MANAGEMENT, HEALTHCARE COUNSELING, NUTRITION, JOB TRAINING, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL EMPOWER WOMEN TO RECOVER FROM ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS, BECOME EMPLOYED, AND ENHANCE STRONGER SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. CHILDREN WILL BE PROVIDED WITH ENRICHMENT LEARNING THAT CREATES ACADEMIC CONFIDENCE, HIGHER MOTIVATION, AND IMPROVE THEIR SOCIAL SKILLS. THE Y W C A SAN SAN ANTONIO AT ST. ANDREW'S CONVENT WILL BE THE PLACE WHERE FAMILIES BUILD THEIR HOPE AND FUTURE. THE CONGREGATION OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE SUPPORTS AND APPLAUD THIS VISION AND PLANS [02:45:01] THE Y W C A HAS FOR THE MISSIONARY CATECHIST OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE, FORMER CONVENT LOCATED IN OUR CITY'S WEST SIDE, THE SISTERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE FULLY SUPPORT THE Y W C A PLANS AND MISSION TO PROVIDE A PATHWAY FOR YOUNG WOMEN TO BECOME SELF-RELIANT, RELIANT, ACCOUNTABLE, AND SUCCESSFUL IN PROVIDING FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN. OUR CONGREGATION'S FOUNDER, BLESSED FATHER JOHN MARTIN MOY, BELIEVED IN HELPING WOMEN BECOMING SELF-RELIANT AND EMPOWERING THEM WITH THE NECESSARY TOOLS FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. THROUGH EDUCATION, WE APPLAUD AND SUPPORT THE Y W C A FOR ADDRESSING THE SIGNS OF TIMES, SEEKING TO EXPAND THEIR SERVICES TO THIS LOCATION. AND IN DOING SO, PROVIDING THE TOOLS AND COMMUNITY FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG WOMEN SEEKING TO BETTER THEIR LIVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. NATIVIDAD ARIANA ARIAS. MS. ARIAS, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY DORA GOMEZ. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR. GOOD AFTERNOON, PEOPLE OF COUNCIL. MY NAME IS ARIANA ARIAS. I'M FROM VENEZUELA. YOU CAN NOTICE FROM MY ACCENT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE W Y W C A. UM, AS AN IMMIGRANT, I DON'T KNOW HOW HARD IT CAN BE TO START FROM ZERO. THE PROJECT THAT THEY HAVE, IT'S GOING TO HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE AND A LOT OF GIRLS IN A HARD CONDITIONS. I KNOW HOW TO, HOW TO, IT'S LIKE TO BE WITHOUT MONEY, WITHOUT FRIENDS AND WITHOUT ANY HELP. THIS PROJECT, IT'S GOING TO HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE. FOR ME, Y W C A, IT'S A HOME AWAY FROM HOME BECAUSE ALL THESE WOMENS THAT WORK HERE ARE DOING A HARD, AMAZING JOB. I'M SORRY, I'M NERVOUS. THEY MAKE AN AN ENORMOUS JOB, AND YOU CAN REALIZE BECAUSE THEY WORK MONDAY TO MONDAY TO MAKE EVERYTHING COME TRUE. SO I'M HERE IN THE WAY TO TRY TO MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYTHING THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO, IT'S TO HELP THIS COUNTRY, TO HELP THIS COMMUNITY, TO HELP SAN ANTONIO. AND PART OF THE EMPOWERING PROGRAM, THEY HELP PEOPLE TO LEARN ABOUT THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM HERE FROM ZERO EVEN TO BUILD YOUR OWN BUSINESS. SO THAT HELPS THE ECONOMY OF THE SAN ANTONIO, THAT TEXAS AND THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE THE POWER WHEN WE HAVE THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. ARIA, DORA GOMEZ. MS. GOMEZ, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY KIMBERLY BERRY AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS DORA GOMEZ. I WAS BORN AND RAISED RIGHT THERE ON DISTRICT FIVE, RIGHT BETWEEN CASTROVILLE AND THE GENERAL MCMULLEN. SO I DID ATTEND SCHOOL M F I ELEMENTARY. I DID GO TO EDGEWOOD JUNIOR HIGH. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, MY DREAM WOULD STOP AT EDGEWOOD JUNIOR HIGH. I WANTED TO GO TO KENNEDY, BUT I DIDN'T MAKE IT. BUT THIS IS THE REASON THAT I SPEAK TODAY, BECAUSE IF I DID NOT MAKE IT, I ALWAYS SAY THAT THIS PROGRAM, IF THEY WERE AVAILABLE WHEN I WAS THAT AGE, I MIGHT HAVE DONE A DIFFERENT THING WITH MY LIFE. AND EVERYBODY HAS HEARD THAT THE SAME. WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER DOOR OPENS THAT DOOR CLOSED FOR ME, BUT MY DOOR WAS OPEN WHEN I CAME TO WORK AT THE Y W C A, I HAVE BEEN AT THE Y W C A FOR 17 YEARS BECAUSE IT IS MY PASSION TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. I WORK IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY. WE DON'T ASK FOR YOUR ADDRESS OR IF YOU'RE A MEMBER OF SOMETHING, WE JUST WELCOME YOU AND HOW CAN I HELP YOU? SO WHEN THAT DOOR OPENED FOR ME, I WENT BACK TO COLLEGE AND I GOT MY A DEGREE. AND THAT IS WHY I'D SAY THAT THIS PROGRAM IS A GREAT PROGRAM FOR ALL OUR YOUNG WOMEN. WE WANT OUR YOUNG WOMEN TO SUCCEED. WE WANT THEM TO ALSO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A BETTER FUTURE FOR A BETTER LIFE. AND LIKE ARIANA SAID, I'M NERVOUS. UH, SO WE DO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR FUTURE YOUNG LADIES THAT THEY CAN HAVE A BETTER FUTURE. THEY, THAT THEIR DREAM CAN BECOME A REALITY TOO. AND HERE'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND. I'M HERE LISTENING TO WHAT'S GOING ON. SO I REMEMBER THAT THE ZONING WAS APPROVED SOMETIME LIKE IN FEBRUARY 15TH. WELL NOW ON MARCH 17TH. SO THAT KIND OF TELLS ME THAT'S ABOUT 30 DAYS. IF I WAS THE PRESIDENT OF AN ORGANIZATION, LIKE A COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, WHY WOULD I NEED TWO MORE WEEKS TO PREPARE? WE ALREADY HAD 30 DAYS TO PREPARE. [02:50:01] SO I ASKED OF YOU TODAY THAT IF YOU CAN PLEASE ALL SUPPORT THE YWCA'S EFFORT TO BRING THIS OR THIS, UM, PROGRAM FOR OUR YOUNG LADIES SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO SUCCEED, THEY CAN HAVE A CAREER, HAVE A BETTER JOB, AND THAT THEY CAN MAKE THEIR THEIR DREAM A REALITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. GOMEZ, KIMBERLY BERRY, MS. BERRY, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY THERESA GARZA. WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA TALK TOGETHER, IF THAT'S OKAY. YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. HELLO, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M KIMBERLY BERRY. I'M THE YOUTH DIRECTOR AT THE Y W B C A, AND I HAVE TWO LETTERS AND I'M GONNA READ FROM OUR TEENS, WHICH COULDN'T BE HERE BECAUSE THEY'RE AT SCHOOL RIGHT NOW. HELLO, MY NAME IS CHARLOTTE AND I'M 15 YEARS OLD. MY SISTER AVA AND I HAVE BEEN GOING TO THE Y W C A FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW. WE STARTED WITH ONLINE CLASSES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC AND HAVE SINCE PARTICIPATED IN AS MANY PROGRAMS AS POSSIBLE. REALLY ENJOYED IT THERE, NOT JUST BECAUSE IT'S A PLACE THAT I CAN GO TO HANG OUT, BUT BECAUSE I'VE MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS, BOTH WITH THE STUDENTS AND THE STAFF AT THE Y W C A, I'VE TAKEN SEVERAL CLASSES THAT HAVE URGED ME TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON. THE Y W C A GIVES ME A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN MY COMMUNITY THROUGH VOLUNTEER EVENTS AND POLITICAL ACTION, EVEN THOUGH I'M YOUNG, PARTICIPATING AT THE Y W C A HAS GIVEN ME A VOICE AND MY OPINIONS FEEL IMPORTANT, ALTHOUGH I'M NOT ACTUALLY HERE IN PERSON. IT'S A BIG HONOR TO SPEAK IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL ONLY WITH THE Y W C A. WOULD I HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO THIS? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, CHARLOTTE BEGGS. THE NEXT ONE. AS A PRETEEN AND A FIRST YEAR MIDDLE SCHOOLER WITH VIRTUAL LEARNING, COMING TO AN END, I WAS BULLIED MY FIRST WEEK. I ATTENDED BACK AT SCHOOL MAINLY BECAUSE OF MY SHYNESS AND APPEARANCE. MY MOM HELPED ME BY HAVING ME SPEAK TO A SCHOOL COUNSELOR AND PSYCHIATRIST. THEY SUGGESTED THAT I GET INTO SPORTS OR CLUBS TO HELP ME BE AROUND OTHER PEERS. MY MOM DECIDED TO PUT ME INTO THE Y W C A SPRING BREAK CAMP AND SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE. I CAN HONESTLY SAY BOTH PROGRAMS HAVE HELPED ME GROW AS A PERSON IN MY OWN SKIN, KNOWING I AM WHAT I AM, AND I STAND FOR THAT. I'M SO LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN WELCOMED INTO THIS PROGRAM, AND I HAVE MADE RELATIONSHIPS WITH MANY OTHER TEENS SUCH AS MYSELF. WE HAVE MENTORS TO HELP GUIDE US THROUGH EVERYDAY LIFE SITUATIONS. I WANNA THANK ALL THE Y W C A STAFF FOR HELPING ME KNOW MY WORTH, ESPECIALLY MS. LENA. I KNOW THAT THE Y B C A TEAM PROGRAM IS A SAFE, LOVING PLACE FOR TEENS TO GO SEEK HELP AND SUPPORT BY LEARNING LIFE SKILLS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, AND BE IN A SETTING WHERE EVERYONE IS WELCOMED AND GETS NOT ONLY LISTENED TO, BUT HEARD AS WELL. SO I KNOW THAT THE Y W C A CENTER HELPS PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. THANK YOU MIKAYLA GEZ. LASTLY, I WANNA READ A LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM A, UM, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER AT KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM OUR ORGANIZATION TO THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. I'M WRITING IN SUPPORT OF THE Y W B C AND HAVING THEIR NEW SPACE REZONED IN ORDER FOR THEM TO PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY. AS A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FIVE, WHERE THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED, I HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND AND EXPERIENCED ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS THAT WOMEN AND CHILDREN FACE IN THIS COMMUNITY. ONE OF THE REASONS I CHOSE TO STAY IN THIS AREA IS WE AS A COMMUNITY CHOOSE TO RESPOND TO ONE ANOTHER IN THESE HARDSHIPS. WE OPEN OUR ARMS AND OUR HOMES AND OUR PANTRIES TO ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE TOMORROW IT COULD BE ANY OF US IN THAT SITUATION. THE Y W C A IS AN INTEGRAL RESOURCE IN THE CITY, SPECIFICALLY ON THE WEST SIDE. AS A SITE COORDINATOR FOR COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS, Y W C A HAS OFFERED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ME SO I CAN TEACH MY STUDENTS HOW TO HAVE SAFE AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. Y W C STAFF, LIKE AMANDA AND KIM, HAVE SPENT TIME TEACHING MY YOUNG WOMEN AT KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL TO REACH THEIR DREAMS WITH AMIKA DETA GROUP. AND JUST THIS WEEK, ONE OF MY STUDENTS WERE GUSHING ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN SHE HAD AT THEIR SPRING BREAK CAMP. WITH THIS NEW SPACE, Y W C A WILL NOT ONLY BE ABLE TO CONTINUE PROVIDING ESSENTIAL RESOURCES FOR OUR FAMILIES, BUT SO THEY MAY ALSO EXPAND IN THE FUTURE AND ADAPT TO THE EVER-CHANGING NEEDS WE HAVE AND CONTINUE TO HAVE IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. OUR NEED WILL ONLY BECOME GREATER WITHOUT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE Y W C A THAT AIM TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY AND ADVANCE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE IN THE HEART OF OUR CITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION ON THIS MATTER. NADINE HERRERA, L M LMS. W THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. RAQUEL MARTINEZ. MS. MARTINEZ, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY SISTER CAL LEOPOLD. THE GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. RON AND THE COUNCIL. I'M VERY [02:55:01] GLAD TO BE HERE. I WAS CALLED BY, UM, THE, UH, Y W C A DIRECTOR VERONICA SANDER. AND I WANT TO TELL SOMETHING ABOUT MY CASES THAT, UH, I CAME AS AN INVESTOR HERE TO, UH, U S A 10 YEARS AGO WITH MY HUSBAND. WE HAVE NO RELATIVES, NO FRIENDS, NO ONE HERE. WE HAVE NO RELATIVE, NO FRIENDS. SO WE HAD THE, A BUSINESS HERE FOR SIX YEARS UNTIL WE BOUGHT TWO FRANCHISES IN LAREDO OF, UH, BURGER RESTAURANTS. AND WE ALMOST LOST A LOT OF MONEY THERE. WELL, BUT WE CAME BACK HERE AS INVESTORS DO TO SAN ANTONIO AGAIN, AND WE ARE GROWING BACK. THANKS GOD. THEN 2009, UH, 18, VERONICA GAVE A CONFERENCE OF, UH, UM, HOW TO RUN THE BUSINESS. AND, UH, WE PARTICIPATED AND WE LIKED THE GROUP BECAUSE WE SAW THAT THEY ARE REALLY AMAZING PERSONS WHO THEY HELP WITHOUT ANY INTEREST, BUT HELPED YOU. UM, LIVING IN MONTEREY, MEXICO AND HAVING AN A BUSINESS THERE, I DIDN'T KNOW REALLY THAT WE WERE MINORITY HERE. BUT ANYWAY, I FELT SO, SO, UM, GRATEFUL WITH THE ORGANIZATION. AND, UM, BY, UH, 2020, BY THE END, WE WERE SUPPORTED WITH, UH, BY THEM IN 2022. AND, UH, WE FELT SO, SO GRATEFUL WITH THAT ORGANIZATION. REALLY, THEY ARE ALL AMAZING. IN 2020, I BROUGHT MY MOM TO VISIT US FROM MONTEREY ONE MONTH TO HAVE SOME VACATIONS HERE, BUT SHE HAD A BRAIN STROKE. WHEN SHE HAD THE BRAIN STROKE, I REALIZED THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY INSURANCE FOR HER, ANYTHING FOR HER. SO I FELT, WHAT AM I GONNA DO? I DIDN'T KNOW THE SYSTEM OF THE HEALTH SERVICE HERE, BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A HOSPITAL HERE. I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, TOOK MY MOM, THEY GAVE ME THE, AN EXCELLENT TREATMENT. I'M VERY GRATEFUL WITH THIS COUNTRY TOO. GOD BLESS, UM, US A LOT, MY HUSBAND AND I. AND THEN THEY HELP US. THEY HELP US TO CARRY OUT MY MOM, UM, ILLNESS. AND THEN A YEAR LATER, SHE RECOVER. SHE HAD A FASCIA. BUT WE RECEIVE A LOT OF HELP, SUPPORT TRAINING FROM Y W C A AND, UH, OTHER, OTHER ORGANIZATION LIKE THE, FOR THE A FASCIA, THE AUSTIN LAB, UH, THERAPIST. MY MOM IS BACK TO MONTEREY NOW. AND NOW WE, WE ARE HERE AGAIN WITH THE, WITH THE BUSINESS AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE U UH, Y W C A IN JANUARY. I'M SORRY THE TIME IS OFF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. THANK YOU. SISTER CAL LEOPOLD, FOLLOWED BY NORMA SLO. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR LISTENING. MY NAME IS SISTER CAL LEOPOLD. I HAVE A LETTER HERE FROM SISTER ESTHER GUERRERO, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE MISSIONARY CATECHIST OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. SHE WRITES, AS A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF THE MISSIONARY CATECHIST OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE, AND THE PREVIOUS OWNER OF ST. ANDREW'S CONVENT, I'M HONORED TO WRITE THIS LETTER IN SUPPORT OF Y W C A SAN ANTONIO'S ZONING CHANGE FOR A CONDITIONAL USE AS A HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REZONING IS SO THAT THE Y W C A CAN USE THE PROPERTY TO CONTINUE AND EXPAND ITS SERVICES TO RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY, IN ITS WOMEN LIVE AND LEARN CENTER. THROUGH MY MINISTRY IN THE COMMUNITY, I HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW Y W C A SAN ANTONIO HAS SERVED YOUNG WOMEN. ITS MISSION TO ELIMINATE RACISM AND EMPOWER WOMEN HAS GUIDED THEIR SERVICES AND HELPED THEM TO REMOVE BARRIERS FOR WOMEN, PARTICULARLY WOMEN OF COLOR, TO BECOME FINANCIALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT. MR. MAYOR CAROLINE MCDONALD, BRIAN HARTIZ HERE ON BEHALF OF THE Y W C A AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO FRANCESCA FOR THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBERS MAYOR. UM, I ESPECIALLY WANNA EXTEND MY THANKS TO COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO AND COUNCILWOMAN HDA FOR GUIDING THIS PROCESS. AND I WANT TO ALSO THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR WORKING WITH US TO MOVE THIS FORWARD. WE'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS. I, I BELIEVE A TOTAL OF SEVEN OVER THE LAST, UM, TWO MONTHS. SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MOVE THIS FORWARD. OUR PLAN [03:00:01] IS THE Y W C A WOMEN'S LIVE AND LEARN CENTER. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THE MISSION OF THE Y W C A IS TO ELIMINATE RACISM AND EMPOWER WOMEN. AND IF ANYONE SAW THE ESSAY REPORT TODAY, YW UH, SAN ANTONIO IS AGAIN AT THE TOP OF THE MOST POPULOUS CITIES WITH THE HIGHEST POVERTY RATE. SO WE BELIEVE THAT, UM, WE, UH, BY REMOVING BARRIERS FOR WOMEN TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT, WE CAN BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY. WE CURRENTLY PROVIDE CHILDCARE, YOUTH ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES, UM, AS WELL AS RACIAL JUSTICE AND GENDER EQUITY ADVOCACY. WE HAVE BEEN OPEN THROUGHOUT C O V I AND DURING THIS TIME SOLVE FIRSTHAND HOW IMPORTANT HOUSING WAS. UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO TRY TO GET A BUILDING BUILT FOR HOUSING FOR YOUNG WOMEN, UH, FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. SO WHEN THE ST. ANDREW'S CONVENT OPPORTUNITY BECAME AVAILABLE TO, BECAME AVAILABLE TO US IN MAY, UM, WE WORKED TO APPLY SOME FUNDING FOR IT AND WE'RE ABLE TO CLOSE ON THAT IN DECEMBER. UH, THE ST. ANDREW'S CONVENT IS LOCATED AT 2318 CASTROVILLE ROAD, ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF DOWN THE ROAD FROM OUR CURRENT, UH, SERVICE OPERATIONS. UH, THE MAIN BUILDING IS A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN 18,000 SQUARE FEET. THE ACTIVITY CENTER IS JUST UNDER, UH, JUST OVER 3000 SQUARE FEET, AND THE CHAPEL IS ABOUT 5,000 SQUARE FEET. THIS WILL ALLOW US NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND THE NEXT SLIDE AFTER THAT, I'M SORRY. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE TO YOUNG WOMEN. UM, WE ARE, WE ARE SERVING WOMEN AGES 17 TO 25, AND ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, A LITTLE OLDER THAN 25 WOMEN WITH CHILDREN AGES EIGHT AND UNDER WOMEN WHO ARE AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE. ABOUT A THOUSAND YOUTH LEAVE THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM EACH YEAR DISCONNECTED YOUTH, WHICH BEFORE COVID, I WAS ABOUT 35,000 YOUNG WOMEN, YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY, IN THIS CITY. AND INCOME AT OR BELOW 150% FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE WOMEN'S LIVE AND LEARN CENTER WILL HAVE 24 DORM STYLE UNITS WITHIN ROOM BATHROOMS DESIGNED FOR INDIVIDUALS, UH, MOTHERS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN, JOB TRAINING, CHILDCARE, INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT PLANS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, TRAINING, PREVENTIVE HEALTH, WELLNESS, MENTAL HEALTH, FINANCIAL LITERACY, AND HOME OWNERSHIP TRAINING. A DAY IN THE LIFE WILL BE THAT STUDENTS WILL LIVE IN THE ROOMS UPSTAIRS, GET UP, HAVE EXERCISE OR YOGA, CONVENE IN THE DINING ROOM FOR SIX TO EIGHT FOR A HOT BREAKFAST, TAKE THE CHILDREN OVER TO CHILDCARE AND GET READY TO GO TO THEIR ONSITE JOB TRAINING, EITHER ON THE CAMPUS OR TRANSPORT IT TO OTHER JOBS. NEXT SLIDE. THE END OF THE DAY, IT'LL BE A SIMILAR END OF DAY ROUTINE WITH COMMON MEALS PROVIDED IN THE EVENING, QUIET TIME IN A CURFEW AT 10:00 PM FOR THE BUILDING. THE BUILDING WILL BE A CLOSED CAMPUS WITH THE SECURITY SYSTEM, SECURITY GUARDS, AND THE GATES LOCKED AT NIGHT. WHAT THE WOMEN'S LIVE AND LEARN CENTER IS NOT. EMERGENCY SHELTER, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, RAPID REHOUSING, EMERGENCY TEMPORARY HOUSING, OR DRUG ALCOHOL DETOX CENTER, OR METHADONE CLINIC. IT IS ALSO NOT IMMEDIATE POST-INCARCERATION. IT IS NOT HOUSING FOR MARRIED COUPLES AND SMALL FAMILIES. AS I MENTIONED, WE HAD, UM, A TOTAL OF SEVEN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, UH, EXERCISES AND BLOCK WALKING. AND WE GAINED A 162 LETTERS OF SUPPORT, ABOUT A THIRD OF WHICH WERE FROM DISTRICT FIVE. WE CAN SKIP THESE NEXT TWO SLIDES. WE ARE HOPING TO DO MASTER PLANNING PROCESS THAT WILL BEGIN. THIS MAY WILL BE COMMUNITY LED AND COMMUNITY CENTERED. WE'LL BE CREATING A COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR THE COMMUNITY TO HELP GUIDE US ON WHAT WILL BE ON THE REMAINING SEVEN ACRES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. COUNSEL BRIEFLY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THE REZONING, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY. UH, THE PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY ZONED MF 33, WHICH WOULD ALLOW JUST UNDER 300 UNITS. UM, THIS REZONING WILL ALLOW FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL SERVICES FRANCESCA DESCRIBED. HOWEVER, THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE U D C CURRENTLY REQUIRES A COMMERCIAL BASED ZONING DISTRICT AND A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS. UM, THIS SITE PLAN SHOWS THE EXISTING BUILDINGS CROSS HATCHED AND PROPOSED NEW BUILDINGS IN BROWN. ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WOULD REQUIRE A NEW ZONING CASE TO ADD ON TO THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS DISCUSSION, THE Y HAS, UH, DILIGENTLY WORKED WITH THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORS, WESTWOOD SQUARE, LOS HARDIS, DISTRICT FIVE AND DISTRICT SIX ON PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS. SPECIFICALLY, THE Y HAS MET, UH, THE Y BOARD HAS MET THREE TIMES [03:05:01] IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO, AS NEW TERMS THAT HAVE COME UP FROM, FROM THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS. THE Y CURRENTLY HAS A EXECUTED LETTER OF INTENT PROHIBITING SOME OF THE MORE INTENSE USES DESCRIBED IN THE HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS AND THE C TWO ZONING DISTRICT. UM, AND THEY ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, WE REQUEST YOUR APPROVAL OF THE ZONING CASE AND NOT A CONTINUANCE, WHICH WOULD BE THREE WEEKS TO APRIL 7TH. NEXT, THESE ARE, THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU FRANCESCA, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I WANNA CENTER THIS CONVERSATION WITH AN EXPERT FROM THE CITY'S ADOPTED COMPREHENSIVE VIOLENCE PLAN, WHICH WAS ADOPTED THREE YEARS AGO. THE SECTION READS, QUOTE, HOUSING INSTABILITY AND THE LACK OF LONG-TERM SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS. EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER, PREVENTING SURVIVORS LEAVING AN ABUSIVE HOME AND SEEKING SAFETY. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO HOMELESSNESS FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN, LONG-TERM SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT INCLUDES COMPREHENSIVE JOB TRAINING AND SUPPORT IS NEEDED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. THERE ARE MANY STORIES FROM SURVIVORS, BUT ONE THAT STUCK WITH ME WAS FROM A PREGNANT MOTHER AND HER SMALL CHILD WHO WORKED WITH THE Y U W C A TO LEAVE A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION. SHE'S NOW ABLE TO AFFORD HER OWN PLACE AND IS STARTING SCHOOL IN THE FALL TO COMPLETE HER EDUCATION. WITH THE HELP OF THE Y W C A CASE MANAGER, SHE OBTAINED A LAWYER WHO ASSURED HER THAT SHE, SHE AND HER CHILD WOULD BE SAFE FROM HER ABUSER. AND IF WE APPROVE THIS ZONING ITEM TODAY, UP TO 35, MORE WOMEN LIKE HER WILL HAVE ACCESS TO Y W C A SERVICES. THIS FACILITY WOULD ALSO SERVE WOMEN EXITING FOSTER CARE. AND IF YOU'VE SEEN THE RECENT NEWS, OUR FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IS IN CRISIS. ABOUT ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE FOSTER YOUTH IN TEXAS, ALMOST 5,000 YOUTHS ARE RIGHT HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY. AND IN REGARDS TO THIS ITEM IN FRONT OF US IN JANUARY, THE Y W C A APPROACHED COMMUNITY AND THE DISTRICT FIVE OFFICE ABOUT THIS PROJECT THAT THE SISTERS OF THE MISSIONARY CATECHIST OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE, WHO OWNED THE CONVENT, GAVE TO THE Y W C A WITH THEIR BLESSING OF THIS PROJECT. FROM THE START, THE Y W C A COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP PLANS FOR THE WOMEN'S LIVE LEARN CENTER. THE Y W C A EVEN PROPOSED A COLLABORATIVE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS WITH AREA RESIDENTS. THOUGH AT THAT POINT, SOME FOLKS THOUGHT THAT THE CANVAS WAS A LITTLE TOO BLANK. SO THIS INITIATED A EIGHT MEETING PROCESS FROM JANUARY THROUGH MARCH. DURING THIS TIME, MY STAFF AND I BLOCK BLOCKED AND KNOCKED ON DOORS WITHIN THE 200 FOOT RADIUS. WE SENT OUT MAILERS CONTINUE TO KNOCK ON DOORS. THREE SEPARATE TIMES. THE REACTIONS I RECEIVED AT THE DOORS WERE OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTIVE OR INDIFFERENT. UNDERSTANDABLY, SOME NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP HAD SOME, SOME QUESTIONS WHICH ENDED UP MAKING OVER THE OVERALL PLAN BETTER. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE LETTER OF INTENT, WHICH, YOU KNOW, FROM THE VERY START, THE Y W C A PUT FORWARD, UM, WAS TO NEGOTIATE SOME RESTRICTIONS, SOME OF WHICH, UH, FRANCESCA TOUCHED ON, UM, RESTRICTIONS, UH, SUCH AS HOMELESS SHELTER, MANUFACTURED HOME, A RESTRICTION OF A METHADONE OR DRUG CLINIC OF RESTRICTION OF A DETENTION CENTER, RESTRICTION OF A CONVENIENCE STORE, SO ON AND SO FORTH. THERE ARE 41 RESTRICTIONS BY WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE THESE ASSURANCES. AS PART OF THE REZONING. Y W C A DEMONSTRATED HOW EFFECTIVE A MASTER PLANNING PROCESS CAN BE. WHILE I RECOGNIZE FOLKS WOULD ALWAYS LIKE A LITTLE MORE TIME, AS MY COLLEAGUES KNOW, UH, OFTENTIMES, WHETHER YOU'RE NON-PROFIT OR FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES USUALLY WAIT TO GET THE NECESSARY ZONING BEFORE INVESTING MORE RESOURCES INTO PROGRAMMING OR PROJECT OR PROPERTY. THAT BEING SAID, COMMUNITY, UH, INPUT WILL NOT END WITH THIS VOTE. IN FACT, THE WESTWOOD SQUARE AND LOS ENES RESIDENTS WILL SERVE ON A NEWLY FORMED COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO WORK WITH THE Y W C A TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT AS THIS PLAN PROGRESSES. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE ALSO SOME HARMFUL MISCONCEPTIONS BEING SPREAD ABOUT THIS PROJECT THAT I BELIEVE WOULD ONLY GROW IF THIS CASE IS PUT ON THE SHELF FOR AN ADDITIONAL THREE WEEKS. THE PRIMARY MISCONCEPTION THAT I HEARD WAS THAT THIS CAMPUS WAS GOING TO BE ANOTHER HAVEN FOR HOPE OR A DRUG FACILITY. THERE WERE EVEN FLYERS BEING DISTRIBUTED, WHICH STATED THAT THE Y W C A WAS BEING DISHONEST IN THEIR POSITION AND PLANS WITH THE PROPERTY. UM, I KNOW FRANCESCA ALREADY TOUCHED ON, UM, WHAT THE Y W C A IS NOT GOING TO BE. UM, BUT CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH SOME OF THOSE AGREED UPON, UH, RESTRICTIONS BRIEFLY, OR CAROLINE? SO [03:10:01] THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN. UM, HOMELESS SHELTER, THE MANU MANUFACTURED HOMES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE U D C METHADONE DRUG ALCOHOL DETOX CLINIC DETENTION CENTER, ALCOHOL BEVERAGE, RETAIL SALES, ALCOHOL, WINE BOUTIQUE, A BILLIARD AND POOL HALL, ENTERTAINMENT VENUE, VIDEO GAME COIN OR TOKEN OPERATED ANIMAL CLINIC, ANIMAL AND PET SERVICES. CEMETERY, AUTO GLASS TINTING, AUTO AND TRUCK LIGHT. AUTO RENTAL. AUTO ALARM. AUTO. AUTO, OH, SORRY. AUTO PARTS, LIMOUSINE SERVICE, PARKING LOT, PARKING GARAGE, TIRE REPAIR, ARCHERY RANGE, BUSINESS MACHINES, CONVENIENCE STORE WITH GASOLINE, DRUG STORE, APOTHECARY PAINT AND WALLPAPER STORE, RETAIL AND WHOLESALE, PET OR PET SUPPLY, PLUMBING FIXTURES, RUG AND CARPET, TOBACCO STORE APPLIANCE, ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, GUNSMITH, LAWNMOWER REPAIR AND SERVICE, MASSAGE AND THERAPEUTIC. UH, OFFICE. OFFICE CALL CENTER, PALM READING TRANSIT PARK, AND RIDE SHOPPING CENTER. TRANSIT TRANS TRANSFER CENTER. RIGHT. THANK YOU FRANCESCA. AND THOSE ARE THE 41 RESTRICTIONS THAT THE Y W C A HAS AGREED TO. UM, BUT I WANNA MAKE ONE THING VERY CLEAR, UH, ABOUT THIS PROCESS WAS THAT IS THAT SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND WOMEN EXITING ABUSE OR THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM DO NOT DESERVE TO BE STIGMATIZED. IF WE AS A CITY ARE SERIOUS ABOUT ENDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HOUSELESSNESS, THEN IT STARTS HERE AND IT STARTS WITH US. AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS FOR THEIR INPUT FROM THE Y W C A STAFF ALWAYS BEING ACCESSIBLE TO COMMUNITY, SETTING UP MEETINGS, UH, FACILITATING TOURS ON THEIR CAMPUS, AS WELL AS OUR DISTRICT FIVE STAFF, KATIE AND DEREK, FOR FACILITATING THOSE COMMUNITY MEETINGS. AS WELL AS, UH, COUNCILMAN MELISSA HAUGH, HER STAFF, DR. SAM AND ORLANDO FOR FACILITATING, UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS WITHIN DISTRICT SIX. OVER THE COURSE OF THIS ZONING CASE, NEARLY 200 PEOPLE FROM DISTRICT FIVE AND ACROSS THE CITY TOOK TIME TO SEND IN LETTERS AND EMAILS AND EVEN CALLED IN. AND I ALSO WANNA THANK KAT, MELISSA, AND MIKE FOR SPENDING SOME OF THEIR SATURDAYS IN DISTRICT FIVE AS WELL. UH, THE OVERWHELMINGLY MAJORITY OF THOSE 200 RESIDENTS WERE IN FAVOR OF THIS PROJECT. AND AGAIN, I PERSONALLY KNOCKED AND WENT DOOR TO DOOR TO TALK ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND INVITE NEIGHBORS TO OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS. BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT SAFE HOUSING IS A PIVOTAL, IS PIVOTAL IN EXITING AN ABUSIVE SITUATION OR EXITING THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM AND INTO A MORE STABLE SITUATION FOR ONE TO, TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES. Y W C A IS THE DISTRICT FIVE INSTITUTION THAT HAS SERVED DISTRICT FIVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AND WOMEN ACROSS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THIS PROJECT ALIGNS PERFECTLY WITH THE CITY'S LOVE IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE REPORT, THE STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, AND THE WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM. AND WITH THAT, I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM 44. SECOND. ALL RIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 44. MOVE ON TO NOW. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YOU KNOW, I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT, UH, I'M A NEIGHBORHOOD KIND OF GUY, AND SO IT WAS, UH, I THINK IMPORTANT TO HEAR FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY WHO CAME OUT TO EXPRESS THE CONCERNS THAT YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS HAVE. A LOT OF TIMES THOUGH, I FIND THAT, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS AND, AND PARTICULARLY MY NEIGHBORS, MAY NOT BE AS WELL INFORMED AS THEY NEED TO BE ABOUT ISSUES THAT, UH, THAT REQUIRE CHANGE IN WHAT THEY'VE EXPECTED IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. I WAS, UH, VERY PLEASED TO HEAR THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO BE LIKE, UH, IN THAT COMMUNITY. I HOPE THAT, UH, THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COMMUNITY WHO WERE HERE WERE ENCOURAGED TO HEAR WHAT THE Y W C A SAID THAT PROJECT WILL BE AND WHAT IT WON'T BE. AND BASED ON THAT, UH, I, UH, WILL VERY ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT THE APPROVAL, UH, OF THIS REZONING. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO START OFF FIRST BY THANKING, UM, MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, UH, FOR HER WORK ON THIS. AND, UM, I WANTED TO ALSO THANK EVERYBODY THAT CAME AND SPOKE AND ALL OF THE WOMEN THAT ARE HERE, UM, UH, KARINA CASTILLO JOHNSON, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING YOUNG WOMEN. I THOUGHT WHAT YOU, YOU SAID EARLIER, UM, WAS WONDERFUL. I, I DO HAVE TO SAY I HAVE ONE OF MY OWN STUDENTS IN THE CROWD, SO, UM, I'M VERY PROUD OF, OF YOU KEANA FOR SUPPORTING, UM, AND FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN. AND SO I ALSO, UM, UH, HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME. AND SO, UH, THERE WAS A, IN FACT, A NEWS RELEASE THAT WENT OUT JANUARY THE 12TH AND UM, I WAS EXCITED BECAUSE IN THE NEWS RELEASE THIS CAMPUS, UH, WILL OFFER, IT SAID THAT [03:15:01] THE CAMPUS WILL OFFER HOUSING, JOB TRAINING, CHILDCARE, AND OTHER SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO EMPOWER WOMEN TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY AND BECOME INDEPENDENT. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. IT HAPPENS TO BE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, AND I CAN'T HELP BUT NOTICE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES NOTICED THIS, NOTICED THIS, BUT I WAS KEEPING A TALLY THAT, UM, A MAJORITY OF THE MALES WHO SPOKE TODAY WERE AGAINST THIS. AND THAT'S TELLING, UM, TO ME, RIGHT? UH, BECAUSE IT, IT LET, IT LETS ME KNOW THAT WE NEED TO WORK MORE ON OUR MALE ALLIES SO THAT THEY COULD REALLY SEE, UM, WHAT THIS WILL DO FOR WOMEN SPECIFICALLY. AND SO I'M HAPPY THAT THE Y W C A SUPPORTS CHILDCARE, YOUTH SUCCESS, ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, SENIOR INDEPENDENCE, RACIAL JUSTICE, AND HEALTH EQUITY SERVICES AT ITS CAMPUSES NEARBY. SO YES, THE OLGA MADRID CENTER IN LAS PALM ON THE WEST SIDE, WERE VERY AWARE ABOUT IT. A LOT OF THE STUDENTS THAT I REPRESENT, UH, THAT I, THAT I WORK WITH ON A DAILY BASIS, HAVE, UM, WORKED WITH YOU ALL HAVE WOR THE ONLY REASON THAT THEY ARE WHERE THEY ARE IS BECAUSE OF THE Y W C A. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. ALSO, UM, FRANCESCA, UH, FOR, FOR YOUR SUPPORT. I KNOW YOU BRIEFED ME. I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON. UM, THERE WAS A NEWS STORY ON FEBRUARY THE 20TH IN THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS BY SCOTT HUDDLESTON THAT TALKED ABOUT THE OPPOSITION. MY, UH, ZONING COMMISSIONER VOTED IN FAVOR OF THIS. UM, I AM TERRIFIED WHEN I HEAR THINGS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WAS HEARD TODAY THAT SAID, THESE PEOPLE, I HATE WHEN I HEAR THESE PEOPLE OR THOSE PEOPLE. AND SO THAT TO ME IS VERY CONCERNING. SO THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ONE, WE'RE ALL ONE COMMUNITY. AND, UM, I, I WAS ALSO HAPPY TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE THAT WAS GONNA BE ONE OF MY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MASTER PLAN PROCESS THAT IS PLANNED THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. AND SO I'M HAPPY THAT THAT CONTINUES AND THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A COMMITTEE THAT'S GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN IT. I'M HAPPY THAT MY COLLEAGUE HAL, ALONG WITH THE Y W C A, WE'RE ABLE TO BLOCK WALK. THERE IS A COMMISSIONER THAT VOTED AGAINST THIS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL GOT A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE MINUTES, BUT ONE ZONING COMMISSIONER WHO VOTED AGAINST IT SAID THAT THIS MIGHT BE BETTER SUITED, THIS AREA MIGHT BE BETTER SUITED FOR MARKET RATE APARTMENTS. HOWEVER, THERE IS ANOTHER, UM, ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONERS THAT SAID, AND THIS ONE WAS COMMISSIONER FROM D 10, SAID THAT THIS IS A NOBLE CAUSE AND WOULD BE RUN RESPONSIBLY. AND THAT CITY CODE CURRENTLY NEEDS TO BE, UM, RE-LOOKED AT, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE SENSITIVITY TO NEIGHBORHOODS AND TO NON-PROFITS. SO I QUOTE, HE SAID, THE CODE IS AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. AND I THINK THAT THIS IS ONE STEP OF FIXING, I THINK WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN FIX THIS, WE CAN HELP, BUT WE DO NEED ADDITIONAL HOUSING. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY COMING UP. YES, IT'S A DECADE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND YES, THIS IS A GREAT STEP. SO TODAY I WILL BE IN SUPPORT OF THIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. THANK YOU. UM, I PROMISE I WAS PAYING ATTENTION, BUT I COMPLETELY MISSED THE CONNECTION BETWEEN, UH, THIS, THIS WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT CENTER AND GOING INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND AN INVASION BY RUSSIA. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THERE. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SIT HERE AND, UH, LISTEN TO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO SAY THAT, UH, THERE'S SOME WOMEN HERE WHO WANT TO OPEN A BAR AND THEY'VE DONE GREAT WORK IN THE COMMUNITY AND APPROVE THAT AND TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT THIS STELLAR REPUTATION THAT Y W C A HAS AND NOT APPROVE A ZONING, UM, A ZONING CHANGE FOR THEM. AND FURTHERMORE, YOU KNOW, I I LOOK AT THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, AND I THINK ABOUT, I REFLECT ON ALL THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD HERE, THAT THIS IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH. AND MY HOPE IS THAT 10 YEARS OR 20 YEARS FROM NOW, WHENEVER THERE'S A NEW COUNCIL UP HERE THAT IS CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO POINT TO SOME OF THE YOUNG WOMEN, UH, WHO WERE VULNERABLE, WHO YOU ALL HELPED, UH, EMPOWER AND GAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO, AND THAT WERE CELEBRATING THAT COUNCIL 10 OR 20 YEARS FROM NOW IS CELEBRATING THE, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO I'M GONNA BE SUPPORTING THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. COUNCIL MEMBER PALS. THANK YOU. WHO DOESN'T LIKE PALM READING? UH, I, I HEARD THAT ON THE LIST. UH, SO, UM, LISTEN, FOR, FOR 20 YEARS, 20 YEARS I'VE BEEN REPRESENTING, UH, THE BATTERED WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S SHELTER. UM, I WAS THEIR SOLE IN-HOUSE COUNSEL FOR, FOR MANY OF THOSE 20 YEARS. AND, UM, I CAN TELL YOU WHAT DOESN'T HAPPEN AT THE BATTERED WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S SHELTER, THE WOMEN AND THOSE CHILDREN, UH, DON'T LOITER OUT FRONT. THEY DON'T GO WANDERING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, THEY DON'T GO PARTYING LIKE GIRLS GONE [03:20:01] WILD OR WHATEVER. THOSE VIDEOS WERE OUT, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL, ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT, UH, INTO YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THEY DON'T GRAFFITI. THEY DON'T BREAK INTO YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, THEY DON'T BRING THE VALUE OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS DOWN. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO TOLD YOU THAT, FOLKS, AND I'M SORRY THAT WHOEVER TOLD YOU THAT LIED TO YOU, BUT THAT'S JUST NOT THE WAY IT WORKS. UM, THESE WOMEN SHOW UP, UH, TO THESE, UH, VERY, VERY SACRED PLACES AND DO VERY SERIOUS WORK, AND THEY TAKE IT SUPER SERIOUSLY. UM, THEY'RE SECURE. THESE PLACES ARE CLEAN AND THE BEST, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ORGANIZATIONS IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING THAT Y W C A AND FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES AND UNITED WAY BACKED ORGANIZATIONS, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT YOU'LL NEVER HAVE PROBLEMS, UH, AT THEIR, AT THEIR FACILITIES. AND I'D BE SHOCKED. I MEAN, REALLY, I'D, I'D BE SHOCKED, UH, IF, IF, IF, IF EVER ANY OF THE THINGS THAT Y'ALL FEAR WOULD HAPPEN. UM, SO, UH, HERE'S, HERE'S WHAT I HEARD. WE ARE NOT AGAINST SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT I ALSO HEARD THE, THERE ARE BETTER PLACES FOR THESE PEOPLE. SOMEBODY SAID THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS, AND THEN SOMEBODY ACTUALLY INVOKED UKRAINE. UM, AND SO I, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHERE I HEARD IT, I HEARD IT TWO MONTHS AGO AT THE WEALTHIEST NEIGHBORHOOD IN ALL OF SAN ANTONIO COMPLAINING ABOUT APARTMENTS WHO WERE GOING TO BE BUILT NEXT DOOR TO THEM. AND THESE ARE GOING TO BE THE MOST LUXURIOUS, MOST AP EXPENSIVE APARTMENTS IN ALL OF SAN ANTONIO. AND YOU KNOW WHAT I ASKED? I SAID, WHEN YOU SAY THESE PEOPLE WHO, WHAT? AND, AND WHERE DID THESE PEOPLE NEED TO GO? 'CAUSE THEY SAID THERE'S A MORE APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR THESE PEOPLE. AND YOU KNOW WHERE THEY SAID IT? 'CAUSE THEY ACTUALLY FINISHED THE SENTENCE THEY SAY ON THE SOUTH SIDE, ON THE WEST SIDE. SEND THEM THERE. AND THAT BREAKS MY HEART AND IT, AND IT HURTS EVEN MORE WHEN I HEAR WESTSIDER SAYING THESE PEOPLE, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE THESE PEOPLE TO GO? AND BY THE WAY, THESE PEOPLE ARE OUR DAUGHTERS. OUR OUR MOTHERS, OUR GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTERS, OUR GRANDDAUGHTERS, UM, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S, UH, WHEN ONE IN THREE WOMEN IN SAN ANTONIO HAVE A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STORY TO TELL, OR WILL HAVE A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STORY TO TELL. THAT'S ONE IN THREE WOMEN IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS, IN MY NEIGHBORHOODS, AT YOUR CHURCHES, AT YOUR, AT YOUR WORKPLACES. SO WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? IT'S THOSE WOMEN AND IT'S SOME WOMEN IN THIS ROOM. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GONNA BE THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T WANT THOSE DESPICABLE, THESE PEOPLE, THOSE DEPLORABLES ANYWHERE NEAR ME. UM, I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF ELITISM THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, RESONATES UP HERE ON THIS DA. AND I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE HAVE PICKED THAT UP, UM, OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. I, I, I WILL TELL YOU, UM, COUNCILMAN CA, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, OOH, YOU AND I FIGHT LIKE CATS AND DOGS UP HERE, AND WE DISAGREE ON ALMOST EVERYTHING. BUT THE REASON I RESPECT THAT WOMAN SO MUCH IS BECAUSE I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT SHE WAKES UP EVERY SINGLE MORNING AND SAYS, HOW CAN I MAKE MY DISTRICT BETTER? HOW CAN I MAKE IT STRONGER FOR EVERYBODY? HOW CAN I MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE DON'T GET CRUSHED BY THE BURDENS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, PRESSING THEM DOWN? I KNOW THAT, RIGHT? AND HER APPROACH IS ONE THAT I WOULDN'T TAKE, AND SHE WOULDN'T TAKE MINE, BUT I KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT SHE WAKES UP EVERY SINGLE MORNING SAYING TO HERSELF, AND I KNOW HER TEAM, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY DO, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY LIVE. AND THEY BREATHE AND THEY TALK AND THEY WALK THEIR TALK, RIGHT? UM, DID YOU SAY EIGHT MEETINGS? I MEAN, LIKE A NINTH MEETING WOULD'VE CHANGED SOMEBODY'S MIND. UH, AND SO I, I, UH, ABOUT THESE PEOPLE. AND SO, LOOK, YOU GOT MY FULL SUPPORT. I, AND, UM, I'M, I'M PROUD OF YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE, AND LAST WEEK WAS MY HARD ZONING DAY, AND TODAY'S YOUR HARD ZONING DAY. AND, AND, UH, YOU SUPPORTED ME AND I, AND NOT SUPPORTING YOU WOULD JUST BE, I THINK, UH, A A COMPLETE FAILURE OF, OF MORAL AND ETHICS IN, IN THIS INSTANCE. UM, WITH THAT, I HEAR YOU FOLKS, IT'S HARD, RIGHT? BUT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN BIG CITIES, UH, AND, UM, Y W C A THANK YOU FOR INVESTING IN, IN DISTRICT FIVE AND IN THE WOMEN OF, OF DISTRICT FIVE. AND THE NEXT TIME YOU HAVE A PROJECT LIKE THIS, COME TALK TO ME. WE NEED THINGS LIKE THIS. WE NEED WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN DISTRICT EIGHT TOO. UM, AND IF ANY OF MY NEIGHBORS COME UP AND SAY, THESE PEOPLE NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, I HOPE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS REMINDS ME OF WHAT I SET UP HERE AND HELPS ME MAKE THAT HARD DECISION IN THE FACE OF, UH, DIFFICULT OPPOSITION FROM NEIGHBORS WHO JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION AND WHO WERE BEING LIED TO ABOUT, UH, AN ORGANIZATION LIKE YOURS. SO, UH, WITH THAT, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE TIME TO SPEAK AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING AND TALKING TO US. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER LIAS. COUNCIL MEMBER ILLA GROUND. [03:25:02] THANK YOU. UM, YES, I DID NOTICE COUNCILMAN, UH, RACHA GARCIA. I DID NOTICE, AND I WANT TO, I DO WANNA ECHO THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON OUR MALE ALLIES. FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SOME REALLY GREAT MALE ALLIES SITTING HERE ON THE DAIS, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UH, I HAVE BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THE Y W C A FOR YEARS. FRANCESCA I'VE KNOWN FOR A VERY LONG TIME. I WAS VERY EXCITED WHEN SHE GOT APPOINTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. AND WHEN I DID GET ELECTED, I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS HER PROJECT AND THAT THIS WAS THE PROJECT YOU Y'ALL WERE WORKING ON. AND I WAS LIKE, WHERE IN DISTRICT THREE DO YOU WANT TO PUT IT? AND SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD A PLACE, IT WAS ST. ANDREW'S. AND AS AN ALUM OF PROVIDENCE HIGH SCHOOL, I KNEW THE MISSION OF THE SISTERS OF DIVINE, UH, PROVIDENCE. AND THE FACT THAT THIS WOULD CONTINUE THEIR LEGACY IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WAS JUST SOMETHING I COULDN'T, I COULDN'T LOBBY Y ALL AWAY FROM, UH, DISTRICT FIVE. I WANNA THANK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, UM, COUNCILWOMAN KEO HDA AND COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO FOR THEIR HARD WORK. I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA. I WORKED FOR SEVEN YEARS WITH THE SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING UP ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES. THESE STREETS IN AND AROUND THE CONVENT ARE STREETS I VISITED TO FOLLOW UP ON FAMILY VIOLENCE CASES, AND THEY DID NOT HAVE SERVICES. THEY DID NOT HAVE SOMEPLACE TO GO. SO I KNOW THE NEED THERE IN AND AROUND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND, AND THIS CITY. SO I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THIS. IT'S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU CONTINUE THE MISSION AND YOU EXPAND YOUR SERVICES. AND YES, WE DO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE U D C CODE. AND SO I DO HAVE A QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW IF MIKE, YOU CAN ANSWER IT OR MELISSA. UH, ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS NON-PROFIT ISSUE IN THE CURRENT, UH, CODE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT? COUNCILMAN? THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL, UH, U D C AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED, UM, IN THIS PROCESS RECENTLY. SEVERAL OF FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT ALSO SOME FOR PERMANENT, UH, HOUSING, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. UH, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WORKED WITH, UM, OUR, UH, HUMAN SERVICE, UH, DEPARTMENT AND WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TO DO THAT. SO THERE ARE TOOLS THAT ARE PROCESSING THAT WOULD HELP THESE SITUATIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO WHAT WE ARE OUT OF TIME, AND I THINK WE ARE OUT OF TIME, SO WE NEED TO PASS THIS TODAY, BUT I WANT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, ASSOCIATIONS AND THE PEOPLE THAT CAME UP TO UNDERSTAND THIS IS A WIN-WIN. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN OVER 300 APARTMENTS, THIS IS 33 UNITS AT MAX. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN, UM, JUST SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO AND GET A ZONING CHANGE. AND HERE WE ARE TODAY MOVING SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BENEFIT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND IN THE FUTURE WE'LL HAVE A U D C CODE THAT ADDRESSES THIS, THAT IT DOESN'T BECOME THIS, THIS KIND OF SCARY THING THAT IT BECAME FOR SOME OF THE RESIDENTS. I TRUST THE Y, THE Y W C A AND THEIR PROFESSIONALISM, AND THEY ARE GOING TO, I'M SURE, BE COMMITTED TO THE DEEDS. AND AS STATED BEFORE, IF THERE'S ANY CHANGES, THEY HAVE TO GO BACK TO ZONING. BUT I AM THRILLED TO SUPPORT THIS AND MOVE THIS FORWARD TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER IRAN, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, COUNCILMAN PLY, HIS REMARKS REALLY MESSED ME UP. WONDERFUL JOB. AND, UM, SO I'M A I'M, I WANT TO ECHO EVERYTHING HE SAID, AND, UM, I'LL START OFF BY SAYING THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME UP TO SPEAK. UM, I KNOW IT'S A LOT TO REQUEST OFF WORK OR TO COME DRIVE DOWNTOWN, ESPECIALLY DURING EVENTS AND, UM, MAKE TIME TO BE HERE AND TO EXPRESS YOUR CONCERNS OR TO EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT FOR ITEMS. SO LET THAT BE KNOWN. UM, I THINK ONE OF, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE ONE OF THE REQUESTS, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, A DELAY OF HOWEVER LONG, WHETHER IT'S TWO WEEKS, THREE WEEKS. UM, WHEN I THINK OF DELAYS, BECAUSE I'VE MADE MY SHARE OF REQUESTS FOR DELAYS APPEAR, I'VE MOTIONED TO, UH, CONTINUE ITEMS, YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IS IT BECAUSE YOU REALLY WANT TO DELAY AND YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND AND YOU WANT TO COME TO A PLACE OF, UH, MUTUAL AGREEMENT AND CONSENSUS? OR IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO DELAY SO THAT YOU CAN, UM, PUT FORWARD MORE EFFORT OF GETTING PEOPLE RILED UP AND GET THEM TO OPPOSE IT? AND YOU WANT TO SEE IT CHANGE BECAUSE YOU DISAGREE ENTIRELY WITH THE FOUNDATION OF WHAT THAT ORGANIZATION IS, AND YOU THINK THEY SHOULDN'T, THAT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN. IF THAT'S THE CASE, [03:30:01] YOU'RE NOT GONNA REACH CONSENSUS. Y W C A ISN'T GONNA CHANGE WHO THEY ARE. THEY'RE NOT GONNA CHANGE WHO THEY SERVE. BUT I APPRECIATE AND LOVE THE WORK THAT Y W C A DOES, AND I MET WITH THEM ON JANUARY 11TH, AND I REMEMBER THEY SAID THAT, OH, WE'RE GONNA PROBABLY HAVE THIS ZONING CASE COME UP FAIRLY SOON. AND I SAID, OKAY, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW THESE KINDS OF ZONING CASES GO. MAKE SURE YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS. AND WHEN I'M LOOKING AT 159 PEOPLE SIGNING A PETITION IN SUPPORT, WHENEVER WE HEAR ABOUT THE BLOCK WALKING EFFORTS THAT THE COUNCILWOMAN HAS MADE, AND WE HEAR ABOUT ALL THE MEETINGS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE, THAT IS THE OUTREACH THAT I'M EXPECTING OF PEOPLE WHO ARE APPLYING FOR ZONING CHANGES AND FOR, UH, MAJOR PROJECTS IN DISTRICT TWO. AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT EFFORT. UM, I ALSO, WHEN EACH OF YOU CAME UP AND SPOKE, UM, I'M LOOKING AT JUST HEARING YOU TALK. I'M LOOKING AT, UH, MY HUSBAND'S GRANDMA SPEAKING AND I'M LOOKING AT, UM, MY SISTER, AND I'M LOOKING AT SOME OF MY STUDENTS, AND I'M LOOKING AT THE PEOPLE THAT I REPRESENT IN DISTRICT TWO. AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE, A FEW PEOPLE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE SAID THIS, BUT I WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW I AM JEALOUS AND I WANT THIS IN DISTRICT TWO. I MEAN, I DON'T WANT THIS CASE LIKE THIS , I DON'T WANT THIS RIGHT NOW. WE GOTTA, WE GOT ENOUGH OF THIS. BUT I W I WOULD LOVE FOR Y'ALL TO COME ONTO THE EAST SIDE, AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE A PART OF THAT AND GETTING AN EAST SIDE FACILITY. AND LET'S MA, LET'S MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN. LOOKING OVER AT D THREE RIGHT NOW, , UH, LET'S MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN. I, THAT BEING SAID, I'M GONNA BE SUPPORTIVE AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I KNOW THIS IS A GOOD PROJECT AND Y W C A HAS WORKED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAM. BUT I HAVE TO DEFEND THE NEIGHBORS THAT CAME TO SPEAK TODAY, THEY HAVE ASKED FOR MORE TIME BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THESE ISSUES. THESE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SPOKE TODAY ARE GOOD PEOPLE AND THEY'RE GETTING SCOLDED FOR WANTING TO KNOW MORE. MANY OF THESE MEN WHO I'M, I'VE HAD THE HONOR OF KNOWING AND WORKING QUITE A LOT WITH, THEY ARE ALLIES TO WOMEN. AND IT'S INSULTING TO SAY THAT THEY'RE NOT. IT'S A SNAP JUDGMENT BASED ON ONE MOMENT IN FRONT OF THIS COUNCIL THAT ISN'T ACCURATE. AND IF YOU'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT DECADE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THEN WE SHOULD ALL LISTEN TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS WITHOUT JUDGMENT. AGAIN, THIS IS A GOOD PROJECT. WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER WITH THE Y W C AND THE NEIGHBORS TO INCLUDE COVENANTS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH SIDES DOWN TO THE VERY LAST MINUTE, I MEAN MINUTES BEFORE EVEN, UM, THIS MEETING. BUT I CAN'T ALLOW THESE GOOD FOLKS TO GET BERATED FOR VOICING THEIR OPINIONS. UM, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KI HDA. UM, LEMME JUST MAKE A COUPLE BRIEF COMMENTS AND I'LL, I WILL BE BRIEF. UM, I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE ITEM TODAY. UH, AND THANK YOU TO BOTH COUNCILWOMEN WHO REPRESENT BOTH SIDES OF A BORDER HERE FOR WORKING THROUGH THIS. UM, IT IS IN YWCA'S BEST INTEREST, UH, TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR. AND I KNOW THAT'S WHAT THE BIGGEST CONCERN OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS IS. UH, AND NO ONE WILL BEGRUDGE THE NEIGHBORS FOR WANTING TO LOOK OUT FOR GOOD NEIGHBORS. HOWEVER, IT'S OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO IMPROVE WHAT WAS EVOKED A A COUPLE TIMES UP HERE TODAY, WHICH IS THAT SAN ANTONIO REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST ENTRENCHED CITIES OF THE MAJOR METROS IN TERMS OF POVERTY. WE SHOULD TAKE SOME, UH, DEGREE OF INSTRUCTION FROM THE LAST FEW YEARS IN WHICH WE'VE SEEN THAT NUMBER NOW START TO TICK DOWN. BUT I WOULD SAY THAT IN SAN ANTONIO FOR US TO MAKE A CHANGE, WHICH WOULD BE TO EVERYONE'S BENEFIT AS WELL, IT'S LIKE ROLLING A BOULDER UPHILL. AND WE CAN LOOK AT THE BIG ACTIONS LIKE WE'VE TAKEN WITH REGARD TO WORKFORCE AND ALAMO PROMISE AND THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON WITH K THROUGH 12. BUT IT'S ALSO IN THESE LITTLE MOMENTS THAT WE GET THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE TO INVEST IN INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES, UH, WHICH IN THIS CASE, UH, 24 SOME ODD FAMILIES ARE GONNA BE CHANGED. AND NOT ONLY THOSE WOMEN WHO ARE GONNA BE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR GRANDCHILDREN WHO WILL HAVE EXPONENTIALLY BETTER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF THIS LITTLE FACILITY THAT WILL BE RUN AND OPERATED BY AN ORGANIZATION THAT I THINK UNANIMOUSLY IN THIS ROOM WE ALL ADMIRE. UM, THERE IS A CHALLENGE WHAT WE HAVE WHEN WE HAVE SOME OF THESE HOUSING, UM, DEVELOPMENTS OCCUR AND, AND OUT OF TOWN COMPANIES COME AND SNATCH THEM UP AND TRY TO SQUEEZE OUT A LITTLE BIT OF MARGIN FROM THEM. THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS. I DON'T HEAR THAT. THAT'S NOT WHAT WE EXPECT AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE NEED. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN WE'RE TAKING A BALANCE OF, OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS PARTICULAR DECISION, I UNDERSTAND, UH, EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD WANTS TO LOOK OUT FOR THEMSELVES, UH, AND WE DON'T BEGRUDGE THAT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY UP HERE, AND I, AND FRANKLY MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL MISSION IS THAT WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON THAT OVERALL GOAL OF ADDRESSING POVERTY IN THIS COMMUNITY AND MAKING EACH INDIVIDUAL FAMILY IN THIS, IN THIS CITY'S LIVES A LITTLE BIT BETTER FOR THEMSELVES [03:35:01] AND FOR THEIR GRANDCHILDREN AND, AND CHILDREN. AND SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO'S COME UP HERE TO EXPRESS THEIR POINT OF VIEW, UH, THEIR CONCERNS. THOSE WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, UH, WITH Y W C A AND THE FACILITY THAT THEY WILL OPERATE IN THIS CASE. SO, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UH, ALL THE WORK AND DUE DILIGENCE. AND WITH THAT, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 44, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL GO NOW TO ITEM 45 AND 46. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 45 AND 46 AMENDING THE DOWNTOWN AREA REGIONAL CENTER PLAN FROM NEIGHBORHOOD MIXED USE TO URBAN MIXED USE, LOCATED AT 36 0 3 SOUTH FLORIDA STREET FROM C THREE NA TO C TWO NA CD METAL RECYCLING ENTITY WITHOUT OUTSIDE STORAGE AND OR PROCESSING STAFF AND PLANNING COMMISSION. RECOMMENDED DENIAL ZONING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. 24 NOTICES MAILED ZERO IN FAVOR, ZERO OPPOSED LONE STAR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS OPPOSED. WE DO HAVE, UH, AS FOLKS LEAVE THE CHAMBER, IF YOU COULD PLEASE JUST, UH, KEEP THE VOLUME DOWN. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE ON WITH THE MEETING. UH, WE HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS 45 AND 46 JACK FINGER. WELL, MAYOR NURNBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. ONCE AGAIN FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK FIN, AND WELL, MS. CASTILLO, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE HITTING THE TRIFECTA TODAY. YEAH, WE HAVE A, A BAR, A HUMAN SERVICES CAMPUS, AND NOW A METAL RECYCLING FACILITY. , YES. UH, YEAH. METAL RECYCLING FACILITY OVER IN, UH, ON, ON SOUTH FLORA STREET THERE. NOW, UM, EVERYBODY ON OCCASION YOU DO NEED A METAL RECYCLING FACILITY, BUT, UM, THE QUESTION IS, WHY DID THE STAFF ZONING STAFF, UH, RECOMMEND DENIAL FOR THIS ONE? WELL, THEY SAID THAT, UH, BASICALLY IT, UH, QUOTE, THE INDUSTRIAL USE IS TOO INTENSE FOR THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. YEAH, TOO INTENSE FOR THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. I GUESS. NOT TO MENTION THE NOISE THAT, UH, SOMEBODY MIGHT, MIGHT WANT TO ENJOY LISTENING TO, I GUESS ON THE WEST SIDE. BUT, UH, YEAH, ALSO I NOTICED THE, UH, THE LONE STAR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION CAME OUT AND SAID THIS WAS A BAD IDEA AS WELL. SO, UH, YEAH. UH, MS. CASTILLO, MAYBE , MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW. I GUESS YOU, YOU WANT HIT ON HITTING ON ALL THREE OF 'EM HERE TODAY? THERE? WELL, WHAT THE HECK? A METAL RECYCLING PLANT. WE THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANNA THANK SERGIO, THE APPLICANT FOR LETTING OUR OFFICE TOUR THE STRUCTURE. AND THANK, UH, SUSAN POWERS, THE PRESIDENT OF THE LONE STAR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR JOINING OUR STAFF ON A SITE VISIT, UM, TO THE SITE. UM, I ALSO WANNA THANK, UH, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, VERAN AND HER STAFF ON THEIR WORK ON, ON THIS. AND IT'S ALSO ANOTHER BORDER PROJECT. UM, SO THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION WHETHER THIS WAS AN OUTDOOR METAL RECYCLER AT THE TIME. UM, AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION AFTER THAT, WAS IT CLARIFI, THEY CLARIFIED THE PROJECT AFTER IT PASSED. OWNING, UH, THE PROPERTY OWNER HAS GONE, UM, SOME GREAT , THE SOLAR AND WATER RENEW, UM, A JOLLY RANCH IN MY MOUTH. A GREAT PLAN TO USE WATER RENEWABLES ON THE SITE AND METHODS TO DIVERT WASTE THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO INTO OUR LANDFILLS AND INTO NEW MATERIALS. SO AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE INTENDED USE HERE, THE LONE STAR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS CHANGED THEIR POSITION AND ARE NOW IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT. UM, AND THEY ALSO MET WITH THE COUNCILMAN PHYLIS BRAN AND, UM, WHO I BELIEVE ECHOED THAT SUPPORT AS WELL. SO, WITH THAT, UM, I MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. SECOND. ALL RIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEMS 45 AND 46. ONE SECOND. I'VE LOST MY CUE HERE. UM, CAN YOU SIGNAL ME IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM? ALRIGHT, HEARING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THAT IS THE BALANCE OF OUR AGENDA TODAY. THE TIME IS 4:20 PM [03:40:01] ON THE 17TH DAY OF MARCH, 2022. HAVE A WONDERFUL ST. PATRICK'S DAY. WE ARE ADJOURNED. . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.