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Land Use

The Real Estate staff acquires and leases real property for public purposes and for use by the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority). We also process the sale or lease of River Authority property to third parties, the release of River Authority easements on private property, and process land use applications from third parties to use portions of River Authority’s property.

                     

Land Use in the San Antonio River Watershed

The San Antonio River Authority owns the beds and banks along the San Antonio River, its creeks and tributaries. This area lies mostly in the River Authority’s four county district of Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties. However, a portion of the San Antonio River extends into Refugio and Victoria counties. The River Authority also has jurisdiction of the river in this area until the river reaches its confluence with the Guadalupe River.

The San Antonio River Authority has jurisdiction as legislated by the Texas State Legislature, as prescribed in Chapter 276, page 556 of the Acts of the 45th legislature.

The River Authority conveys land rights for both public and private projects which involve real estate owned or controlled by the River Authority.

Creek and River Crossings

The San Antonio River Authority is title holder for the entire beds and banks of the San Antonio River and its creeks and tributaries. In order to receive a temporary or permanent easement to cross the river or a creek, a land use application must be submitted. This packet must contain:

  1. The completed Land Use Application
  2. Project Description Page
  3. Vicinity Map of Project Area
  4. Certified Survey with Metes & Bounds & Plan/Profile Drawing
  5. Methods of Environmental Protection (spills, maintenance, etc.)
  6. Administrative Fee (only checks made payable to the San Antonio River Authority are accepted)

The completed application is then submitted to the River Authority for review and consideration and may need approval from the River Authority’s Board of Directors. The applicant will be advised of all corresponding fees at the time of submission.

River Authority Properties for Lease or Sale

Occasionally, property that the River Authority owns is declared surplus and is made available for lease or sale. A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued to obtain bids for the lease of the property.

Joint Use Agreements

Joint Use Agreements administered by the River Authority allow the River Authority to monitor new developments in easement and other SARA real estate interest areas. Both public and private organizations must apply for Joint Use Agreements.

Alerts

Trail Closure Notice: San Pedro Creek Culture Park

The west bank of the San Pedro Creek trail will be closed from the access point at Commerce St south to Dolorosa until further notice due to maintenance work. Alternate route w/ ADA access is on the east bank trail that can be accessed either from the Commerce or Dolorosa crossing.

SASPAMCO Paddling Trail

The SASPAMCO paddling trail is now open from River Crossing Park to Helton Nature Park. *Please Note: Paddling Trail from Helton Nature Park to HWY 97 is still closed due to blockages.*  

Stem Density Efforts

Stem Density efforts are still in place but will not directly affect any parks or trails. We apologize for any inconvenience.

San Pedro Creek Culture Park – STREAM

Due to maintenance, the water features for STREAM art piece will be turned off until further notice. The STREAM Microphone area is also closed due to vandalism. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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