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Deborah Myers Real Estate |
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Information on a few of my marketing areas. CITY OF ALAMO HEIGHTS SERVICES City Offices are open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The various city department can be reached by telephone, as follows- A BRIEF HISTORY OF EARLY ALAMO HEIGHTS Beginning in 1890, the Brackenridge estate became available for development. The Alamo Heights Land and Improvement Company of Texas began development of the first residential area. A private waterworks was built, streets were laid out, and parks were set aside. Development was slow, however, due to the distance from San Antonio. In the early 1900s, after the Alamo Heights Land and Improvement Company of Texas failed, other firms began to develop the Loop, Madeliene Terrace, and Montclair sections. But growth continued slowly until the automobile changed the way suburban America lived. In 1922, Alamo Heights was incorporated. City offices were first located in what is now known as the Argyle. In 1927, city hall was moved from the Argyle to its present location at 6116 Broadway. Various operations and services are outlined below. Please feel free to contact the city at the numbers above for further information. POLICE DEPARTMENT top The Alamo Heights Police Department provides police services to the community from the headquarters located at 6116 Broadway, phone number 822-3321. The average response time of 2 minutes or less allows the police officers to assist the citizens with a minimum delay. |
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Emergency Assistance The Alamo Heights Police Department is the answering point for the Bexar County enhanced 911 system for our community. When the emergency 911 number is called, our computers display to the operator the name, address, phone number, and emergency service responder available to the caller. Restricted Parking Parking on residential streets between 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. is prohibited by City ordinance. If you need to park on the street between these hours, or have visitors who need to park on the street, please call the police department at 822-3321 for permit information. Vacation Premise Inspection This program is intended to encourage citizens to call the police department prior to leaving town for vacation or overnight trips. A police officer will check your home while you are away. Just call 822-3321 anytime to obtain additional information. Operation Identification Operation Identification is a citizens crime prevention program for use in home and business. The Operation Identification Program involves the marking of property with your Texas Drivers License Number, as a means of discouraging burglary and theft. The police department has engravers available to be signed for by the citizen. Bicycle Registration This program is intended to provide all required identification should your bicycle become lost or stolen. A registration decal is issued for each bicycle. A.C.T. Program The Alamo Heights Police Department participates with the San Antonio Police Department in the ARREST CAR THIEVES program. This program is intended to reduce the occurrences of auto thefts by registering your vehicle with the police department and having an A.C.T. decal placed on the windshield of your vehicle. Should your vehicle be operated on the highways between the hours prohibited, it will be stopped by the police, and the driver identified. The owner will be contacted to determine if the driver has authority to drive the car. Please contact the police department for additional information or registration. Security Survey A member of the Alamo heights Police Department Crime Prevention Unit will inspect your residence and make recommendations for additional security for your protection. This survey is free of charge. Insurance Reduction Inspection A member of the Alamo heights Police Department Crime Prevention Unit will inspect your home. If your home meets the minimum state required security requirements you may receive a 5% reduction in your homeowners insurance premium. Citizen's Police Academy The Alamo heights Police Department has the only Citizens Police Academy in this part of the State. The academy is a ten week course designed to provide the participant with an overview of the functions of the police department and the police profession. It includes a police ride-along program, and is very popular and most rewarding for all involved. The graduates have formed an alumni association and continue their close relationship with the police department. Citizens and business employees in Alamo Heights can apply for the Citizens Police Academy by calling the Police Services Division of the police department. Alarm Regulations Alarm systems are required to be registered with the city. There is an annual registration fee of $35.00 per residence or $50 per business. For further information, please contact the Police Department at 822-3331. Pets The City of Alamo heights has a leash law which requires all dogs to either be on a lease, be within an enclosure (such as a fence), or to be under voice control of the owner. There is limit on the number of pets allowed per residence. Please contact the Police Department at 822-3321 for further information. FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES The Alamo Heights Fire Department provides fire suppression/prevention and Emergency Medical Services. In any emergency call 911; the dispatcher can send Fire, EMS or Police. Emergency Medical Service The EMS service is capable of operating at the Mobile Intensive Care level and will transport life/limb threatening emergencies to the nearest hospital emergency room. Our response time is excellent. We have two ambulances on duty at all times. Smoke Detectors The fire department offers station tours and smoke detector inspections. At least one operating smoke detector is required by ordinance in each residence in Alamo Heights. As a service to the citizens of Alamo Heights the fire department can provide smoke detectors or batteries for a minimal charge. The fire department maintains a database of current residents in Alamo Heights in order to send out reminders to change your smoke detector battery each year in October during fire prevention week. The fire department provides several smoke detector services at no cost: installing your smoke detectors, installing batteries, etc. OTHER CITY SERVICES For further information on any of these "Other City Services" listed below, please call City Hall at 822-3331. Garbage/Trash For residential and business areas, pick up is three times each week - Monday, Wednesday & Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - depending on where you live or do business. Most businesses contract with a company for dumpster service because of the volume. All garbage/trash must be placed in a metal or plastic container which can be closed. Brush Construction/Renovation/Modification Building permits are required for everything except painting. Call The City Engineer's office first - even small jobs require permits including all utilities, gas, electric, plumbing and heating and air conditioning. Commercial Signage Two signs are authorized, but where they can be located depends on whether the business is in a shopping center or is a single business in a single building. Don't put up a sign without a permit. Where you do business and how you build on a piece of real estate is controlled by our zoning laws - Call for details. Recycling The City of Alamo Heights operates a Recycling Center near the corner of Bluebonnet and Henderson, which is behind City Hall. The hours of operation are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please separate your recyclables according to the bins in the Recycling Center. Water The City supplies water to all residential and commercial buildings located within the City limits. We determine the sewer charge for residential customers by averaging the water usage in the winter months. A notice is put on the water bill to notify residents when to conserve water for winter averaging. Property Taxes The City bills and collects it's own property taxes; property owners will receive a bill each year in October from the City, unless you have a mortgage company which pays your taxes from an escrow account. Little League Little League is open to boys, ages 8-12 (baseball) or girls, ages 8-15 (baseball or softball). Watch the Times during January for information on times to signup. Terrell
Hills TERRELL HILLS CITY SERVICES EMERGENCIES
ALARM REGISTRATION PERMITS OAK TREE TRIMMING GARAGE SALE BRUSH/GARBAGE/RECYCLING BRUSH GARBAGE RECYCLING ANIMAL REGISTRATION HOLIDAYS MUNICIPAL COURT SAFETY Burning accumulated trash and brush is prohibited by City ordinance. Trees and brush must not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic on streets, sidewalks or alleys. Parking in street prohibited between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. without permit issued by Chief of Police. Permits are issued for necessity not convenience. Parking in the street must be in the direction of traffic flow. Parking the wrong direction is a violation of state law which is aggressively enforced by the Terrell Hills Police Department. AUTO REGISTRATION 335-6627
GENERAL INFORMATION BOARDS/COMMISSIONS/COMMITTEES Agenda - City Charter requires posting of agendas 72 hours prior to meeting at City Hall, 5100 N. New Braunfels. These are posted on the bulletin board and in the foyer at City Hall and may be viewed 24 hours a day. Meetings are open to the public.Board of Adjustment - Fourth Wednesday of the Month, if called, at 4:00 p.m. City Council - meets second Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. Planning and Zoning Commission - meets third Monday of the month, if called, at 5:00 p.m. ELECTIONS
Burning of accumulated garbage, trash and brush is prohibited. CITY SERVICES EMERGENCY NUMBERS
CITY HALL - 824-3281
(weekdays 8:30 - 5:00) GARBAGE PICK-UP on Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday depending on where you live. Household garbage should be placed in cans or bags and left at the side or back of house, again depending on where you live, and not at curbside. Call City Hall for information on your pick—up day. COMMUNITY DUMPSTER is located behind the Diamond Shamrock on the corner of McCullough and Clarence St. Please use the dumpster for household garbage only, no building materials, boxes or brush. If it is full, please do not leave items on the ground. BRUSH PICK-UP at curbside on Wednesday only and must not exceed 3" in diameter and 6’ in length with lateral branches removed. Brush is to be stacked no more than 4’ high, 10' wide and 6’ deep so as not to exceed 250 cubic feet. Volumes exceeding 250 cubic feet will be the responsibility of the owner. Trimmings and leaves shall be placed in containers, not exceeding 40 lbs. Call City Hall to be placed on brush pick—up list. RECYCLABLES are picked up at curbside every Wednesday beginning at 7:00 a.m. for those living in single family to four-family residences. Bins are the property of the City and only recyclable material placed in the proper bin will be accepted. Pick up an information sheet at City Hall or call the BFI recycling hotline 648-5222 for more information. BAGS OF LEAVES AND GRASS CLIPPINGS are discouraged as we endorse the "Don’t Bag It" program but if you are unable to mulch all your leaves and grass, you may leave them bagged or canned at curbside. We pick them up several times a week. LARGE ITEMS that cannot be picked up with your usual garbage are picked up twice a year (April and October). The exact dates will be announced in the Park Gazette. NO PARKING 2 a.m. - 5 a.m. is allowed on any City street (City Code Chapter 26, Sec. 26.504) except under emergency circumstances such as overnight guests or driveway repair and then only with advance notice to dispatch at 822-2000. ANIMAL REGISTRATION is required for all pets and must be renewed yearly. Bring proof of rabies vaccination to City Hall. The fee is $1.25. (City Code Chapter 3, Sec. 3.203 and 3.204) RESTRAINT OF DOGS is required by City Code Chapter 3, Sec. 3.303. Dogs must be within owners property or under the direct control of the owner at all times. SECURITY ALARMS should be registered with City Hall. There is no annual fee but here is a charge for excessive false alarms. (City Code Chapter 21, Sec. 21.200 and 21.201) OUT-OF-TOWN REPORTS are taken at City Hall during regular office hours, preferably in person. After hours you may call 822-2000 or stop by the Fire Station to leave your request. HOME SECURITY AND FIRE SAFETY INSPECTIONS are available on request by calling 824-3281. O.P. STICKERS for your automobiles are available at City Hall for $1.25 plus tax. BUILDING PERMITS are required for most work of $100 or more. Contact Howard Dalros at 824-3281 for fees and information. SOLICITING door to door is not permitted except by prior approval of the City Manager and City Council. Permits are issued only to religious, charitable and political organizations and I.D.’s are issued by City Hall. Call dispatch at 822—2000 if you are solicited by anyone without proper I.D. LOCKED KEYS IN CARS can no longer be retrieved by the City personnel due to the liability involved. CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS are held the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 8:00 a.m. at City Hall. All are welcome to attend. EMERGENCY NUMBERS CITY HALL - 824-3281 This is San Antonio's most prestigious address. Home of George Strait, David Robinson and many of the city's elite.
Stone Oak area is booming Master-planned community has risen like a phoenix from ashes of '80s real estate crashMegan KamerickLeslie Steubing has been cattle ranching in the area now called Stone Oak for about 80 years and has seen development gradually surround him on all sides. He is skeptical of the benefits of that development and also of Stone Oak's recent annexation by the city of San Antonio. "They call it progress, but I don't know whether any of it is progress," he says. "I think the city is trying to be too big and can't support what they do. All they want is the taxes." Steubing, 82, lives on 550 acres in the middle of an area that is being developed at a frenzied pace. He is noncommittal about whether he will continue his way of life or sell what has become very valuable land. "I guess it depends on what happens, with the city and with the economy," Steubing says. "This building might stop abruptly. It has before." However, development in the masterplanned community of Stone Oak shows no signs of stopping, or even slowing down. Bordered roughly by U.S. Highway 281 North, Loop 1604 and Blanco Road, it is one of the fastest growing areas in San Antonio. Established in 1980, the masterplanned community suffered through the real estate crisis later that decade with the rest of Texas, and its development slowed. But, over the last several years, Stone Oak has been making up for lost time. The area is a hub of construction activity. Everywhere you look, there is large equipment and workers building new roads, pouring slab, pounding roof shingles and welding beams. New housing, retail property, schools and office structures are under construction, with plans for more. One developer says he recently was about to send a client an aerial photo of the greater Stone Oak area taken in February this year, but realized it was too out of date to be of any use. Demographic data gathered for The Weitzman Group shows that the population near Blanco Road and Loop 1604 will explode in the coming years. According to the 1990 census, there were 81,251 people living within a five-mile radius of that intersection. The estimates for 1997 were 112,505; projections for 2002 are that 131,567 people will live within that radius. The population is well-off: the 1997 estimated average household income within that 5-mile radius is $76,869; the median income is $52,174. "It's hard to believe all this stuff is happening. Now that it's all here, it has made my job a lot easier. It was a lot tougher when there was nothing out here," says Rick Sheldon, owner of Rick Sheldon Real Estate. Sheldon recently bought the remaining land in Stone Oak (about 1,100 acres) with his equity partner, First City Commercial, based in Waco, from Richland Properties for about $43 million. Sheldon worked as a consultant with Tampa, Fla.-based Richland prior to the sale. Richland bought 1,600 acres in Stone Oak from the federal Resolution Trust Corp. (RTC) in 1993. The RTC was set up in the wake of the nation's thrift crisis to dispose of the assets, primarily land, of failed savings and loans. "The person I credit most is Dan Parman," Sheldon says. "This was his vision, his dream. If anyone deserves credit, it's him. I just hope our stewardship meets his approval." The dreamerDan Parman and his partners purchased the 4,300 acres or so that would become Stone Oak in 1980. Dan Parman was certain the city would grow to the north. Most cities do, and he wanted to see it done right, says his son, Brad Parman. He studied successful neighborhoods and their commercial areas, adopting things that had worked into the Stone Oak design. The idea was to develop a mixed-use, self-sustaining community with homes, schools, churches, offices, medical services and retail. The plan would attempt to evoke tightly knit neighborhoods where children would attend school together in the same area from kindergarten through 12th grade; parents might work nearby and services were readily available. Parman sold out of the development in the mid-1980s to Lamar Savings, which was later taken over by Southwest Savings, which then failed, says Brad Parman. The land reverted to the RTC, which, in turn, sold it to Richland. The Parmans still consult with land developers and owners in Stone Oak, including Cook Inlet Region Inc., an Alaskan-based corporation of Native Alaskans that bought 291 acres near the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 281 North and Loop 1604 in 1993 from the RTC. That tract, along with another 175-acre piece owned by Concord Property Corp., will eventually have a road running through them that will connect Sonterra Boulevard to U.S. Hwy. 281 North, opening the way for more development along the throughway. Perched on the edge of the Hill Country, Stone Oak is a study in contrasts. The land's hilly, rocky topography of peaks and valleys and large trees make for beautiful surroundings that seem more suited for goat farming than suburban dwellings. Portions of the Stone Oak area are likely to remain lush and tree-covered due to several factors, including: the area's deed restrictions; The fact that the San Antonio River Authority owns several tracts of land in the area; and the city restrictions on development due to the area's location over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. While many landowners were granted grandfathered development rights before the city's restrictions took effect, the Stone Oak area remains a difficult place to build, according to local developers. This tends to make the land all the more valuable and encourages high-end development, real estate industry observers say. "Having an environmentally aware place is good for business, and good for everyone," Sheldon says. They have comeAfter years of booming residential development, business is following the rooftops into Stone Oak. People familiar with the area agree that the decision by WorldCom Inc. to build a 230-acre corporate campus at U.S. Hwy. 281 and Stone Oak Parkway marked a significant shift in the area's growth. The Jackson, Miss.-based telecom company has completed its first two buildings at the site, totaling 280,000 square feet at a cost of about $30 million. Patrick O'Neill, vice president of development services for the Dallas-based Amend Group, says the master plan for the site includes four buildings. Amend is managing development for WorldCom. About 1,300 people are employed at the site, which could increase to 4,000, according to the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. Other office projects also are in the planning stages or under consideration. HomeSide Lending Inc. is looking at developing an office complex with up to 150,000 square feet of space, according to real estate professionals with interests in the area. (See related story on page 1.) Koontz/McCombs LLC has a 102,000-square-foot speculative building under construction near U.S. Hwy. 281 and Stone Oak Parkway -- the first phase of a planned 343,000-square-foot complex. Stone Oak Medical Centre, a two-building office project totaling 64,000 square feet, is under construction near the North Central Baptist Hospital on Stone Oak Parkway. Joanne Connelly of Connelly Commercial Real Estate, who is marketing the buildings for developer Landstar Development Inc., says the office market is very tight in the Stone Oak area. "Leasing has been fantastic, but we don't have (office) product," she says. "Everyone who has done anything is pretty much 100 percent occupied." She cautions, however, that the demand is not limitless. "It's not an endless haven for anyone who can develop an office building," she says. "Obviously, we don't have a million people out here, so we don't know the depth of the market." A number of owner-occupied garden offices have sprouted up in the area, in addition to larger buildings. North Central Baptist Hospital dominates the health care market in the area, with a hospital facility and Remington Oaks -- an 86,000-square-foot medical office building in which the Baptist system has an ownership stake. Retail development also has mushroomed in the area. Opening this fall is Stone Oak Plaza, a 65,000-square-foot upscale retail development under development by Fulcrum Property Group Inc. and Mercado Partners II Ltd. at the northeast corner of U.S. Hwy. 281 and Stone Oak Parkway. Tenants include Broadway Bank, Reggiano's Restaurant and Pro Golf Superstore. Northwoods, a retail center developed by Barshop & Oles Inc., located near the southeast corner of U.S. Hwy. 281 and Loop 1604, is in the process of expanding to more than 300,000 square feet, which will include adding a 14-screen theater. Nearby Arbor Park, which is being developed by Trammell Crow Co., will have 140,000 square feet of retail as well. At the northeast corner of Blanco Road and Loop 1604, Cencor Realty Services has built a Luby's as part of a 165,000-square-foot development that will be anchored by Albertson's. Across 1604, Dolan Contractors Inc. is developing a large retail center to be anchored by an H-E-B grocery store. Jim's has already opened a restaurant on the site. "It (that Jim's location) dukes it out for either number 1, 2 or 3 in volume," says Cindy Gomez, director of marketing for Frontier Enterprises Inc., which owns Jim's. Herb Krumsick, who owns a tract of land at the northwest corner of Blanco Road and Loop 1604, says he is in discussions with Trammell Crow Central Texas Ltd. to develop a large retail center on that site. North of the Stone Oak community, two large developments are underway as well. Mission Springs, an ecumenical center for spiritual, psychological and physical wellness being developed by Rev. Buckner Fanning, recently unveiled Phase 1 of the development, a school located on Evans Road. The $30 million development also will include an aerobics center directed by Dr. Ken Cooper of Dallas who is credited with inventing aerobics. North of Mission Springs, Canyon Springs has opened its golf course and is in the final stages of negotiations with a hotel company to develop a five-star luxury resort. And if it all stops, as Leslie Steubing recalls it did before? Rick Sheldon says Stone Oak got through a crash before and still came out highly successful. That's because of the controls placed on a master-planned community, he says. "When we really learned -- where the master plan showed (its strength) -- was during the bust in the '80s," Sheldon says. "Even as bad as the markets were, they (master planned communities) retained their value." Here you'll find elegant homes, 3/4 acre lots, and an unbelievable location. Every home is an architectural statement. The best news is no city taxes for Shavano Creek residents.
IH-10 to Huebner or 1604 to Huebner - turn on Cinnamon Oak to Blackjack Oak. |
You have friends in Real Estate.
