SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE: The developer for Mansions at La Cantera went before the Planning Commission for a replatting permit. The board approved the permit, saying by law, they had no legal grounds to deny it.
Commission members urge community members to work with the developer to find common ground.
(Previously)
Construction of the controversial apartments of Mansions at La Cantera is back after the city lifted a stop work order.
The developer is still under investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for possibly breaking the Endangered Species Act.
The development sits on the hills over La Cantera Parkway, just north of Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
City officials said the developer submitted the rectified paperwork to the city and federal agencies, and it had no authority to continue to hold the project.
Resident Matt Wanat said the community has new concerns about the plan.
“We would love to go back in time and bring all the trees back, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards at the moment,” he said. “We're disappointed that the city approved the waiver that allowed them to have a larger number of units for a single access point.”
Wanat said the additional residents will create a traffic nightmare, surrounded by homes, a theme park and shopping center.
“If you want to get into this complex, there’s only one way to come in and way to get out,” Wanat said.
The city said a traffic study paid for by the developer shows an additional 300-400 vehicles will be added by the project. The four-lane road can hold up to 30,000 vehicles a day.
Developer Matt Hiles responded to KSAT's request for comment with 125 pages of legal documents quoting environmental experts saying no endangered wildlife was harm or seen. They say the forms filed did not specifically require that the surveys submitted be from the last three years.
The documents also say that the city has no legal bounds to stop the project.
The following excerpt is from the statement provided by Hiles:
“Where, as here, the potential habitat at issue has already been cleared or otherwise impacted, there is nothing to be gained for the listed species by stopping the Project; rather, such an action by the City of San Antonio is purely punitive, and wholly outside the bounds of the authority vested in the City of San Antonio in relation to listed species ...”
District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez has formally asked that the state attorney and Bexar County District Attorney’s Office investigate civil or criminal action against the developer.