SAN ANTONIO – The District 2 Senior Center and Conceptual Master Plan outline possible improvements to Nicholas Copernicus Park on Lord Road and the adjacent land.
“It’s actually a two-pronged project,” said Michael Shannon, director of the city’s Capital Delivery Department. “We have the master plan for the Copernicus Park, which includes park improvements. It includes a new senior center and some affordable housing.”
Shannon, who oversees large-scale bond projects, said three different proposed designs were presented to District 2 residents during three public meetings.
All three designs incorporate the three key structures: the existing park and community center, the future senior center, and the future senior housing.
But the immediate focus is on the improvements to Copernicus Park itself and the senior center.
District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said the designs are beautiful.
The illustrations show the senior center, some new athletic fields, and some depict an auditorium, a splash pad, and pickleball courts.
After decades of being undeveloped, the land to the left of Copernicus Park is the proposed site of District 2’s brand-new senior center.
The current senior center, located on South W.W. White Road, is small and is located in a leased facility next to an electrical supply store.
“It’s not the kind of facility that our seniors deserve,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
In 2024, the city bought the 12.21 acres of land next to the park with improvements in mind.
After receiving initial public comments and conducting public surveys on the proposed project, city officials say they are pleased that community members are taking part and getting involved.
“This has been a very robust public engagement process so far,” McKee-Rodriguez said. “And I think we have a really solid idea of what the community wants to see.”
Shannon agreed.
“We got some good quality feedback, and we are going to kind of use that moving forward,” Shannon said. “We’re working through schematic designs, and we’ll be going out to the community again multiple times this year as we work to kind of a final design towards the end of the year.”
McKee-Rodriguez said the next step is to design the senior center, which he called Phase 1.
“The very next step we have is going to be the architectural design of the senior center,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
But before bulldozers come out, funding for the final designs of the park, the senior center, and the senior housing, and the construction needs to be secured.
“I anticipate that the next biggest opportunity we have is the 2027 bond,” McKee-Rodriguez said. “And so, it’s definitely one of my priorities.”
“Whether it’s in the next bond or other capital investment, we’ll be ready to kind of build and design and build those elements into the park,” Shannon said.
Both officials said that as the process continues, the community members will have opportunities to weigh in on the final design.
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