Without a reliable and affordable water system, San Antonio would have significant
challenges in attracting business growth. The competition for economic development
throughout the country is extremely fierce. Our solid commitment here means that water
issues are never a source of contention when selling a company on the benefits of moving
into San Antonio.
In 2004, two of our largest community acquisitions were Toyota and the PGA Tour.
Toyota – Along with City Public Service, the City of San Antonio and other
government agencies, we offered Toyota special development incentives including
waiver of impact fees, utility line extensions and reduced water rates. Additionally,
we supported Toyota’s environmental sensitivity with the extension of recycled water
pipelines for their manufacturing process.
This automotive manufacturing giant broke ground on an $800 million plant in
south Bexar County last year and will have one of the largest economic impacts ever
for San Antonio. A local economics expert estimated that Toyota, and its subsidiaries
and partner companies, could generate 16,000 new jobs in Texas – half of which are
in Bexar County. This would provide $962 million in income and create $1.8 billion
in community investment at the height of Toyota’s operation here.
PGA Tour – This development project, because of its location over the Edwards
Aquifer Recharge Zone, was very ecologically sensitive. By working closely with City
of San Antonio officials, SAWS created a stringent environmental management plan
for the PGA Tour development. This included using clay barriers under the golf course
for capturing and reusing irrigation water.
Also, their original development plan called for an impervious cover agreement
of 25%. The PGA Tour later agreed to reduce that to an almost unheard of 15%
(which saved 285 acres or the equivalent of a 2,500 single-family home subdivision).
Additionally, the PGA Tour agreed to pay SAWS $100,000 a year for 29 years to monitor
and sample water quality at the site.
These efforts gave local policy makers and citizens in general the comfort in knowing
that the Edwards Recharge Zone and local water quality would be protected. Easing
those environmental concerns allowed City leadership to finalize the deal with the
PGA Tour and gave the community another major employer.
