San Antonio Park Deal: City uses $10 million buy to stop 3,500 homes; plan shields Edwards Aquifer

A century-and-a-half-old family ranch in northern San Antonio became the focus of a major conservation effort in June 2016, when the Classen-Steubing family agreed to sell 204 acres of largely undeveloped land to the city for a future park and protection of the Edwards Aquifer. The proposal, reported by Texas Public Radio and the San Antonio Express-News, offered an alternative to a residential development that could have brought as many as 3,500 homes and apartments to the site. The planned acquisition covered part of the historic Classen-Steubing Ranch in the Stone Oak area, one of the remaining large undeveloped tracts on San Antonio’s North Side. City officials viewed the deal as an opportunity to preserve open space while safeguarding an important source of drinking water. Scroll down to read more.A family decision shaped by conservationThe ranch had been in the Classen-Steubing family since 1858. As development expanded across northern San Antonio, the future of the property became a question of whether to retain its natural character or allow housing to transform the landscape.The family ultimately supported a plan that balanced preservation with limited recreational develop...