Earlier this summer, I completed my second three-year term as chairman of Boerne’s Planning and Zoning Commission. During my time on the commission, I worked to ensure that the decisions and recommendations made by the commission not only reflected the values of our community but also sound management practices related to Boerne’s continued growth.
The commission’s recommendation to the City Council back in 2021 that the city adopt a Unified Development Code (UDC) is but one example of this.
The new UDC was the first major project undertaken to implement the updated 2018 Boerne Master Plan and, for the first time in the city’s history, combined various city ordinances relating to development into a single document. This single document has served our community well during these past 5 years and will continue to serve as a roadmap for responsible growth in the years ahead.
Another example of the commission’s values- based approach to planning and zoning is the new Buc-ee’s development. About this time last year, the commission tabled a proposed re-zoning related to this project for several months to give the City Council and Bucee’s more time to agree upon needed changes to the project to minimize the impact on local traffic and to maximize certain aesthetics — such as a reduction in sign height, light pollution, and the number of gas pumps and the addition of more landscaping and screening adjacent to nearby neighborhoods, such as Menger Springs.
During the time that the commission tabled the Buc-ee’s zoning matter, the company agreed to a number of significant concessions and changes to the project, resulting in a much better and more sensible development for our community.
In addition, during the past six years, the commission recommended that City Council approve only those zoning changes which were compatible with responsible growth. Although perhaps not as high-profile as the adoption of a new UDC, the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommended approval of only two new large residential developments — one offfour lane Highway 46 on the east end of town, and one off the I-10 access road on the west side of town — during the past six years was a profound departure from previous practice.
In both instances, the commission was satisfied that these developments were not only consistent with the City’s 2018 Master Plan but also that, located along major thoroughfares, these developments did not pose traffic safety or congestion concerns.
Mitigating traffic and road congestion, as well as management of the growth and density of Boerne through proper land use and planning, are two issues that routinely rank as the most important issues for citizens when completing the city’s annual Community Survey.
While the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council have done a good job with the latter issue, increased traffic and road congestion will be an ongoing challenge as county areas outside city limits continue to grow and develop.
As growth in the county along Highway 46 east of town continues unabated, the intersection of Herff, Esser and River Road/ Highway 46, which already ranks as the #1 congested intersection in Boerne, will only become more congested. During the recent rains, the flooding along Cibolo Creek completely closed this intersection, cutting off the eastern part of the city and county from emergency and other services.
The City Council in the near future will need to improve the Herff, Esser and River Road/Highway 46 intersection to accommodate increased traffic flow and to raise the intersection the 10 or more feet it will take to lift it out of the flood plain so that rain events like we had last month do not close it to all traffic.
It also will be incumbent upon city leaders to identify and implement a viable alternate east-west connector between Highway 46 East and Main Street/I-10 before commencing construction of the needed improvements, which construction undoubtedly will make navigating this congested intersection even more difficult for a time.
Given the quality of Boerne’s public schools, its vibrant Main Street and small-town feel, and proximity to a large metro area and job generator, population growth is inevitable — how we as a community manage that growth, however, is entirely up to us.
Tim Bannwolf served as chairman of the Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission from June 2020 through May 2026 and has lived in Boerne with his family since April 2017.
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