Boerne to get design expertise
By Linda Byrne, Editor
March 6, 2008

Everything from a Boerne riverwalk to tree-lined sidewalks is possible this spring as visionaries get out the drawing board to plan an ideal Boerne downtown.

It's all part of Boerne's selection by architects nationwide for a special planning program.

Boerne artist, Bil Zaner (l), shares his views on Boerne with City of Boerne Senior Planner, Paul Barwick (c) and Team Leader, James Abell (r).

"The City of Boerne has been selected by the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) for a specialized visioning and planning effort known as a Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (RUDAT) workshop," said Pamela Bransford, communications and information coordinator for the city of Boerne.

Senior Planner Paul Barwick said the AIA team comprises six to eight planning professionals from across the nation.

"These are nationally recognized individuals in their fields with broad-based experience," he said.

Bransford said the experts will study three areas: the City Campus on North Main; the Central Business District on Main Street from Oak Park to Frederick Street; and Cibolo Creek from Main Plaza to River Road Park.

Bransford said the City Campus is a 15.62-acre site on North Main and is slated to have the new public library, a future City Hall and other municipal and/or quasi governmental facilities. As for the Cibolo Creek, the city would need to obtain rights of way for the creekway improvements, Bransford said.

"The extent that it could become a 'riverwalk' is subject to the community visioning process, costs, and participation of adjacent property owners," Bransford said.

"The bond funds that were approved last year are simply for a trail; other funds would need to be made available for any additional proposed development."

Barwick said it's essential that people participate in the planning process.

"I think the most important thing I'm looking forward to is getting as much public participation as possible for what is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to plan the future face of Boerne," Barwick said.

Residents will have an opportunity to share their visions at a townhall meeting planned for later this spring. Six to eight focus groups also will be formed to gather input, and residents can send in written comments to City Hall or on a Web site to be announced.

Bransford said the RUDAT process "will incorporate and build on any previous conceptual planning work that has been done, including Main Street. And since Main Street is a state roadway, participation and input from the Texas Department of Transportation will be a critical factor."

Bransford said the City Council appointed a steering committee with Paula Hayward and Ben Adam as co-chairs for the visioning project. Other appointed committee members include Patrick Heath, Dayna Cartwright, Israel Pena, Nancy White, Paul Duran, Richard Chapman, Ed McClure, Bryan D'Spain, Marty Bryant, Michael Giddens, Ron Cisneros, and AIA Architects Daniel Ochoa, Frank Valadez, Larry Travis and Barry Wagner.

"The AIA project manager, Joel Mills, and Boerne RUDAT team leader, James Abell, will be visiting Boerne on March 13-15 to meet with various groups and individuals to get the flavor and feel of Boerne's special character," Bransford said.

James Abell is a professional architect from Tempe, Arizona and has participated on seven other design assistance teams.

For details and schedule information, click on the city's Web site, HYPERLINK "http://www.ci.boerne.tx.us/" www.ci.boerne.tx.us and Boerne RUDAT Web site, www.rudatboerne.com.

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