Arboretum San Antonio unveils master plans for a new 188-acre green space dedicated to trees on the city’s southeast side.
SAN ANTONIO — The southeast side will one day be home to a place of reflection, relaxation and serenity.
On Saturday, Arboretum San Antonio revealed its master plans for the 188 acres of green space that will be dedicated to trees.
The green space is located at the former Republic Golf Club on Southeast Military between Interstate 37 and Loop 410. The space is about two miles east of Brooks and about a 10-12 minute drive from downtown.
“We live in a stressful world right now,” said Adriana Quinones, CEO and President of Arboretum San Antonio. “We need these places to help us to kind of calm down and make us feel better. it just adds to what we already have on the north side with some of our wonderful parks up there. We kind of, I like to say we’re making almost like a, emerald necklace around the city of all our green spaces.”
The master plan for the arboretum includes trails, a tree canopy walk, an amphitheater and outdoor classrooms. Over 18,000 people weighed in to help create the final design.
Former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros dreamt up the idea of an arboretum for San Antonio in 2021.
“I heard a pastor in Atlanta once say, if you want to touch immortality, touch the future, then do projects that last beyond your time and are bigger than yourself, and this is one of those kinds of projects,” he said. “It certainly will last beyond our time, because these trees are going to be here hundreds of years from now, and none of us is. Additionally, they literally are bigger than us. Nature is bigger than us. The trees are bigger than us. The cause is bigger than us. The idea of shade and and and climate change and and tree cover for the community, those are all big ideas. So I think we’re doing the Lord’s work when we do something like develop an arboretum.”
Over the next two decades, the Arboretum San Antonio will be built in phases. Currently the project is in “Phase 0,” with Phase 1 which includes the groundbreaking to begin in 2028.
For a full look at the master plan, click HERE.