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Texas Municipal League
City Planners Association of Texas Program
"Dynamic Downtown San Antonio"

When: 1:30 P.M., Thursday, October 29, 1998
Where: TML Conference, Convention Center (Room TBA)

Goal: To provide an entertaining learning experience for 60-100 Texas Municipal League (TML) participants who are likely to be familiar with some of the charms and successes of Downtown San Antonio, but who will want to hear, see and experience in more detail some of those elements which help to make San Antonio’s downtown so unique and successful.

General Session:
1:30 Welcome & Short Business Session—CPAT President Gene Lewis
1:35 Program Overview & Walking Tour Logistics —Dave Pasley
1:40 Planning in Downtown

    1. The Downtown Neighborhood Plan—Emil Moncivais, SA Planning Director
      1. A planning effort of several years is culminating in a first-ever downtown Neighborhood Plan
    2. Transit Plans—Bill Barker, VIA Planning Director
      1. Major changes in transit service in San Antonio’s busy central business district are in the works, including a fixed rail trolley.

2:30 Walking Tours

Convention Center Expansion—Jelynne Burley, SA Convention Center Expansion Office Director will lead a tour of the convention center expansion which is now underway, and attendees will learn how the City is more than doubling the size of its convention space, accommodating a 1,000 room hotel, extending the River Walk—and a lot more!!
The River Walk—Ann McGlone, SA Historic Preservation Officer will lead a tour touching on fundamental historic preservation and urban design issues, not the least of which is the question: Has the River Walk become too successful? See first-hand how San Antonio plans and protects what is perhaps its most valuable asset.
Four Theaters (and the one that got away)—Milton Babbitt, Architect and member of the City Historic and Design Review Commission will lead a tour to places most visitors have not seen in decades, the insides of four classic theaters located on Houston and Commerce Streets. The Texas Theater has been destroyed, and only the facade remains while the Majestic has been marvelously restored. Three other theaters, the Alameda, the Aztec, and the Empire are poised to follow the Majestic’s example.

The CPAT program will end at the conclusion of the Walking Tours, at approximately 4:30 p.m.