Plans for a new flood prevention strategy in San Antonio have surfaced, stirring trepidation amongst residents who may lose their homes. The west side's Thompson neighborhood faces the potential displacement of over 100 of its inhabitants to make way for measures aimed at thwarting the havoc a 100-year storm event could wreak. According to details scrutinized by KENS 5, a city-run flood control initiative spans across a five-year development period with the goal of rescuing homes from a redesigned floodplain map by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Tensions rose as residents, caught off guard, learned about the city's proposed move. Sarah Cervantes, a long-time resident, upon receiving a vague city flyer, delved into the scant details provided and discovered the lurking threat to property ownership. "It just said, ‘Concepcion Creek drainage.’ I didn’t even know until I looked into it and saw something about property acquisitions. So, I called [the city] and asked them what was going on.” Cervantes told KENS 5.
Motivated by urgency, the city's Public Works is strategizing to keep ahead of the catastrophic flood risk, projected to impact around 4,000 homes. Assistant Director Robert Reyna clarified the stakes: homeowners within floodplains would face mandatory flood insurance purchases, and restrictions on property development would ensue. Reyna's explanation did little to temper the emotional undercurrent of a community steeped in familial legacies and homes handed down through generations. Pablo Arriaga, whose familial roots run deep into Thompson neighborhood soil, crisply articulated the sorrow embedded in these potential acquisitions: “I grew up in the house my grandfather built. Then, I bought this house about seven years ago and fixed it up. Now, I get this bad news. I’m not looking to go find another house, get another mortgage, prices are expensive and interest rates are out of control. I was set to just live here and retire.” Arriaga told KENS 5, "Now, I get this bad news."
In a meeting that swelled with restless energy, nearly 200 residents crowded together to hear the city lay out three potential paths to disaster aversion. Each option hinged on property acquisition through eminent domain: from transforming 52 acres into a recreation-rich detention pond to constructing a network of smaller ponds across neighborhoods. The price to preserve continuity and safety in the Thompson neighborhood? Between $240 million and $560 million. Critiques arose instinctively, as Rudy Lopez of the Thompson Neighborhood Association voiced his displeasure: "In a time when we are living in a housing crisis, why demolish more homes?" Lopez passionately queried, as reported by KENS 5.
Amid these divisive proposals, the city extends an assurance of fair market value to affected homeowners, factoring in the nuances of renovations and upgrades. The true test of these assurances, however, will fall to the residents themselves, many of whom have expressed an inclination to risk the 1% chance of flood rather than uproot their storied lives. The final verdict on whether the controversial flood plan will proceed now sits on the horizon of a 2027 ballot, where the community's voice promises to echo loudly in the collective choice of San Antonio's future.
