Wikipedia
San Antonio is set to be the fifth largest city in the nation.
San Antonio City Council approved plans Thursday to annex six properties currently owned by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. As of January 15, 2015, the tracts will officially become a part of San Antonio’s territory, and consequently will receive all municipal services, regulations and taxing authorities enjoyed by San Antonio’s existing residents.
The property acreages include the Canyon Ranch Tract, 421 acres; the Gallagher Tract, 710.29 acres; the Hampton Tract, 50 acres; the Laredo-Culebra Tract, 172.89 acres; the Lowder MaBe Canyon Ranch Tract, 461.23 acres; and the Schuchart Tract, 90.70 acres. All of the land is outside of Loop 1604 to the east, north and west of San Antonio.
Expanding our city’s area by approximately 1,900 acres, San Antonio is well on its way to becoming the United States’ fifth largest city, assuming the annexation manages to usher at least 145,000 suburbanites into our city limits.
City Council’s reasons for voluntarily annexing these new properties entails expanding San Antonio’s tax base and maximizing the city’s returns on investments in infrastructure during a period of rapid urban growth.
However, despite these outward incentives, some apprehensive citizens remain skeptical of our infrastructure’s ability to undertake more obligations without over-stretching our resources.