Helotes' growth is affecting its image

An "Old Town" windmill blows in front of the Helotes Marketplace in Old Town Helotes An "Old Town" windmill blows in front of the Helotes Marketplace in Old Town Helotes Photo: MARVIN PFEIFFER, Marvin Pfeiffer / EN Communities Photo: MARVIN PFEIFFER, Marvin Pfeiffer / EN Communities Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Helotes' growth is affecting its image 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

City officials say the northwest Bexar County community of Helotes is in the midst of its most significant change since being incorporated in 1981.

Known to some as “The Gateway to the Hill County,” Helotes has been celebrated for its small town charm that includes landmarks such as Old Town Helotes and the John T. Floore Country Store.

Since Mayor Tom Schoolcraft's election in 2007, Helotes has survived a major flood, created a community band, added new community events such as the jazz festival and built a new fire and police station in 2010 — saving money in the process, officials note, to create the town's first-ever emergency dispatch center. And its festivals - including the annual Cornyval celebration and the Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival - are becoming famous.

Last year alone Helotes reached several milestones.

The city witnessed the opening of its first Walmart and the completion of additions to the Old Town Helotes district and launched a public access channel on Time Warner Cable — the first suburban city in Bexar County with one. In addition, residents saw the third consecutive year of decreased property tax rates.

The town scored a majored victory when it was awarded through legislation over eight square miles of land last June from the city of San Antonio. In 2012, Bloomberg BusinessWeek named Helotes the “Best Small Town to Raise Kids in Texas.”

“We're looking to the future of our city economically maybe 20 or 30 years into the future,” Mayor Tom Schoolcraft explained. “By assuring that we have room to grow both residentially and commercially — to me that's the biggest thing that's ever happened.”

“I think we see ourselves definitely distinct from San Antonio and some of the surrounding areas,” said City Economic Development Specialist Glenn Goolsby. “I think we also just now are offering services that increase the quality of life for our citizens where they don't have to go outside the city as much to make everyday purchases.”

There is still some concern, however, about where Helotes will be in the next 10 to 20 years.

According to the Census Bureau, Helotes' population grew twice as much from 2010 to 2012 as the state overall. The city's estimated 7,880 citizens have a median age of 41, suggesting the growth is from families choosing to live outside of San Antonio, accepting longer travel times to work.

“Every 10 years is a long time, but every 10 years our population has doubled. It's explosive growth,” Goolsby said. “It's nice to see, but it's definitely changing the environment. Helotes for a long time has had an older population and that's definitely switching around. It's a lot more young professionals moving into the area.”

With the population increases, a new housing boom and an influx of commercial developers, the town's identity is changing, and some wonder about whether it will be for the best.

In 1990, Dr. Richard Tangum, the director of the University of Texas at San Antonio's Center for Urban and Regional Planning and Research, and several of his students completed a development study on Helotes after its incorporation. It also examined what Helotes could become.

“There's a pattern of a fear that San Antonio is going to come and overwhelm cities and just simply gobble them up. The people who live there and move there want to retain their identity and the character of the community,” Tangum explained.

“How can you do that when by 2050 this metropolitan area will probably double in size and population? How do we not lose those communities in terms of their integrity and what makes them special?” he asked. “We don't want to have everything look like a McDonalds strip center.”

Helotes city officials have had their critics. Large companies like Walmart have the stigma of city killers, while the traffic problems make residents cringe at the thought of more development.

And there is a history: In 2004, former Mayor Jon Allan led a move for a moratorium on construction of a Walmart store at Scenic Loop Road and Texas 16. Grassroots resistance led to a 3,000-signature petition opposing Walmart's plans, citing environmental, historical and cultural concerns about the proposed development. The retail giant dropped its plans in late 2005, but later relocated to another Helotes site.

“Before I got in as mayor,” Schoolcraft said, “there was a moratorium against any new commercial construction. They just wouldn't allow it. That's the other extreme from allowing just anything to come in and do whatever they want without any controls. We try to stay in that middle.”

The mayor said, “You can't discriminate against any businesses if they are qualified to come in,” and Walmart was one of the developments that met the qualifications to open. He said the city's growth has provided benefits to residents.

“We didn't even have anywhere to go to buy groceries without going into San Antonio,” Schoolcraft pointed out. “Well, now people can do most of their shopping and never leave Helotes.”

Tangum through his experience has seen many towns and citizens battle with the “not in my backyard” mentality, but he believes there always needs to be an open and honest dialogue between residents and city officials.

“It always comes back to the individual circumstances of the community,” Tangum explained. “You've got to really sit down and evaluate it. What's important is to build a community consensus on what's important there and get people to understand that. Then from that you can build visions.”