Wal-Mart is facing a zoning roadblock Councilwoman Chan files papers to have the property reclassified.

Wal-Mart plans to build a 180,000-square-foot Supercenter that would be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day on this site. The property is between Vista View Street on the left and Wurzbach Parkway on the right. less Wal-Mart plans to build a 180,000-square-foot Supercenter that would be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day on this site. The property is between Vista View Street on the left and Wurzbach Parkway on the ... more Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Wal-Mart is facing a zoning roadblock 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Councilwoman Elisa Chan took a hard-line stand Thursday against a proposed 180,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter next to Phil Hardberger Park by filing paperwork to rezone the property, a move that would prohibit large-scale commercial development there.

Chan's move, if successful, would end the possibility of a “big-box” development on the southwest corner of Wurzbach Parkway and Blanco Road.

Concerned about increased traffic and the overall intensity of the proposed development, she wants to “down-zone” about 19 acres zoned for commercial use to a category that, while still commercial, limits buildings to 5,000 square feet.

The councilwoman said her office has fielded innumerable phone calls and emails almost unanimously opposing Wal-Mart's plans to build a Supercenter that would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Chan said she shares her constituents' concerns about compatibility issues, since the site shares property lines with the sprawling, forested park and the North Castle Hills Neighborhood.

The councilwoman also said she was disappointed that Wal-Mart officials weren't more accommodating to the neighborhood's concerns.

“I think that representatives from Wal-Mart always knew that this (rezoning) could be a possibility,” she said. “The best scenario would have been for Wal-Mart and the neighborhood to come to a conclusion that can work for the store and the neighborhood.”

It's unclear whether Wal-Mart owns the property. Wal-Mart spokesman Daniel Morales hasn't said whether the company has closed on the planned store site.

However, the Bentonville, Ark.-based discount chain had sought buy-in from the nearby neighborhood because more than half of the 41.6-acre property is zoned for multifamily residential use.

Wal-Mart officials wanted to rezone those 22 acres to commercial, and they would need support from the neighborhood to do so. In exchange, they would offer a 175-foot buffer between the Supercenter and the neighborhood.

The neighborhood had asked for a number of concessions, including constructing a 99,600-square-foot Neighborhood Market instead of a Supercenter. That's nearly 20 times larger than the size of building that would be allowed under Chan's recommended zoning.

Wal-Mart rejected that idea and responded that its efforts to be a good neighbor were fair. Absent support from North Castle Hills, the discount giant would sell the residential portion of the property and move forward with building a Supercenter on the 19 acres zoned “C-2 Commercial District,” a category that allows for such development.

Chan said she felt like Wal-Mart terminated negotiations too soon. She said the company also wouldn't commit to a Feb. 20 town hall meeting the councilwoman plans to host. That was one of the factors that led Chan to file paperwork to proceed with the down-zoning.

“I don't see that they are viewing this addressing the public very seriously,” she said. “I don't think I'm asking too much to say, ‘Come to the public meeting to explain (the project) and answer the questions the public has.'”

Chan has proposed rezoning the C-2 portion to “C-1 Light Commercial,” which, according to city zoning documents, limits building size to 5,000 square feet and gives examples of permitted uses such as arcades, boarding houses, noncommercial athletic fields, retail furniture sales, grocery stores limited to 3,000 square feet, retail office equipment and supply stores, and retail rug or carpet stores.

On Thursday afternoon, Chan filed what's known as a “council consideration request,” or CCR, which requires the signatures of four other council members. She secured them from Mayor Julián Castro and Councilmen David Medina, Ray Lopez and Cris Medina.

Her actions surprised everyone — on both sides.

Morales, Wal-Mart's spokesman, hadn't heard about Chan's plan and offered no response to the proposed rezoning. Wal-Mart wants to bring jobs and competitive prices to the area, he said, and asserted that the opposition to the store is the minority.

“The louder voices in this discussion don't represent the majority opinion,” he said.

Upon learning of Chan's filing, former Mayor Phil Hardberger, who's championed protection of his namesake park from adjacent big-box development, applauded the North Side councilwoman.

“I think she's very courageous in filing such a CCR,” he said. “Without any question, the CCR she has filed represents the will of her constituents and it's certainly in accords with my own experiences as far as the constituents' opinions. She's speaking for her community.”

Chan's buy-in from councilmen representing districts across the city indicates a broad base of support, he said.

Wayne Fagan, a North Castle Hills resident and the attorney representing the neighborhood, said he was happy to hear of Chan's strategy.

“We're very pleased with the development and we will do everything within our power to support her and the council action,” he said. “We do believe that this rezoning would allow for a development that is synergistic with the neighborhood and the park, and is one that we could work with in developing something that everyone would be pleased with and proud of, and would be an asset for San Antonio.”

Chan's CCR likely will appear on next week's council agenda. If the full council approves it, then the rezoning request would go to the Development Services Department.

City staffers there would make a recommendation to the Zoning Commission, which would hold a public hearing and then forward its recommendation on whether to rezone back to the full City Council for a final vote.

Whether Wal-Mart actually owns the property now, sources say, likely is irrelevant. City officials say there have been no permits or applications filed for that property, which could trigger a claim against the city if it rezoned the site and forced a lesser use onto the land.

jbaugh@express-news.net