SATX-NSA: Impact 11/3/2025

On Oct,. 27, the Shavano Park City Council voted to have the planning and zoning commission, P&Z, conduct a review of the Cliffside Drive to Salado Creek Parkway “Hike and Bike” trail entry point.

Current situation: Proposed by Alderman Pete Miller, the review will narrow the scope of the project to the proposed Cliffside Drive to Salado Creek Parkway entry point, excluding the proposed trailhead parking lot and the Windmill Road bike path. Miller’s motion would instruct the commission to prepare a study focusing on the benefits and adverse impacts of the project. During the process, the commission will engage Shavano Park residents to ensure community perspectives are reflected in the final report.

City council agreed that $25,000 should be earmarked to conduct a survey and preliminary engineering.

Funds for the survey will be taken from the Engagement and Enhancement Fund, which is expected to garner approximately $150,000 in the fourth quarter of the calendar year.

Looking ahead: The P&Z is expected to complete and deliver the review by April 2026.  

On Nov. 1, the San Antonio International Airport is implementing its updated Disabled Veteran & Military Plates Parking Program.

The details: According to a news release, the updated program will provide parking privileges to Texas-registered disabled veterans or anyone with military specialty license plates.

Individuals enrolled in the program receive complimentary parking up to 30 days in economy lots, a 50% discount in long-term garage, a 25% discount in short-term garage and parking reservations. 

According to the news release, individuals will need to enroll to receive these benefits. The process will take between three to five business days, the release states. During the enrollment process, applicants are advised to wait for approval before making a parking reservation. Reservations made prior to receiving approval will be charged the standard posted rate, the news release states.

Guadalupe County Commissioners Court is looking to pass an update to its major thoroughfare plan by the end of 2025.

What you need to know: The thoroughfare plan is a long-range planning tool for the county's future roadway system, according to a presentation given to area residents Sept. 23. The plan was last updated in 2012. During their Oct. 14 meeting, Guadalupe County commissioners agreed Dec. 16 is their goal for passing the plan.

More details: During a Sept. 23 public meeting, 424 attendees received a draft of the plan to discuss. Between Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, the county received 193 comments about the plan, Assistant County Engineer Barry Black said.

“All the conversations I’ve had, I think, have been productive. Some folks are gaining an understanding of what a thoroughfare plan is, and what it’s about, understanding that it’s not a taking of land, these aren’t hard projects, nothing’s chiseled in stone,” Black said.  

From library openings to new sewing spaces, check out these top stories for the week of Oct. 27-31.

A hub for creativity: Snippets fabric shop opens in New Braunfels

NBISD reopens libraries, opens dashboard for parents to challenge library materials

Volunteer Guide 2025: Give back to 15 nonprofits in New Braunfels

Schertz City Council allocates $9.72M for new fire station

Family-owned truck looks to bring peace and love through Filipino food in New Braunfels

Millions of Texans may see delays in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits beginning Nov. 1, as the federal government shutdown reaches the one-month mark.

The latest: The federal food assistance program is set to run out of funding in November, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Two federal judges ruled Oct. 31 that the Trump Administration must use federal contingency funds, which are stockpiled for emergency expenses, to fund SNAP in November, although the next steps surrounding SNAP benefits were unclear as of press time.

The local impact: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks.

“People are at risk of going hungry if the government doesn't reopen and SNAP benefits are delayed. … These are already vulnerable Texans,” Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole said in an Oct. 27 interview.

Food banks across the state Texas food banks previously expanded their operations to meet increased demand as thousands of federal workers go without paychecks during the shutdown.