SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Weston Martinez, president of the Starbright South Side Neighborhood Overlook Association, and others say Toyota Motor North America\u2019s $3.6 billion expansion is great news for the city and the South Side.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe this expansion by Toyota is going to be that next chapter,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n
He said, in addition to seeing the creation of 2,000 new jobs over the next four years, he hopes to see more of Toyota\u2019s impact beyond the plant itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody says they\u2019re coming to the South Side and you don\u2019t see much happening,\u201d Martinez said. \u201dThey\u2019re on Lone Star Pass and on Zarzamora (Street).\u201d <\/p>\n
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, located at the intersection of Applewhite Road and Lone Star Pass, lies within San Antonio\u2019s City District 3.<\/p>\n
District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran said she wants to see the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can talk … how we can make sure it impacts the rest of the southern sector of San Antonio and not simply just the campus of Toyota,\u201d Viagran said.<\/p>\n
Martinez said he is also looking for city, county and Toyota officials to consider neighbors\u2019 input when making changes or plans to the area that directly impact them. He said it is something that did not happen the first time around.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to get left in the dark like we were last time … and then found out that they\u2019re trying to downzone everybody\u2019s private property rights and make it one big master industrial zoning, which would have stolen any potential value of anybody\u2019s property,\u201d Martinez said. \u201dEven if they wanted to stay, they couldn\u2019t even add a barn to their working farm without going through a full zoning case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martinez also said what is wanted and has been lacking is city services, despite neighbors having their property taxes raised.<\/p>\n
He said services are among the things anticipated as a result of Toyota\u2019s multi-billion-dollar expansion.<\/p>\n
Viagran said with the expansion deal now official, holding those conversations is the next order of business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to talk infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure,\u201d Viagran said. \u201dThere is not a lot of infrastructure down there on that side of town.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe fully expect those partnerships to now come to fruition where the entire region is going to benefit,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n
He said that in the coming days, the Starbright South Side Neighborhood Overlook Association will hold a meeting to connect neighbors with Councilwoman Viagran, their county commissioner and Toyota officials.<\/p>\n