Signs were planted in yards around the historic Lavaca neighborhood in San Antonio for months in opposition of a gas station and Little Caesar’s development.
Zachary-Taylor Wright
The NCAA Final Four will usher in tens of thousands of basketball fans into San Antonio this week. While it’s certainly going to be an economic boost for the Alamo City, the neighborhoods around the Alamodome are wary of so many folks filling up their historic streets — concerns supported by experiences from previous, albeit smaller, events near their homes.
When the Alamodome hosts a big event or downtown streets are filled with festival or partygoers, historic neighborhoods to the south and east are bombarded with thrifty attendees looking for a free parking option. While it’s technically allowed on public streets (aside from a few special blocks in the Lavaca neighborhood), it spells some big headaches for residents.
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In response, neighborhood leaders are asking tourists or outer-city participants to use public parking garages or VIA Metropolitan park-and-ride services. At the very least, they ask for a bit of respect for their neighborhoods if you’re going to park there. These people live here long after the final buzzer has sounded and the bars call closing time.
“If there’s a public parking lot or a commercial lot, please consider using that,” Lavaca Neighborhood Association President Melissa Stendahl told MySA. “I know people want to save money on parking, but our city’s parking rates are pretty reasonable or at least normal … compared to other cities.”
Stendahl, who represents the historic neighborhood just southwest of the Alamodome, says the historic homes in the area are 100 years or older and weren’t built with cars in mind, forcing many Lavaca residents to rely on street parking to get to their homes.
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Plus, several blocks in Lavaca were approved for the residential parking permit program, which means violators could get towed or ticketed for ignoring the street signs warning of resident-only blocks.
The biggest concerns for residents are trash, parking responsibly and noise. King William Association Executive Director Lisa Lynde says people can get a little rambunctious heading back to the cars in the wee hours of the morning after big events. So, she just asks that people remember there are folks at home trying to get some shut-eye, unamused by the late-night shenanigans.
“At 3 a.m., don’t be yelling and screaming, ideally,” Lynde told MySA — a concern echoed by Stendahl.
The two neighborhood advocates also are asking visitors to keep their trash confined to trash cans. Stendahl says Lavaca and other neighborhoods have to plan community-wide trash pickup days after large events. Overflowing and limited public trash cans often lead to folks dumping waste on neighborhood streets and lawns. Lynde says it’s a big issue in King William as well, partly due to a lack of public trash cans in the area.
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The last big concern is around those who do find free parking in these neighborhoods. The two leaders ask those visitors to refrain from squeezing into that last spot in front of someone’s driveway and ultimately block a residents from accessing their homes. After all, the street parking is clearly taken, so you’ve left a San Antonio resident unable to get their car anywhere near their house.
Really, the requests from the neighborhoods essentially co-hosting the NCAA Final Four event with the Alamodome by proximity simply ask that folks remain respectful.
