Population growth along the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio has drawn in residential and retail developers in Hays County. With the immense growth, cities such as San Marcos, Buda and Kyle are collaborating with builders to drive the creation of parks and trails.
Each of these cities is making headway on multiple park projects and trail initiatives with the approval of developments that incorporate the projects into their planning.
Hays County residents also approved the Parks and Open Spaces Bond in 2020, which allocated $75 million toward 39 projects across the county that conserve land and fund future parks and open spaces. The bond allocated a portion of funding for projects such as Buda’s 70-acre Eastside Regional Park, Garison Park, Kyle’s outdoor sportsplex and others. With these bond funds, over 2,700 acres of parkland have been improved or purchased over the past five years, according to the bond website.
A closer look
In San Marcos, Buda and Kyle, an average of 67% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park, according to data from ParkServe, a platform launched by The Trust for Public Land that maps urban park areas. Kyle has the greatest access to nearby parks—even when compared to Austin and San Antonio—with 73% of residents living in close proximity to a green space.
Residents of all three cities live closer to parks than neighboring New Braunfels, which has an average of 42% of residents near parkland.
Kyle
In Kyle, parks and recreation is a “critical component” for how the city develops, City Manager Bryan Langley said.
The city’s parkland dedication ordinance outlines specific requirements for developers to set aside parkland or provide fees in place of land to meet the recreational needs of new developments.
Kyle’s Lake Park District is one example of how the city collaborates with developers by negotiating components of its parkland dedication ordinance into development agreements.
The project, which will house a new St. David’s Hospital and city-owned hotel and convention center, has about 20 acres of dedicated parkland, according to the development agreement. Parts of The Vybe Trail, an 80-mile paved path that aims to connect all Kyle neighborhoods to different areas of the city, are also being constructed on the backside of the property.
All the 2022 road bond projects have a Vybe Trail component to them, which will allow for more walkability throughout the city. As those projects start moving forward, residents will begin seeing more of those connection points, Langley added.
Items worth mentioning
Approximately 2.5 miles of trail is anticipated to begin construction in 2025, according to an email from Kyle Director of Communications Rachel Sonnier.
The St. David’s Connector—a 0.5-mile trail connecting FM 1626 at Marketplace to Kohlers Crossing at the Public Safety Center—is slated
to begin construction in April, according to
the email.
Plum Creek Trail—a 12-foot-wide spine trail from Bunton Creek Park to Waterleaf Park—is anticipated to break ground in fall 2025, Parks and Recreation Director David Lopez said. Plum Creek Trail will have seven 10-foot-wide connections to adjacent neighborhoods.
The master planning process for Lake Kensington Nature Park, a 105-acre undeveloped park at 2400 Dacy Lane, will kick off in late spring of 2025. Lopez said they hope to begin construction in late spring or early summer of 2026.