26 Oct Laredo moves ahead with park corridor to connect southeast neighborhoods

Laredo city leaders have told staff to start laying the groundwork for a park corridor that would tie together Independence Hills and Concord Hills and could one day stretch well into the city’s southeast side, per the Laredo Morning Times.

The item was on the City Council’s Oct. 19 agenda, requested by Mayor Pro Tem Gilbert Gonzalez and sponsored by District III Councilmember Melissa Cigarroa. It called for finding and weighing a spot to link the two subdivisions as part of a regional park, with attention to access, connections and recreation. A council motion then told staff to draw up the agreements and public outreach the project needs. Staff are to talk with private developers, the Texas Department of Transportation and the Webb County Drainage District about getting the corridor under Cuatro Vientos Road and Loop 20.

As described, the route would start on the Chacon Creek Trail in Independence Hills, continue through the Summers Land Donation and under Cuatro Vientos, then reach Concord Hills Park, Midtown and Las Misiones. Cigarroa said the corridor could finish at Lago del Valle, where an investment of about $600,000 could add green space, and might later be linked to the Buena Vista Sports Complex.

Nothing is final. The corridor hinges on deals with landowners and developers, plus TxDOT’s coordination on the section under the roadway. Staff said the idea is to lock in access today so the link can be completed as nearby development advances. Cigarroa said the whole network may take years to build.

Cigarroa said she is pursuing the plan because she promised Concord Hills residents the city would find a way to put money into their park, which a homeowners association currently controls. In her telling, an outdated deed restriction keeps the city from helping pay for improvements, and a deal could shift the park to the city and turn it into a shared amenity for east-side neighborhoods.

Gonzalez, who represents District I, backed widening the concept and said the city should plan ahead as the southeast side grows. City Engineer Eliud De Los Santos answered council questions during the discussion.