The plans for housing carriage horses near Roosevelt Park have hit a roadblock, as the Board of Adjustment struck down the Yellow Rose & H.R.H. Carriage Company's proposal unanimously on Monday, a move that dovetails with ongoing discussions to potentially phase out horse-drawn carriages in the downtown area, a situation closely monitored by proponents and critics alike. The Board's decision preempts a City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting to debate the future of carriage permits, a regulatory pivot that has been gathering momentum in recent debates and policy considerations, signifying a possible shift in the urban landscape and its relationship with traditional carriage businesses.
John Carr, who intended to buy the lot at 2102 South Presa Street for the new stable, faces heightened pressure as the lease for the company's current location is set to expire in September, creating an urgency to find an alternative that's becoming increasingly difficult due to the city's evolving stance on the carriage industry. “Her lease is up in September and she needs to find somewhere else. We’ve only got a few months,” Carr told San Antonio Report, although Stephanie Garcia, owner of the carriage company, later texted that she could continue at her current spot indefinitely; Carr sees the city's actions as a targeted effort to reduce the presence of horse-drawn transportation, "I don’t believe in coincidences," Carr said, mired in the conflict that pits modern urban planning against established cultural staples.
The site in question, currently a neglected lot once home to a Mexican eatery and later earmarked for modern office space by Jungle Disk before the pandemic stalled plans, remains zoned industrial, thus only requiring variances—not a complete rezoning—for the proposed stables. This technicality did little to sway opinions, as community members voiced their concerns ranging from the idealistic visions of children interacting with horses to fears of odor and potential traffic increases, with local neighborhood president Jeff Hunt sharing with the San Antonio Report both the charm and the "outliers" that come along with hosting the equine facility.
Plans for a revised regulatory framework loom over the proceedings, as the pending commercial zoning overlay set to go before the City Council later this year promises to redefine how businesses interact with residential areas, a point emphasized by District 5 zoning commissioner John Bustamante during Monday's meeting, who argued that the variances sought by the carriage company would exacerbate the incongruence between industry and neighborhood, "That’s why they want this property," Bustamante said, addressing the perceived clash of interests inherent in this sort of urban development conversation, which tends to provoke strong opinions on either side of the issue.
In the end, despite Carr's prepared rebuttals concerning the location's logistics, including the overhead power lines and a nearby bus stop, the opposition's sentiment won out, leaving the future of Yellow Rose & H.R.H. Carriage Company's inner-city stabling uncertain. "I wanted to go down fighting," Carr lamented after the board's decision, a resolve that underscores the complex interplay of business, culture, and urban planning that will continue to shape the face of San Antonio in the years to come.
