CONSTRUCTING "THE RIM": A CASE STUDY OF LAND-USE REGULATIONS IN TEXAS

Synthesizing and applying scholarship on the nature of municipal development, this case study provides a narrative overview and analysis of the permitting process for The Rim, a mixed-use project in San Antonio, Texas. Through this assessment, the subtleties of the limits on development in a pro-property-rights, limited-planning environment emerged. Most notably, we found that the case did not ease through permitting, as one might have expected based on the context. Rather, the execution and impact of three zoning designations slowed approvals as the developer and other parties engaged in negotiations. We argue this suggests that a basic impetus of city planning a public dialogue to reach efficient and agreeable outcomes may surface and appreciably influence results, even in the absence of a strong municipal plan. Furthermore, even when a city's development regime is comprised of fairly weak rules, the substance of those rules may be less meaningful than their application, particularly when this sort of public attention is activated. In significant ways, this case fell short of an ideal planning exercise.