Fate of the Concho Riverfront Remains a Mystery

The fate of the Concho Riverfront was on the table at this week’s City Council meeting, and from the heavy contention in the air, it doesn’t look like it will be decided quickly.

The initial request was made by Water Utilities Director Ricky Dickson on behalf of MK-Allan Enterprises, Inc., who is seeking a Special Recreational Lease Agreement on a 9.8-acre stretch of land between Loop 306 and Foster Road on the South Concho River.

The company had expressed interest in utilizing the land for an RV park, a notion whose consequence resonated throughout the meeting room as tempers flared in opposition.

Apparently, councilmembers had already had other plans for the currently unused space—or at least had expressed a sudden interest in the land when they found out it was up for grabs—and these ideas were thrown around the room with reckless abandon on Tuesday, without really achieving any continuity.

While Farmer said she’d been considering the space for a dog park, others questioned whether it would suitable for a park at all, and Mayor Morrison expressed concern about the use of the already short Concho River water supply should the land be developed.

Dickson and MK-Allan Director of Operations Mike Walter took a beating as the opposition probed in rapid-fire succession, questioning their research, measurements and intentions in a severe tone of undermining schadenfreude.

The debate ended when the motion was tabled, and the fate of the riverfront remains undecided.