SAN ANTONIO — The East San Antonio Promise Zone has another new development residents hope will help grow a stronger sense of community through good health.
In an area that has seen more than its fair share of challenges, there is a new center with an unusual name, and a blooming purpose. Charles Knight lives just south of the new “Greenies Urban Farm,” which is located on Sherman Street just west of Walters.
Knight expressed delight when he learned a healthy living project is sprouting within walking distance of his senior living apartment complex.
“What would I eat out of a garden? All of it, but especially the tomatoes!” Knight exclaimed, adding “I think it will be very nice for the community!”
From the elders around the corner to the students across the street at the Young Men’s Leadership Academy, many hope the new ten-acre development known as an urban farm will turn a barren bit of dirt into a blooming place of growth and health.
Asked about a couple of recent gun homicides just a few hundred yards away in the last couple of months, Precinct Four County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, who is pushing the project forward said “This will help put more eyes on the street to keep the neighborhood safe.”
Calvert said the event center, which can accommodate about 100 people, will be a point of pride for the east side, where they will teach healthy living and having fun with cooking classes using fresh from the farm produce.
“We're excited that we have Phase 2 of the opening of our outdoor classroom. It's part of a larger $14 million dollar project that's going to have the agricultural extension service here with an event center for weddings and all kinds of other things,” Calvert said.