SAN ANTONIO │ Lone Star Brewery Redevelopment Thread
 

It finally seems things are getting underway at the Lone Star Brewery site. After years of talk and potential buyers who were interested in the site but ultimately did nothing, there seems to be a developer willing to revitalize the long abandoned Southtown brewery.

If all goes as planned, the urban core could be book-ended by the Pearl to the north and the Lone Star to the south.

Could the Lone Star be as game changing for the urban core as the Pearl has been?

The developer is talking about bringing back Lone Star to brew on the site in some way, adding a Texas Music Hall of Fame as well as an outdoor music venue. That plus, housing, retail and other commercial options, could lend this development to be a true gem for the urban core and Southtown.

A LOOK AT AQUALAND'S BIG PLANS FOR LONE STAR BREWERY SITE

I had tried to look at other projects this company had worked on and this is pretty ambitious for them. Trying to remember the site itself, I don't think it lends itself to being something like the Pearl, but I can certainly see it having a southtown feel; maybe a polished blue star.

I can't imagine Lone Star would start brewing there again in any way more than some kind of Lone Star brew pub type of thing. The dine-in movie theater probably says more about the place it's going to be. Hopefully it won't be a Quarry or Rim type development. I understand they intend to make money on this :tup: but who likes strip malls?

The idea of a music hall of fame seems wrong unless that focuses and celebrates the actual history of San Antonio and South Texas. A country music based place will go the way of the old Fiesta Texas or the Aztec Theater's San Antonio Rose (they won't work in that limited way). If they did go forward with the HOF idea, it should mainly be a live music hall with the memorabilia on the side.

And finally, they are located on the river! :drowning:They should completely invite and link to the advantage of the linear park and any changes related to world heritage inclusion of the missions.

The recycling center next door looks toxic:dead:

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o.../124824315.jpg

I took this shot the last time I was up in the helicopter.

Got a sneak peek at the rendering and the whole project looks awesome! Looks much cooler then what the Peal has turned into. The renderings included a huge European style glass atrium market with multiple craft breweries, a cinema, retail, beer garden, apartments with multiple pools, and a hotel. The old pool on site right now will be a large fountain. Parking garages will be located along the outer perimeter of the property.

Intriguing. Were you at some kind of event where they were showing off the plans? What's the scale like (high rises or low rises)?

Where did you see these renderings? I know that they have an office on site at lone star. Also, do you know when they are going to start construction? I've been so fascinated by this abandoned factory for the longest time.

Saw the plans through a friend who is working on the project. He is supposed to keep everything hush, but he gave me a look. Right now the scale looks like the buildings will be 4-5 stories.

Aqualand adds heavy hitter to help redevelop Lone Star Brewery
W. Scott Bailey Reporter/Project Coordinator
San Antonio Business Journal
May 19, 2016, 10:02am CDT Updated May 19, 2016, 11:10am CDT
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantoni...e.html?ana=twt

There are some renderings as well as the site plan for Lone Star Brewery on their website http://lonestarbrewerydistrict.com

Very interesting. It's like part Pearl, part suburban town center-type development. By suburban town center I mean that it has a fuckton of parking and is pretty much not connected to anything around it except the river, but that's really more a function of the context of the site than anything I guess. Overall this should be a very positive development for the south side if it ever gets off the ground.

After all the hype, it's disappointing how mundane this development looks. There are opportunities to develop this in a more urban way but that is not evident in this plan. This is designed like a suburban shopping center when it could have been designed like an actual "district".

How does it look like a suburban development? This is great for DTSA & moreover Southtown, though I'm not really looking forward to all the people. Blue Star is gonna be packed a lot more.

A suburban town center development. Google "sugarland town center" for one example, Dallas is also full of similar projects, La Cantera is part way done building one well.

Obviously Lone Star is different and better than those because of its location and the fact that it's at least partially adaptive re-use, but in a lot of ways it looks, in my opinion, functionally very similar to something like Sugarland Town Center (isolated, privately owned/maintained streets, lots of parking, "galleries" and private parks).

Not sure what you are seeing, but I see a ton of parking in parking garages. I don't see any problem with that.

I'd wager a bet that the Pearl currently has more surface parking than what Lone Star shows to have in its plans.

This development is very urban, aside from the surface parking in front of the hotel, which btw, is no different than the surface parking in front of Hotel Emma in the Pearl. Surface parking is always going to have a place in urban planning in car centric cities. LA has them, Houston and Dallas them. Look at Victory Park in Dallas. Look at LA Live in LA. I can go on. ANYONE complaining about this development, of a currently vacant wasteland, is just complaining for the sake of complaining, imo.

I'm not talking about parking lots, I'm talking total parking (lots + garages). Pearl has the same problem, too much parking. If you provide parking, people will drive. As someone who had lived car-free by choice in this town for five years, this is something that needs to change.

I disagree.

I'm sorry, but no. This development does not resemble sugarland town center. If any development in SA resembled Sugarland Town Center, it'd be the Rim or on a smaller scale Legacy.

I'm sorry, but that comparison is just hyperbolic rubbish imo.

And you are more than allowed to. But you can't disagree with the fact that Victory Park has surface parking lots, or that LA Live has surface parking lots.

Just be thankful that an abandoned brewery is being transformed into an absolute gem of a development on the near south side of San Antonio. This will eventually be called part of "Southtown", but make no mistake this was the "Southside" ten, five years ago.

Now, that's being built there. Great times ahead for the urban core.

If you would read my comments I said it was a combination of Sugarland and the Pearl It has a lot of elements of both, positive and negative. Also, I said very explicitly that overall this is a positive project for the south side.

I have said this here before, but I used to work for a time in economic development, and I get so sick and tired of the constant blind boosterism and cheerleading in this town (I'm looking at you, Rivard Report). Not every new development is necessarily positive, and I think this one in particular has some issues to work out.

Thanks!

What kind of issues?

I agree. I am not a fan of blind boosterism either. But, in all sincere honesty, the only real issue you seem to take with this development is grounded in an established bias.

SA is a car centric city and any modern day development will always address that. Be it an urban or suburban development.

It is a pattern of negativity with certain people on this forum.
It is a very "obvious" pattern.
How truly sad that is.
I just hope their lives get better.
:shrug:

Make it a GREAT day!! :yes:

I agree.

Too funny!
But too defensive.

That's my constructive opinion.:cheers:

I for one agree with SKW here. This looks great and is consistent with expectations for an adaptive reuse project for this area in this city at this time. The complaint here is that they still haven't found a solution for the scrap metal recycling facility next door. That facility is impossible to avoid. It is the only front door to this place. You must drive past it to enter. It is a non-starter. Without a solution this project will not launch as evidenced by decades of failed launches citing that recycling plant's inability to be relocated.

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o.../130582373.jpg

This area has so much potential, viewing from above.

Great picture Raul! And thanks for cutting out that scrap metal plant! I wonder if this does get going, if the developers will start scooping up and bidding up the surrounding properties much like Silver ventures has done with the Pearl....

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o.../130640166.jpg

You mean this place?

:) It's so ugly yet your pictures are so purty!

http://therivardreport.com/ambitious...-star-brewery/


This is the first time I've seen any conceptual renderings. Looks a lot like the Pearl. I hope it can have the same effect for Southtown!

I like it a lot. Hope they can be successful renting space and get it underway soon.

Oh they'll be successful. San Antonio's market can handle it and there are plenty of retailers that should be in San Antonio that aren't yet as well as locals that could expand to new locations.

Lone Star Brewery Unveils First Major Tenants
 

Author: DANIEL KLEIFGEN
THE RIVARD REPORT
Date: 5 October, 2016 at 17:32
http://therivardreport.com/lone-star...major-tenants/

I understand that San Antonio is movie going city, but a 10 screen theater on that site feels like a bad fit. Especially with the nearby arts influenced areas of Blue Star and South Flores. If it was maybe a smaller scale, a place that hosted local film festivals, or somehow supported local industry then maybe. Otherwise, to me, these 2 tenants give it a strip mall feel.

I'm afraid Lone Star is gonna be more like the Quarry or the Rim than like the Pearl.

I kind of wish it was Alamo Drafthouse that was going in there. They have special events and such, could have been fun.

This.:cheers:

In terms of tenants, maybe. Though I believe it'll be more a hybrid of those two and the Pearl.

But, it won't be either of those two in terms of its design, its look and its feel.

This is a completely different project than the Pearl brewery. I like the Pearl and respect that it has local businesses as their tenants, but personally those businesses don’t attract me to going to the pearl on a weekly or monthly basis. Especially those high end, expensive restaurants. Having anchors like cinemark and Punch bowl social will really grab local people’s attention to hit up lone star for all their food, entertainment, and shopping needs. Lone Star is a pretty big complex compared to the Pearl so I’m sure there’s going to be local businesses that will take up space in there. It's about time that we have a mixed use development in southtown that not only tourists can enjoy.

They can put a 10 screen theater by the highway. If people want to kill a couple of hours in the dark eating $10 popcorn what difference does it make? That's a really large footprint and if you have that kind of frontage you should have as many places that interact with those surroundings. Maybe the theater will be a buffer to the scrap yard?

I could imagine a smaller 4-screen theater forming a type of courtyard where they occasionally show a free movie or a Spurs game.

It did sound like they are planning to do something useful that with their food court area, so that's good unless they drop in a Chile's or Crab Shack.

You're right! The movie theater will be against the scrap yard--just South of the cannery building. The site plan is on the MySanAntonio article gallery.

They want to do an icehouse concept that connects onto the river and maybe a live music venue.

I would imagine signing Cinemark and Punch Bowl helped with financing, but there will be local concepts here as well. This is going to be a really special place that elevates the perception of San Antonio, in my opinion. All the renderings I've seen are stunning!

I dont necessarily think chains are bad. Especially when they want entertainment, i just wish it was Alamo drafthouse. I love what I see so far. It's a great location for southtown. Once that scrap metal yard goes and they can connect it to probandt. This project will be seen as a major player of the entire area.

Bottom line... Get that scrap yard outta there!

Lone Star rehab project entering San Antonio approval process
By Richard Webner
mysanantonio.com
Updated 9:57 pm, Monday, October 31, 2016
http://www.mysanantonio.com/real-est...photo-11678759

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/54/43/20.../1024x1024.jpg

Zoning Commission Okays Lone Star Brewery Redevelopment
Camille Garcia
The Rivard Report
15 hours ago
http://www.expressnews.com/news/loca...s-10448379.php

http://3snpdc2ba9m5uwuk62n8cs84.wpen...KL-768x624.jpg

I wonder if the plans will change to further accommodate Mala Luna. It doesn't seem like a lot of space for it with the current plans.

HDRC Gives Conceptual Approval to Lone Star Redevelopment Design

http://3snpdc2ba9m5uwuk62n8cs84.wpen...8123220551.jpg

http://3snpdc2ba9m5uwuk62n8cs84.wpen...-2-771x396.jpg

http://3snpdc2ba9m5uwuk62n8cs84.wpen...-3-771x412.jpg

Off Topic...

WRT Mala Luna; Was that show successful?
Whatever happened to Sunken Gardens? Would that work?

I always liked that site to see shows.