From the new Digital News: The San Antonio Heron
by Ben Olivo | Jul 5, 2018
https://saheron.com/hemisfairs-grand...s-this-summer/
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Later this summer, construction crews will begin to transform the expanse of land at Market and Alamo streets into one of America's great urban parks akin to Millennium Park in Chicago or Discovery Green in Houston, Hemisfair planners say.
The $58 million civic park, as it's known, is considered the centerpiece of the Hemisfair revitalization effort. It's envisioned by planners as an entry way into Hemisfair for people walking in from Market or Commerce streets, the River Walk or Alamo Plaza.
Plans show a large green space and other features framed by mixed-use buildings built by Zachary Hospitality and NRP Group — a mix of residential units, office space, and hotel rooms. The estimated cost of the civic park, the buildings, street upgrades — everything going into Hemisfair's northwest zone — is $300 million. From the civic park, the options for park-goers fan out and take the form of smaller parks, including Yanaguana Garden, the not-yet-designed portion around the Tower of the Americas, and even La Villita on the other side of Alamo Street.
Planners envision green space, fountains, tree-lined promenades and acequias.
But the civic park won't begin to resemble anything like a park until next year. This year, the work consists of "dirt being moved around" — below ground level, utility-type work — Hemisfair CEO Andres Andujar said.
"Super boring work," he said.
For Hemisfair's underground parking structure, crews will excavate 30 to 40 feet deep, which will eventually fit about 800 parking spaces. But that figure could be increased to 1,000 plus, Andujar said.
Some of the park's features, like some of the fountains and the tree canopy, will depend on a capital campaign that's currently underway by the Hemisfair Conservancy, an nonprofit separate from Hemisfair whose mission is to raise philanthropic funds specifically to execute the Hemisfair plan. The money raised will be the difference between a good park and a great park, said Anne Krause, the conservancy's president and executive director.