SAN ANTONIO | Urban Core Development Thread

[car2004]

[QUOTE=miaht82;4772542]Although I (and I'm sure others too) would love to see something like the Fairfield Inn Manhattan



That really is something, huh? It would go nicely alongside that small multicolored museum in front of The Vistana.

[car2004]

[QUOTE=car2004;4774671]

Originally Posted by miaht82

Although I (and I'm sure others too) would love to see something like the Fairfield Inn Manhattan



That really is something, huh? It would go nicely alongside that small multicolored museum in front of The Vistana.

Odd how I was just talking about this building:

http://www.ksat.com/news/23020082/detail.html

[miaht82]

Updates on some projects in and around DT:

Madison St. Garden Homes - 2 are u/c and look like they are nearing completion soon. St. B's is a nice looking project.
Rico's new headquaters is nearing completion as well; shouldn't be long before they move out of their Flores St. location.
Hog Stand (the old Pig Stand) says it will open Apr. 12th.
The bulb-outs on Alamo St are already under construction. They look similar to the ones on Grayson by the Pearl.
Hemisview Village is nearing completion and is already listed on a few apartment locator sites.
Also, I found this while browsing around, I heard mention of it before by a reliable source but saw no drawings until now. Found it on Sprinkle & Co. website:

Rio Plaza - This 25-story condominium project will contain the full amenities necessary to accommodate a high-end project such as this. These include a concierge, parking, a top-level restaurant/lounge and a private rooftop pool and garden area. The site is a small parcel in downtown San Antonio that will be connected to the Riverwalk through the smaller existing mixed-use project called Presidio Plaza. The design features balconies, pergolas and materials that are indicative of the materials commonly used in this area but combined into a modern composition.

[UrbanTrance]

Good find, it reminds of that boutique hotel that was proposed. But I like this project, it looks real nice.

[SAguy]

Originally Posted by miaht82

Updates on some projects in and around DT:

Madison St. Garden Homes - 2 are u/c and look like they are nearing completion soon. St. B's is a nice looking project.
Rico's new headquaters is nearing completion as well; shouldn't be long before they move out of their Flores St. location.
Hog Stand (the old Pig Stand) says it will open Apr. 12th.
The bulb-outs on Alamo St are already under construction. They look similar to the ones on Grayson by the Pearl.
Hemisview Village is nearing completion and is already listed on a few apartment locator sites.
Also, I found this while browsing around, I heard mention of it before by a reliable source but saw no drawings until now. Found it on Sprinkle & Co. website:

Very nice building...

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Nice! Hope that's a real proposal.

[SALaw1]

Great project. I believe there is a small parking lot there now, so it's definitely an improvement. Hopefully the building's parking garage won't dominate the street level. Thanks for the updates, miaht82!

[Onward]

Originally Posted by miaht82

Updates on some projects in and around DT:

Madison St. Garden Homes - 2 are u/c and look like they are nearing completion soon. St. B's is a nice looking project.
Rico's new headquaters is nearing completion as well; shouldn't be long before they move out of their Flores St. location.
Hog Stand (the old Pig Stand) says it will open Apr. 12th.
The bulb-outs on Alamo St are already under construction. They look similar to the ones on Grayson by the Pearl.
Hemisview Village is nearing completion and is already listed on a few apartment locator sites.
Also, I found this while browsing around, I heard mention of it before by a reliable source but saw no drawings until now. Found it on Sprinkle & Co. website:

Wow, I really like how this one looks. Hope its the real deal

[Dom"n"Converse]

That's nice, what's even better is the proposed site is currently a parking lot.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

That lot is in my top 5 hated downtown lots.

[UTSABA06]

That building would look great tin the skyline! We can only hope!

[sirkingwilliam]

It seems to be called the Presidio Tower.

http://www.sprinkleco.com/presidio.html

It's also just a stones throw from the proposed luxury hotel high rise.



If both got built, heck if one got built, that'd be more than great.

[Paul in S.A TX]

Originally Posted by miaht82

Updates on some projects in and around DT:

Madison St. Garden Homes - 2 are u/c and look like they are nearing completion soon. St. B's is a nice looking project.
Rico's new headquaters is nearing completion as well; shouldn't be long before they move out of their Flores St. location.
Hog Stand (the old Pig Stand) says it will open Apr. 12th.
The bulb-outs on Alamo St are already under construction. They look similar to the ones on Grayson by the Pearl.
Hemisview Village is nearing completion and is already listed on a few apartment locator sites.
Also, I found this while browsing around, I heard mention of it before by a reliable source but saw no drawings until now. Found it on Sprinkle & Co. website:

yepe!!!!!

[adtobias]

Very nice......if completed

[jaga185]

Omg, great find Miah! This needs to get off the ground. Its location is perfect for for a grocery store.

[miaht82]

Originally Posted by necropolis

Does anyone have a rendering of the new parking garage going up by the courthouse? I saw it on KSAT 12 the other night but couldn't find the video on their website. It looked pretty cool, as far as parking garages go, and wasn't too plain and seemed a decent height. But then again, I did just get a very quick glance at the TV.

Found a rendering for you.
A little late but at least we have one.

Parking garage expansion to accommodate more cars, county offices
Anyone who has visited the Bexar County Courthouse or Cadena-Reeves Justice Center knows that finding a parking space can be difficult and expensive. But Bexar County is working to alleviate the problem with an expansion of the existing parking garage at the corner of South Flores and Nueva streets, for which Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and Commissioner Paul Elizondo helped break ground in a ceremony on Tuesday.
The multi-level garage will add 512 spaces, replacing a surface lot with only 125 spaces. In addition to the expanded parking, three County departments — Human Resources/Civil Service; Small, Minority & Women-owned Business Enterprise Program; and Maintenance — will be housed on the first floor of the expansion. These offices currently occupy leased space.
A system of photovoltaic panels on top of the expansion will power the garage’s operations, furthering the cost-saving potential of the garage. The panels will be paid for by a $965,000 federal grant.
“With more than 400 citizens reporting daily, Bexar County has one of the best jury duty response rates in the country,” Commissioner Elizondo said. “As the County continues to grow, so must our facilities to ensure that we provide the best level of service to our constituents.”
Construction on the $12.5 million expansion is expected to be complete in April 2011. Once it is complete, Bexar County will have 1,181 parking spaces available for jurors, constituents conducting business downtown, County employees and elected officials. The parking rates are established by the County Parking Committee and approved by Commissioners Court. A study is under way to establish a current rate structure. The expansion also will add to the number of available handicap parking spaces in the vicinity of Downtown County operations.

[car2004]

Originally Posted by miaht82

Updates on some projects in and around DT:

Madison St. Garden Homes - 2 are u/c and look like they are nearing completion soon. St. B's is a nice looking project.
Rico's new headquaters is nearing completion as well; shouldn't be long before they move out of their Flores St. location.
Hog Stand (the old Pig Stand) says it will open Apr. 12th.
The bulb-outs on Alamo St are already under construction. They look similar to the ones on Grayson by the Pearl.
Hemisview Village is nearing completion and is already listed on a few apartment locator sites.
Also, I found this while browsing around, I heard mention of it before by a reliable source but saw no drawings until now. Found it on Sprinkle & Co. website:

I am sorry. I am a little hard-pressed to believe this building is going to be made, and I am a little shocked. Is this a joke? The design is really is BEAUTIFUL!!!! It’s the best looking building design I have seen for San Antonio since the Bank of America Plaza - more so at night. It is so beautiful lit-up during the night against the skyline with the new Marriot Courtyard, 17-story building nearby.

Can you tell us more about this building (i.e., Rio Plaza)? I know, miaht82, you mention a lot already, but I am really interested in seeing this building prepared, topped-out, and completed. I also would like to know when it might be finished, and how long you think it might take to be topped-out, at least. Also, how did you hear about this? For that matter, how do some of you get a hold of some of this information?
The design of the building is really breathtaking (lol; a little Seinfeld moment there), and very unique for San Antonio, considering. I love the mixture of color. The height of the building is perfect for that area, and I love the large open-spaced window on the very top of the building. It will make for a great view off the city while dinning (presuming that is the restaurant/lounge you referring to). If built, San Antonio will now have two top-floor restaurant/lounges in addition to the Tower of Americas.
It is really going to light-up the skyline once built. Really love the Vistana at night (who doesn’t?!) and the new Marriott at night as well. I hope this is a taste of what is to come in new constructed high-rise buildings over the next couple of years similar to what Austin is currently undertaking.

All we need now is one or two 40-50 story-buildings mixed in with all those mid-rises and, at least for me, the skyline of San Antonio will be perfect – just please get rid of that old jail and police station already! It is so gross looking .

Thanks for the update, miaht82. Come them coming!

Oh, and of interest to some of you, I think the owners of the Vistana just added this to their website: http://www.apartments.com/avsummary....deo#PhotoFloor

Quite different from just pictures and was a quite impressed. Hopefully, one day, I can afford to live here; may be after my graduate studies are completed. Who knows?! We can all dream, huh? But then again, if the Rio Plaza is built, I rather choose to live there, but I doubt that will be done within the next 6-12 months .

[miaht82]

Originally Posted by car2004

I am sorry. I am a little hard-pressed to believe this building is going to be made, and I am a little shocked. Is this a joke? The design is really is BEAUTIFUL!!!! It’s the best looking building design I have seen for San Antonio since the Bank of America Plaza - more so at night. It is so beautiful lit-up during the night against the skyline with the new Marriot Courtyard, 17-story building nearby.

Can you tell us more about this building (i.e., Rio Plaza)? I know, miaht82, you mention a lot already, but I am really interested in seeing this building prepared, topped-out, and completed. I also would like to know when it might be finished, and how long you think it might take to be topped-out, at least. Also, how did you hear about this? For that matter, how do some of you get a hold of some of this information?
The design of the building is really breathtaking (lol; a little Seinfeld moment there), and very unique for San Antonio, considering. I love the mixture of color. The height of the building is perfect for that area, and I love the large open-spaced window on the very top of the building. It will make for a great view off the city while dinning (presuming that is the restaurant/lounge you referring to). If built, San Antonio will now have two top-floor restaurant/lounges in addition to the Tower of Americas.
It is really going to light-up the skyline once built. Really love the Vistana at night (who doesn’t?!) and the new Marriott at night as well. I hope this is a taste of what is to come in new constructed high-rise buildings over the next couple of years similar to what Austin is currently undertaking.

All we need now is one or two 40-50 story-buildings mixed in with all those mid-rises and, at least for me, the skyline of San Antonio will be perfect – just please get rid of that old jail and police station already! It is so gross looking .

Thanks for the update, miaht82. Come them coming!

Well the concept was approved 3 years ago by the HDRC when it was planned to take up the entire lot including the old Planet Hollywood. Being on the golden street of downtown, it is possible that this can happen. With the Omni, Westin, Watermark and Contessa nearby, the site carries a hefty pricetag. The Riverwalk sells though.
Unlike the "Fish Market" Hotel, this one is approved and all the ownership has to do is get a developer to bite. Now that there are comps in the area, one could easily fetch $400+/SF for these; as that's what Alteza and even The Broadway are asking, and Cascada still has a handful available starting at ~$300/SF. Once Alteza and Broadway are absorbed into the market, which might not take as long as we all think, then we at least know what, maybe, to expect next. I'd expect 2-4 more rental projects, on top of the ones that are being worked on now (or soon to be,) before we hear anything though.
I see this happening, but most likely as a 5 star hotel.

[ydoc14]

other pics from today:

[car2004]

Originally Posted by miaht82

Well the concept was approved 3 years ago by the HDRC when it was planned to take up the entire lot including the old Planet Hollywood. Being on the golden street of downtown, it is possible that this can happen. With the Omni, Westin, Watermark and Contessa nearby, the site carries a hefty pricetag. The Riverwalk sells though.
Unlike the "Fish Market" Hotel, this one is approved and all the ownership has to do is get a developer to bite. Now that there are comps in the area, one could easily fetch $400+/SF for these; as that's what Alteza and even The Broadway are asking, and Cascada still has a handful available starting at ~$300/SF. Once Alteza and Broadway are absorbed into the market, which might not take as long as we all think, then we at least know what, maybe, to expect next. I'd expect 2-4 more rental projects, on top of the ones that are being worked on now (or soon to be,) before we hear anything though.
I see this happening, but most likely as a 5 star hotel.

If this becomes the next high-rise project, and it’s a hotel, I do not think living downtown will be an attrative choice of living. The city needs to move on many high-rise projects that are condominiums at the same time in order to get the ball rolling on downtown living. Generally, people like being around others from the community; not tourists. In my opinion, for example, I would never live in Manhattan. I would choose Queens any day!

I think with the recession and all, we just need to move any future development inward, focus on what’s around and nearby, and finish that development in a way that makes people want to live near that new development.

In relation, I just saw that the new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa is finished and now open. With the recession and all (and I really do not see it getting any better. It’s just going to become the "way things are"), I do not know how these places are going to make it. There is nothing out there, and tourists that come to San Antonio just want to visit places like Sea World or Fiesta or downtown, unless visiting for business. Cabs to and from and car rentals, ahhh. As time goes by and as times get harder, I begin to start and see the small things in traveling becoming the biggest issues! In general, I just think cities should go back to communities and moving upward when population rises. Cities like NY are really designed for population growth. I love Houston, but that is the worst case scenario for cities that grow outward.