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  #241  
Old Posted Aug 28, 2015, 6:56 PM
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I'm not sure this is necessarily a bad thing for San Antonio. On the face of it it does seem so, but you have to remember that Austin and San Antonio both offer something very different when it comes to entertainment. San Antonio does things in a more intimate way that draws a lot of people to witness something historic and grand, while Austin does big festivals. I don't think that San Antonio's wonder is being one-upped, I just think that Austin is getting the kind of attractions that draw more people simply because that's the nature of them - that they draw a lot of people even in a short time. That's just what festivals do.

Besides, San Antonio still has WAY more hotels than Austin does. Something like 40 or 50 more, and you guys still have a much bigger convention center than we do. Not only that, but our's is kind of pinned in by surrounding development that is substantial enough that it won't be demolished for an expansion. One area I would eye an expansion for San Antonio's convention center is west of Alamo Street between the riverwalk, and between Cesar Chavez and Nueva Street. That would still be close enough to the existing convention center that it wouldn't be too inconvenient, plus La Villita and all the Fiesta celebrations. A new (big) convention hotel could even be implemented into the expansion.
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  #242  
Old Posted Aug 28, 2015, 8:00 PM
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Another location for expansion is directly north of int. On that lot between Commerce and Market. Right now I think it's a parking lot. They could easily build a skybridge over Market and make it a few stories tall.
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  #243  
Old Posted Aug 28, 2015, 11:56 PM
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They could always build up....
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  #244  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2015, 2:51 AM
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Originally Posted by whatdoyouwantandwhy View Post
I'm chalking this comment up to an hasty analysis of the situation and the false perception that Austin's success is somehow a problem for San Antonio..
When I first visited Texas in 1980, my two priority destinations were San Antonio and Austin. I didn't regard one as a competitor or alternative to the other, they were a package deal in my mind because they're so distinct from one another and my reasons for visiting were completely unique and independent for each city.

I had heard about the beauty of the River Walk and downtown SA, and it had a reputation for authenticity and tourism combined, something that is rare in American cities. I had heard about Austin only from someone in Vermont who said that Austin was very progressive, hip, and had a great music scene.

I arrive in each city with virtually no expectations. SA blew me away. I remember thinking that the Riverwalk was the most beautiful urban place I had ever seen in the USA. Granted, the touristy aspect isn't appealing but the physical space itself, with the landscaping and architecture and overall vibe, is just wonderful. I loved the narrow downtown streets with the old buildings as well. I told friends that San Antonio was the most non-American city in America, and I meant it as a compliment --- you can travel abroad without leaving the US, that's what I meant.

Austin was a delightful surprise in a very different way. I didn't think it was very attractive but I loved the funkiness, the culture, the liberalism, the hippie scene. I was a leftist hippie myself, and I felt very much at home here. There was also a personality about Austin that was hard to explain to anyone, but I fell in love and told myself that I would live here someday. I didn't expect to spend 25 years here, but that's how long I've been an Austinite.

To me, Austin-San Antonio is a package deal and there should be cooperation as well as competition. A healthy dose of each is ideal. Too much cooperation without the competitive edge leads to mediocrity. Too much competition without cooperative efforts to solve mutual problems (transportation!!) results in wasted efforts and lose-lose outcomes.

We have a lot of problems in common and we probably wouldn't all agree on what those are. For me, the main shared problems are traffic/transportation, water supply, quality of life (preserving natural beauty rather than paving everything in sight), and slowing the pace of corporate exploitation of our regional success. On that last item, every city in the region is failing miserably. We're seeing rampant sprawl as profiteering developers vomit the cheapest, fastest forms of awful suburban crap all over the landscape, and the legacy of this uncontrolled cancer will leave the Austin-SA corridor in terrible condition, with every problem listed being greatly exacerbated over time. I already have an exit strategy with my sights set on one of the interior Northwest towns --- Bend, Boise, Missoula, or Pullman/Moscow.
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  #245  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2015, 10:31 PM
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If SSP had likes (as SSC does) I'd give you one.
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  #246  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2015, 3:15 AM
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Originally Posted by Tech House View Post
I already have an exit strategy with my sights set on one of the interior Northwest towns --- Bend, Boise, Missoula, or Pullman/Moscow.
Shout out to my home town! You cannot go wrong with Boise!
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  #247  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2015, 3:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Tech House View Post

We have a lot of problems in common and we probably wouldn't all agree on what those are. For me, the main shared problems are traffic/transportation, water supply, quality of life (preserving natural beauty rather than paving everything in sight), and slowing the pace of corporate exploitation of our regional success. On that last item, every city in the region is failing miserably. We're seeing rampant sprawl as profiteering developers vomit the cheapest, fastest forms of awful suburban crap all over the landscape, and the legacy of this uncontrolled cancer will leave the Austin-SA corridor in terrible condition, with every problem listed being greatly exacerbated over time. I already have an exit strategy with my sights set on one of the interior Northwest towns --- Bend, Boise, Missoula, or Pullman/Moscow.
Sadly this is true, nothing like California 2.0 with sprawl as far as the eye can see. We need more inward direction instead of outward.
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  #248  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2015, 1:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whatdoyouwantandwhy View Post
I'm chalking this comment up to an hasty analysis of the situation and the false perception that Austin's success is somehow a problem for San Antonio. The fact is Austin is enjoying this growth because people want to move/visit the city. Instead of whining over Austin's success and shooting ourselves in the foot, we need to improve our urban core and define/redefine what makes San Antonio great.

This goes back to what I said in the off-topic thread; the 20th century was harsh for progress in SA and we have to dig ourselves out of a huge hole, but that doesn't mean we can't become great. Lastly, the idea of reconnecting Lavaca with downtown via the hemisfair park redevelopment is vastly dependent on the civic park portion of the park. I have to disagree whole heartily on your statement that we should discontinue progress because of what Austin is doing.
I believe the point I was trying to make may have been misinterpreted . At no point did I make a statement against progress. I was responding to the article that I posted, which included a two-year old interview in which our own CVB’s Casandra Matej is quoted as saying “We do see them as a potential threat”. I wouldn’t consider her comment hasty or whining. I was only speaking in terms of protecting the 325 million dollar investment we made on this current expansion, the largest capital project in the city's history. It’s only prudent that we assess any potential competition that we may encounter as we look to the future of our development, and to respond appropriately if there is reason to. That may or may not include further expansion. If the goals of Austin's CVB include direct competition with us for the conventions that we usually host, then I say bring it on (a 600 million dollar investment tells me they’re in it to win it). So if they proceed with their plans, then it could very well have an impact the return on our investment, as well as our downtown hotels and restaurants. True, I would prefer to see an entertainment venue pop up there instead of a park, but that's just my biased opinion. It's prime city-owned real estate. Otherwise, I'm satisfied with Labor Street Park, which my Lavaca neighborhood recently acquired. It is a good size and surrounded by new and future development.
Nevertheless, I understand and appreciate why you disagree. The Hemisfair plan looks good, no doubt designed by smart and conscientious people.
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  #249  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2015, 4:08 PM
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New Cranes

2 new cranes up at southwest corner of Frio and Commerce. What are these for?
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  #250  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2015, 7:02 PM
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Originally Posted by jeffreininger View Post
2 new cranes up at southwest corner of Frio and Commerce. What are these for?
Interesting. A coworker of mine is there now and she says the remaining red brick building (old Samm's Shelter) is sitting on stilts.
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  #251  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2015, 7:16 PM
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I saw that too, maybe new apartments for UTSA and downtown? I was hoping they were going to keep the skeleton of that hold building.
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  #252  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2015, 8:14 PM
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There may be more on the horizon for that area. Bids are being requested for sidewalk cleaning of several blockfaces from Houston to Cesar Chavez and from Frio to IH35. Although it's probably because the area is frequently trashed, maybe there is an effort being made for showcasing the area for development. University Apartments would be great.
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  #253  
Old Posted Sep 2, 2015, 3:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Fireoutofclay View Post
Interesting. A coworker of mine is there now and she says the remaining red brick building (old Samm's Shelter) is sitting on stilts.
I vaguely remember something coming up at HDRC at that location a few months ago. It was something health/medical related (either a clinic or MetroHealth offices or something?)
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  #254  
Old Posted Sep 2, 2015, 8:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Keep-SA-Lame View Post
I vaguely remember something coming up at HDRC at that location a few months ago. It was something health/medical related (either a clinic or MetroHealth offices or something?)
Yes, it will be some kind of clinic iirc. With retail on the side of the block facing downtown. The 3-story red brick building is staying, and the rest of the block will be developed around it.
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  #255  
Old Posted Sep 2, 2015, 11:18 PM
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There is also a multifamily project going on very near that location (Frio/Commerce)
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  #256  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 2:23 PM
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The Alamo is Getting a Face Lift
no author's name provided
Posted Wednesday, September 2nd 2015 @ 2pm
WOAI.COM

Quote:
The Alamo is getting a face lift.

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, whose office controls the iconic historic and tourism site, announced today a major effort to renovate the building and the grounds around it, known as Alamo Plaza. The Texas Legislature provided $32 million to begin the process, but most of the money will be raised through private donations being collected around the world.

Read more: http://www.woai.com/articles/woai-lo...#ixzz3kgYpxhRq

Last edited by Fireoutofclay; Oct 2, 2015 at 8:24 PM.
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  #257  
Old Posted Dec 20, 2015, 7:40 PM
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  #258  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2017, 1:42 AM
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Any of you guys know more about this new proposed 15 story tower? It's in the SA Biz Journal but I don't have a subscription.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantoni...r-fizzles.html
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  #259  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2017, 3:19 PM
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Any of you guys know more about this new proposed 15 story tower? It's in the SA Biz Journal but I don't have a subscription.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantoni...r-fizzles.html
Quote:
A local developer has been struggling to put together plans for a 15-story office tower in the explosive northwestern San Antonio corridor, and after nearly a decade of trying, the 6.7-acre site has been put on the market.

That is, unless a tenant for the proposed building comes through at the last minute.
A Northwest San Antonio developer has tried unsuccessfully to get a 15-story office tower off the ground, but last-minute talks with a potential tenant could bring some spark to the 300,000-square-foot project.
Enlarge

DOR LLC, an affiliate of Ariel Texas Star Inc., bought the land — one of the last remaining vacant sites along I-10, sandwiched between iFly and the Rim power center entrance — in 2007 to build a 300,000-square-foot, 15-story office tower on a speculative basis.

There were two major issues: no tenants and no financing to get started.

With development costs projected to exceed $72.7 million, DOR Principal Efraim Abramoff said he has pitched the idea to banks for seven years without success, and has been unable to get the money he needs to kick-start those plans into gear. He confirmed the site has been put up for sale, leaving the opportunity for well-capitalized player to pick up where he left off.

However, and despite having the property available on the market, Abramoff is flirting with a second option that has the potential to put DOR's plans back to the table. The developer is in preliminary discussions with a user scouting for San Antonio office space, and if the deal pulls through, its tenancy would secure the necessary financing for the Class A tower.

If that occurs, the tower would be the tallest proposed office development in the area surrounding the I-10 and Loop 1604 interchange, and it would include a four-level parking garage. The 14 floors of office space would each provide more than 22,700-square-foot floor plates, with the lobby level primed for a bank or executive tenant.

If the development is a go — either under DOR or a future owner — it would join a stream of new office product that has or is slated to be delivered to the area's rising inventory. Galleria Venture's is putting the finishing touches on the Vista Corporate Center for USAA's planned expansion, and Fulcrum Development is on schedule with its six-story, 164,000-square-foot Landmark One.

There is little doubt the market will continue to expand with new residential, commercial and retail development. The only question now is whether DOR will be able to pick up some of the momentum for itself, or pass the chance along to someone else.
I'm not exactly sad to see this fizzle.
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  #260  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2017, 4:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Keep-SA-Lame View Post
I'm not exactly sad to see this fizzle.
Me neither, as nice as it is to see our suburban areas grow. I want most office development downtown, especially in tower form.
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