Tax district aims to boost area north of downtown
Guillermo X. Garcia EXPRESS-NEWS STAFF WRITER
Publication Date : December 15, 2006
Hoping to attract more residents to the heart of San Antonio, the City Council approved a new taxing district Thursday designed to spur commercial and residential development in a 56-block area immediately north of downtown.
The tax increment reinvestment zone -- centered generally along Broadway and nestled near the intersection of Interstate 35, I-37 and U.S. 281 -- would grant tax incentives to spur development of a pedestrian-friendly residential area that would significantly increase the area's population and property values.
Called River North, the project, in conjunction with the planned northern extension of the River Walk, would redevelop underutilized or empty commercial buildings and stimulate construction of moderate and higher-end housing in what one proponent called a model for inner city-revitalization.
The project is expected to boost property values in the 194-acre site from the current $125 million to more than $1.2 billion, according to city Economic Development Department projections.
The city would benefit by collecting taxes on property whose value would be significantly higher.
Fewer than 700 people currently reside within the district, but up to 2,250 would live in low- and mid-rise buildings within five years, and 9,000 new residents would call the area home within 20 years, according to department projections.
The plan calls for the city to eventually invest up to $91 million in the project, said Housing and Neighborhood Services director David Garza. But Thursday's unanimous council vote didn't commit the city to spend any money, he noted.
That investment would come after financing agreements are negotiated with commercial and corporate developers to build or locate in the area, Garza said.
He estimated those agreements -- generally in the form of property tax breaks -- would be finalized in 2007. Property taxes paid by businesses already in the zone, including the San Antonio Express-News, would go into the reinvestment zone and not into the city's general fund.
Mayor Phil Hardberger warned that private entities must commit to the project for the plan to succeed.
"It is an exciting project ... that should be a Renaissance for the area, and includes a significant expansion of the River Walk," Hardberger said. "But I expect property owners and businesses that will benefit to contribute to this project. The city can stimulate, but for this to succeed, I fully expect private citizens and corporations to be involved, to make this a true partnership."
Garza, in briefing the council, said the city's initial investment of $67.5 million would pay for streets, sidewalks, drainage and utilities, in addition to the $194 million the city already has committed to extend the River Walk, including sections between Lexington Street and the San Antonio Museum of Art.
The River Walk extension, which breaks ground in March and will take two years to complete, will be paid by a combination of city, county and federal funds.
Over the 25-year life of the tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, Garza envisioned the construction of 6,000 housing units, including 200 affordable units run by the San Antonio Housing Authority; 150 hotel rooms; 700,000 square feet of office and 250,000 square feet of retail space and 7,250 parking spaces.
The economic development agency estimated the zone's commercial impact at $246 million a year from 155 new businesses that would create almost 1,700 new jobs paying annual salaries of $47 million.
"We are trying for a positive impact for downtown San Antonio," said Andres Andujar of the 3D/International architectural firm. "This would be an urbanscape that would not be a tourist tract, it would be for us, San Antonians."
He said the pedestrian-friendly area would include bike path lanes, and he envisioned grocery stores and shopping areas "that would mean residents could shop and walk to their work downtown."
He called the concept far preferable to the urban sprawl under way in the northern and northwestern parts of the city.
"Just don't make this a boxed downtown like Baltimore or Seattle," Councilwoman Elena Guajardo said. "Make it look and feel like San Antonio."
River North
56 blocks covering 194 acres, in City Council District 1
Estimated construction:
6000 Residential units
150 Hotel rooms
700,000 Square feet of office space
250,000 Square feet of retail space
7,250 Parking places
$67.5 million Infrastructure (streets, sidewalks, drainage, utilities).
Source: City of San Antonio
ggarcia@express-news.net