[SA] Eilan - 1.8 Million Square Foot Urban Mixed-Use Planned for the La Cantera area

[sirkingwilliam]

That's in Atlanta not SA.

[Schertz1]

I like it.

[sirkingwilliam]

I drove through The Rim tonight, that's going to be one cool bridge over Leon Creek when they're done with it. It's finished now, you can drive over it but I believe they are going to add lamp posts and art, etc.

[Paul in S.A TX]

Originally Posted by kornbread

Yeah, it seems like every time someone mentions "hotel" the name Ritz-Carlton is thrown out there. I think I've heard it mentioned as a possibility in RiverCenter, Houston Street, the Rim, River North and now here. Now I could have it mixed with the Four Seasons, another name-dropped hotel. So I just used 3.

Now, talking realistically, it seems like the Ritz has had some interest in being in the San Antonio market. Considering the kind of clientele they would attract, where is the most likely area for them to consider.

I like downtown, but is there really anything there that would make it a destination for that type of visitor? SA has no performing arts (really), limited fine dining. They could easily visit downtown and leave. While the area of Eilan may actually have more to offer with golf courses, spas, shopping, more resort type features.

Is it enough for them to really consider SA? I don't don't know enough about them to say.

No fine dining downtown? No performing arts? I think there is!

[sirkingwilliam]

Yeah, there is fine dining and performing arts now but it never hurts to have more.

[kornbread]

Originally Posted by Paul in S.A TX

No fine dining downtown? No performing arts? I think there is!

I said limited fine dining. San Antonio's signature food is Tex-Mex, while tasty it's common. It will not make downtown San Antonio a dining destination for Ritz-Carlton type guests. With the new cooking school at the Pearl, I would hope that would change. That school will focus on latin cuisine (I believe). Of course they would need the support of locals as well and I'm not sure that is there for downtown restaurants.

Just curious, what restaurants downtown would you categorize as fine dining?

And as far as the performing arts go, the symphony actually went bankrupt once, and that's all there is. No real support for them as well. The city is trying to build something for them if the vote passes. We'll see...

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by kornbread

Just curious, what restaurants downtown would you categorize as fine dining?

In my personal experience:

Le Reve
Guenther House
Ruth's Chris
Hanatei
Yokonyu
Palm
Biga
Chart House

Haven't been but need to try:

Bohanans

Again, those restaurants I list are from personal experience, I'm sure there are others downtown I haven't yet been to.

And as far as the performing arts go, the symphony actually went bankrupt once, and that's all there is. No real support for them as well. The city is trying to build something for them if the vote passes. We'll see...

The Houston symphony once went bankrupt as well. As did San Diego's.

[Schertz1]

I believe Le Reve was rated one of the best in the world; the only one in Texas.

[sirkingwilliam]

Yes, Le Reve is beyond wonderful and luckily I was with someone who is friends with Andrew so we didn't wait too long.

[sirkingwilliam]

The fine dining is there but I agree, the performing arts needs improvement and the city sees that.

[kornbread]

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

Yes, Le Reve is beyond wonderful and luckily I was with someone who is friends with Andrew so we didn't wait too long.

Nice to have an in. We've been thinking of trying it. We liked Las Canarias and Pesca. The times we've been to both have been really good; especially the service at Las Canarias. Ok, way off topic.

So anyway, my arguments earlier were listed to support the idea of a Ritz actually being part of Eilan as opposed to downtown. If they come to town they will only be in one location. So if they decide to choose between Rivercenter and Eilan, I could see them opting for the latter.

[sirkingwilliam]

Again like I said, it was something I heard somewhere else. Nothing final, nothing remotely concrete. The Ritz-Carlton at River Center Mall is much stronger as the owner of RCM said that is who they were going for. Though why can't there be two? One downtown, the other on the far north side. If I'm not mistaken, the Tampa metro area has two Ritz-Carlton's.

[kornbread]

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

Though why can't there be two? One downtown, the other on the far north side. If I'm not mistaken, the Tampa metro area has two Ritz-Carlton's.

Well, at some point I suppose there could be, but they're not going to jump into this market with two hotels. There will be a first and one location will lose out.

[sirkingwilliam]

This article is a month old.

http://www.vnumixeduseconference.com...8db791c41d243c

Architect Chosen for $300M San Antonio Lifestyle Center

Jan 11, 2008

By: Tonie Auer, Southwest Correspondent

With construction expected to begin this spring, New York City-based Wereldhave USA has retained Baltimore-based Peter Fillat Architects (PFA) to design 11 buildings in the $300 million éilan lifestyle community on the outskirts of San Antonio.

Ground was recently broken and construction should begin in the spring on the 120-acre site, with targeted opening planned for the spring of 2009. The project is located along the IH-10 corridor at La Cantera Parkway on the north side of San Antonio and near two other upscale development projects. The project, master planned by Gensler Architects, will consist of luxury apartments, class A office buildings, retail shops, a luxury hotel and spa, and a variety of upscale amenities.

The development will include 1,400 luxury apartments, two Class A office buildings totaling approximately 200,000 square feet and two levels of structured parking. The project is being built on spec.

PFA is designing five multi-family residential buildings with a total of 540 luxury rental units, a gourmet grocery store, two mixed-used residential/retail buildings with 20,000 square feet of retail space, a boutique hotel and spa with 200 rooms, a restaurant, ballroom, and meeting, banquet and fitness facilities, a marketing center that will later be converted into a restaurant and a power plant facility. The firm will handle the schematic design through the production of construction documents for these 11 buildings (pictured).

All buildings will include sustainable components and materials to save water and energy and reduce waste, according to PFA information. Wereldhave will seek LEED certification on some of the buildings.

A Wereldhave spokesperson said the firm has been following the development of the San Antonio market for some time and has witnessed the type of growth that supports this level of investment in the last two or three years.

On June 28, Wereldhave completed the purchase of high-rise office building, Broadway 655, in downtown San Diego for $210 million. The Broadway 655 office building, completed at the end of 2005, is the first new class A plus office building in Downtown San Diego since 1991. The building is located near the San Diego Federal and County Courts of Justice.

Wereldhave USA, based in New York City, is the subsidiary of Netherlands-based real estate investment company Wereldhave N.V., an independent property company with real estate holdings in Europe and the United States.

[sirkingwilliam]

BALTIMORE, MD, Jan 10 (MARKET WIRE) --

Peter Fillat Architects (PFA), a nationally recognized, award-winning full-service architecture firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, is designing 11 key buildings in a new, high-end sustainable community in one of the nation's fastest growing cities, San Antonio, Texas. eilan (pronounced a-lon) is described by owner Wereldhave USA as the region's most dynamic lifestyle community.

PFA is designing five multi-family residential buildings with a total of 540
luxury rental units, a gourmet grocery store, two mixed-used residential/retail buildings with 20,000 square feet of retail space, a boutique hotel and spa
with 200 rooms, a restaurant, ballroom, and meeting, banquet and fitness
facilities, a marketing center that will later be converted into a restaurant and a power plant facility. The firm will handle the schematic design through the production of construction documents for these 11 buildings.

The community will also include additional residential space, 200,000 square
feet of office space, an outdoor amphitheater, chapel, hiking and biking trails,
resort-style swimming pools, sporting facilities and approximately 25 acres
of undisturbed green space.

"Situated in the rolling hills outside downtown San Antonio, the site brings to mind the Tuscany region of the Italian countryside and that echo is what inspired our design," explains Principal Peter A. Fillat, III, AIA, LEED AP. "An important element of the design is making the community a lively, interactive environment that helps people connect with each other and with the natural world that surrounds them. It will stand in sharp contrast to the drive-by lifestyle of the typical suburb. We're creating a town that harkens back to the more personal, smaller scale way of life so many of us seek. There is an emphasis on walkability and a wide variety of outdoor gathering places where people can come together."

Sustainability is another important aspect of the new community. "All buildings will include sustainable components and materials to save water and energy and reduce waste. Some of the buildings will be LEED certified. eilan brings
together many of the key elements that exemplify how communities are evolving to create places that return us to a more engaged, communal life that strives to respect and protect the landscape in which it takes place," Fillat adds.

Ground was recently broken on the site, with site work expected to begin
inspring 2008. The community opening is planned for the spring of 2009.

http://www.reuters.com/article/press...008+MW20080110

[ydoc14]

Originally Posted by kornbread

I said limited fine dining. San Antonio's signature food is Tex-Mex, while tasty it's common. It will not make downtown San Antonio a dining destination for Ritz-Carlton type guests. With the new cooking school at the Pearl, I would hope that would change. That school will focus on latin cuisine (I believe). Of course they would need the support of locals as well and I'm not sure that is there for downtown restaurants.

Just curious, what restaurants downtown would you categorize as fine dining?

And as far as the performing arts go, the symphony actually went bankrupt once, and that's all there is. No real support for them as well. The city is trying to build something for them if the vote passes. We'll see...

If Ritz-Carlton guests need fine dining can't they just walk a few steps to the adjacent Oceanaire and other new luxury Rivercenter restaraunts?

[sirkingwilliam]

Posted on another site:

I have a friend that works for Four Seasons. She said that they are in a bidding war with Ritz Carlton to be in the Eilan space. Either one is fine with me.

[Trae]

Can you link it?

[sirkingwilliam]

Check your PM.

[Trae]

Oh okay, thanks.