SAN ANTONIO │ Official Hemisfair Redevelopment Thread

[Paul in S.A TX]

I just saw on the news that the city is going foward with Hemsifair redevelopment. It wants to make the park a magnet for shopping, living etc. Thats how KENS 5 worded it. Hopefully we will see some new talls there.

[royal744]

Originally Posted by Paul in S.A TX

I just saw on the news that the city is going foward with Hemsifair redevelopment. It wants to make the park a magnet for shopping, living etc. Thats how KENS 5 worded it. Hopefully we will see some new talls there.

Whether or not or how the City decides to proceed with HemisFair is likely to be up to the new mayor and city council unless the council acts on May 21st to authorize some first steps.

[sirkingwilliam]

So this is what came out of the third Hemisfair Reinitialization workshop.



Here is an aerial from google earth of the general area at about the same angle.

[sirkingwilliam]

Also to note, Andres Andujar has been named the CEO of the HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation Board.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/clockin...names-new-ceo/

Good job there!

[jaga185]

are the green "blocks" green space?

[Keep-SA-Lame]

So they want to move the Institute of Texas Cultures?

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by jaga185

are the green "blocks" green space?

Yes they are.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by Keep-SA-Lame

So they want to move the Institute of Texas Cultures?

It seems to still be there... that big red block surrounded by all the blue. What I've noticed is missing is the old wing of the convention center that was built with the original Hemisfair Park in 1968. Looks like they want to make it park space (a good thing) and extend the convention center toward the highway.

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by JACKinNYC

It seems to still be there... that big red block surrounded by all the blue. What I've noticed is missing is the old wing of the convention center that was built with the original Hemisfair Park in 1968. Looks like they want to make it park space (a good thing) and extend the convention center toward the highway.

Correct. They want to tear down that section and put park space and another convention center hotel.

[oldmanshirt]

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

Correct. They want to tear down that section and put park space and another convention center hotel.

Any plans to incorporate traffic calming on Commerce St? Seems like that would help to connect this proposed green space with the River east of S Alamo. I can't imagine reconfiguring the convention center would result in an overall loss of floor space, but it also seems a little inconsistent with the goal of expanding the space, and this would leave it with nowhere to go but over the freeway.

The vision for Durango looks great. If I'm reading it right they want to line it with residential, effectively extending the Victoria Commons area? Lastly, whether by design or just coincidentally, the ToA has been made much more central to the rest of the park, rather than sitting on the periphery with nothing much going on around it. Mixed-use areas need strong anchors, and the fact that they used an existing and universally recognized anchor speaks to the amount of thought that went into the plan.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

Correct. They want to tear down that section and put park space and another convention center hotel.

Maybe they'll build the hotel they should have built in the first place (probably not).

[Paul in S.A TX]

Originally Posted by jaga185

are the green "blocks" green space?

I dont think its green space because its all convention center where there is green blocks.

[Paul in S.A TX]

I want it to be all urban with the energy of time square. There doesn't need to be green space, maybe a li'l is okay.

[JACKinBeantown]

I understand your sentiment, Paul, but the old wing of the convention center isn't at all like Time Square. TS is full of shops and lights and tall buildings and is constantly full of people. The south side of the convention center is (if I remember correctly) a long series of windows and maybe a covered walkway. It has no store fronts, no entrances to office buildings or hotels and is one of the areas with the lowest amount of pedestrian traffic flow. I think building a new modern wing of the convention center and creating lots of green space (a la Central park or the mall in DC) would be really nice for downtown San Antonio, and it would actually create more of a people-friendly area than currently exists. Imagine throwing a frisbee with the Tower of the Americas to look up at and the Riverwalk a few steps away. San Antonio needs more green space... this would be the perfect place for it.

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by Paul in S.A TX

I dont think its green space because its all convention center where there is green blocks.

Yes it's green space. Plans are to raze that area of the CC and build an expansion towards 37.

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by Paul in S.A TX

I want it to be all urban with the energy of time square. There doesn't need to be green space, maybe a li'l is okay.

I'll take green space downtown over a manufactured mini times square.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

I'll take green space downtown over a manufactured mini times square.

Agreed. Hemisfair is the last place downtown we can get any large green space at all, whereas there are tons of parking lots to develop elsewhere.

[The Model]

Originally Posted by ydoc14

Was playing around on Google Earth and thought I'd draw up my mock plan for HemisFair.

Green boundary: green space, park interior, secluded from Durango
Yellow boundary: apartments and townhomes, height limited to 100'
Red boundary: one 350' condo tower

I like the idea of a high rise at that corner. I also dreamed that corner would be a good place for our new performing arts center. Instead of remodeling the Municipal Auditorium.

[The Model]

Originally Posted by JACKinNYC

Maybe they'll build the hotel they should have built in the first place (probably not).

I know right! Remember the old Sheratin Hotel design back in the 90's that would have been nice.

[The Model]

Originally Posted by oldmanshirt

Any plans to incorporate traffic calming on Commerce St? Seems like that would help to connect this proposed green space with the River east of S Alamo. I can't imagine reconfiguring the convention center would result in an overall loss of floor space, but it also seems a little inconsistent with the goal of expanding the space, and this would leave it with nowhere to go but over the freeway.

The vision for Durango looks great. If I'm reading it right they want to line it with residential, effectively extending the Victoria Commons area? Lastly, whether by design or just coincidentally, the ToA has been made much more central to the rest of the park, rather than sitting on the periphery with nothing much going on around it. Mixed-use areas need strong anchors, and the fact that they used an existing and universally recognized anchor speaks to the amount of thought that went into the plan.

They should build a tram, just like the old swiss sky ride that ran through hemisphere back in 1968.