[KevinFromTexas]

I think the best way to make changes to what you guys are seeing, if you aren't liking it, is to change the public's opinion on the HDRC and its effect on what IS being built versus what isn't. What I mean is, there certainly are some people who are anti-tall buildings and will gladly go along with the HDRC's fear of height and anything modern, and the two will mutually reinforce each other's position on them to create the "popular opinion" on what should and shouldn't be built in San Antonio. A good strategy against that, however, is to show what seeming low quality development and design standards they are approving, and make a point to note that what is being built is the face of San Antonio and does make an impression on anyone who sees a photo of San Antonio or who visits the city. While I don't think the previous taller version was particularly good, this isn't either, but it wasn't the design quality or materials they disliked, it was the height and size of it. If a commission is going to call itself a historic design commission, then they should be heavily scrutinizing design, kicking out the poor quality to favor the good, and whatever will be built should be of a quality standard that does make the end product historic. No one cares about cheap hotels or stucco facades of your average building. Those will never be historic and using the word design in a sentence when referencing them is a stretch. And, no, I'm not beating up on San Antonio. Believe me, we just got back from driving up to North Austin and I saw the row of fugly hotels along I-35 in the Waterfront/Rainey Street area of downtown Austin.

It's odd, because for the most part, I see a lot of pro-development support for San Antonio in social media related to San Antonio, mostly on news websites. So there is a desire for some modernization in San Antonio, as well as better design standards. I think public opinion needs to be swayed a bit, though, to acknowledge that what the HDRC pushes for and settles for and approves isn't always good.