12-plus-story mixed-use tower planned
12-plus-story mixed-use tower planned for funeral home property near downtown
SABJ
By Mitchell Parton
The owners of a funeral home close to several high-profile developments on or near Broadway Street are planning a mixed-use tower at least 12 stories tall on their property.
A mixed-use development is planned on the 1.5-acre site bounded by Brooklyn, North Alamo and Sixth streets — near U.S. Highway 281 and I-37 — with ground-floor retail, office and residential space, and potentially a hotel and structured parking. The property houses the Alamo Funeral Chapels, owned since 2003 by Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries, a local family-owned business, under the entity MPII Inc.
James Griffin, a lawyer for Killen, Griffin & Farrimond represented the property owner in a Zoning Commission meeting Oct. 20, where the commission approved a change to downtown zoning to allow the development. He said the family has been engaged with the redevelopment of the property over the past few years. The property's current form-based zoning would limit the height, even with a variance, and would not allow for a hotel component, Griffin said.
The City Council has to finalize the zoning change, and the project will also need to go to the Board of Adjustment and the Historic and Design Review Commission for various variances and approvals
Griffin said the project team presented renderings to the Office of Historic Preservation — as the single-story Hoefgen House, designated historic in 2018, is on the site — but that office staff "didn't like" the way the building looked so the team decided not to show them to Zoning Commission. Representatives of Mission Park did not immediately respond for comment.
The project will contribute to the ongoing development of the emerging Midtown district centered around the lower Broadway corridor, with other developments nearby as well as improvements to Broadway Street itself.
The project is south of the Soto, the recently completed mass timber office and the first phase of an 8.5-acre development by Hixon Properties, planned to include modern offices, residential properties and retail. Also north of the property is the Flats at River North, a luxury apartment project from The NRP Group with retail and restaurant space.
The $45 million first phase of the Broadway Street road improvement is in progress by Sundt Construction from Houston Street to I-35. The project includes a complete renovation of the street, including curbs, sidewalks, driveway approaches, traffic signals and drainage improvements. The rehabilitation also includes landscaping, lighting, stormwater runoff management and underground utility upgrades. Completion of this phase is estimated for fall 2024.
The buildings immediately around the funeral home have not seen the same influx of development activity yet, but this project could be a catalyst that would attract other developers.
"As things are rapidly redeveloping along Broadway and on the other side of the highway, this area will hopefully catch up soon," Griffin said.
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