SAN ANTONIO | Urban Core Development Thread

[starvinggryphon]

What are the largest current proposals in the pipeline today?

* 2nd 1,000 room convention center hotel.
* Dream Hotel (I think it was scaled back from the original 25 floor count)
* Hotel Sul Fiume (17 floors)
* Durango Apartments (15 floors) - we haven't had an update in half a decade
* 618 N. Alamo (18 story residential building)
* Port San Antonio (11 story office building)

I'm sure I missed a few. If anyone else knows of any others I missed or has any updates, please chime in.

[JACKinBeantown]

What's that 2nd 1,000 room convention center hotel?

[SpiritofSeguin]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

What's that 2nd 1,000 room convention center hotel?

The Express News reported Assistant City Manager Lori Houston put out feelers for a new hotel alongside the Grand Hyatt in regards to the elusive and mysterious Project Marvel.

[The Model]

I'm working on a project and this project is considering Durango Apartments to be built. So I think its going to happen but will see.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by SpiritofSeguin

The Express News reported Assistant City Manager Lori Houston put out feelers for a new hotel alongside the Grand Hyatt in regards to the elusive and mysterious Project Marvel.

As long as its not another Grand Wall Hyatt design, get'er done.

[The Model]

Originally Posted by texboy

As long as its not another Grand Wall Hyatt design, get'er done.

Have you ever noticed the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver, Colorado looks very similar to the Grand Hyatt.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by The Model

Have you ever noticed the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver, Colorado looks very similar to the Grand Hyatt.

Yea it does, at least with the offset cereal box design. lol Not to defend Denver's too much here as its just as bland of a, bordering on ugly, building, but Denver's I believe is taller and definitely not as wide. It also is in a row of other highrises that breaks it up. But it definitely has an equally unimaginative design and a 'spire' (read opaque box) that is horrendously lit (Drives me freaking nuts, the lights are always half out). Would love to see SA plant a 500+ footer in the parking lot to the east of the Marriott to help cut the width of the Grand Hyatt coming from the north and some variation in height coming from the south. North of the Marriott would be even better, but I believe due to sightlines surrounding the Alamo, not much of a chance of that passing muster with the HDRC.

[Fireoutofclay]

Originally Posted by starvinggryphon

What are the largest current proposals in the pipeline today?

* 2nd 1,000 room convention center hotel.

I'm sure I missed a few. If anyone else knows of any others I missed or has any updates, please chime in.

You mean it would be the 3rd 1000 room convention center hotel. You forgot about the Marriott Rivercenter

[starvinggryphon]

Originally Posted by Fireoutofclay

You mean it would be the 3rd 1000 room convention center hotel. You forgot about the Marriott Rivercenter

You're right... I never realized that the Marriott Rivercenter had that many rooms!

[Spoiler]

Well... maybe Weston has turned heel.

Robert E. Lee owners may sell affordable, historic apartments to Weston Urban

"The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) notified tenants in August that developer Weston Urban has offered to buy the property, a multifamily housing tax credit development at 111 W. Travis St. "

https://sanantonioreport.org/robert-e-le...ble-historic-apartments-to-weston-urban/

[jaga185]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

Well... maybe Weston has turned heel.

Robert E. Lee owners may sell affordable, historic apartments to Weston Urban

"The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) notified tenants in August that developer Weston Urban has offered to buy the property, a multifamily housing tax credit development at 111 W. Travis St. "

https://sanantonioreport.org/robert-e-le...ble-historic-apartments-to-weston-urban/

Should Weston buy this for sure, I'm glad they at least told the residents and they didn't find out through the media.

[SpiritofSeguin]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

Well... maybe Weston has turned heel.

Robert E. Lee owners may sell affordable, historic apartments to Weston Urban

"The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) notified tenants in August that developer Weston Urban has offered to buy the property, a multifamily housing tax credit development at 111 W. Travis St. "

https://sanantonioreport.org/robert-e-le...ble-historic-apartments-to-weston-urban/

On Day One they need to work on renaming that place and taking down those two out-of-function neon signs on the roof. Time to chart a new way forward for downtown and that includes removing awkward memories of the cities past that hang over people’s heads every time they pass by. Name it something punchy like Jardines del Rio (River Gardens) to match the Spanish tune of Villa Hermosa across the road and Carmen’s de la Calle up the block.

On another note, not sure why there still isn’t some replacement statue in lieu of the Confederate one that used to be in the center of Travis Park. Even La Villita had (gone now) cannons on the front. Maybe that’s where the Dia de los Muertos Selena statue could go?

[Rynetwo]

Originally Posted by SpiritofSeguin

On Day One they need to work on renaming that place and taking down those two out-of-function neon signs on the roof. Time to chart a new way forward for downtown and that includes removing awkward memories of the cities past that hang over people’s heads every time they pass by. Name it something punchy like Jardines del Rio (River Gardens) to match the Spanish tune of Villa Hermosa across the road and Carmen’s de la Calle up the block.

On another note, not sure why there still isn’t some replacement statue in lieu of the Confederate one that used to be in the center of Travis Park. Even La Villita had (gone now) cannons on the front. Maybe that’s where the Dia de los Muertos Selena statue could go?

Best not to replace them, in a few hundred years people will believe we lived like savages and rip down anyway.

[SpiritofSeguin]

Originally Posted by Rynetwo

Best not to replace them, in a few hundred years people will believe we lived like savages and rip down anyway.

In 300 years VIA is still probably the best and only real way to get around. XD

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by SpiritofSeguin

On Day One they need to work on renaming that place and taking down those two out-of-function neon signs on the roof. Time to chart a new way forward for downtown and that includes removing awkward memories of the cities past that hang over people’s heads every time they pass by. Name it something punchy like Jardines del Rio (River Gardens) to match the Spanish tune of Villa Hermosa across the road and Carmen’s de la Calle up the block.

On another note, not sure why there still isn’t some replacement statue in lieu of the Confederate one that used to be in the center of Travis Park. Even La Villita had (gone now) cannons on the front. Maybe that’s where the Dia de los Muertos Selena statue could go?

Exactly! I can't believe after all this time there are still people who want to glorify one of our country's biggest traitors.

[Spoiler]

Here's a really great, depressing video about downtown's parking problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzJyM2_dv-s

[SpiritofSeguin]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

Here's a really great, depressing video about downtown's parking problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzJyM2_dv-s

He lost me the second he said downtown is “absolutely dead” which couldn’t be any further from the truth it’s actually insulting. It’s not 1999 anymore. If downtown is such a ghost town JazzSA Live wouldn’t be at Hemisfair (outgrowing Travis Park) this weekend, or Diwali or Luminaria or Day of the Dead. Houston Street just had a Centro sponsored Park(ing) Day event which shuts down the streets to have a block party and it was busy! Also he points out the Pearl has a bunch of parking lots all around it and those parking lots…are privately owned. He didn’t mention Downtown Tuesday either which offers free CoSA parking after 5pm and you see an uptick in local guests for that along at least the meters at night. San Antonio doesn’t “prioritize” parking lots it’s just nobody has the interest so far to buy them up and put something there (cough Weston), another victim of the destruction of downtowns through the 60s by removing a bunch of small dilapidated structures a la Houston and Dallas. It’s not San Antonio’s fault, it was an American sickness.

And once again the same old argument of an underwhelming skyline gets made. No. Phoenix is an underwhelming skyline. San Antonio has the tallest observatory tower in the state, 200 feet above the Reunion Tower! We don’t build massive skyscrapers because all of our towers are historic (the Nix, Tower Life, the Medical Arts Building, the Majestic, etc). He also said the city turned the Riverwalk into a gimmick…Times Square is a gimmick. Fremont Street is a gimmick. The Riverwalk is over ten thousand years old and is a living ecosystem with apartments, offices, shops and just the natural beauty of the Hill Country all around. We’re just guests.

[The Model]

There is a youtuber I follow because he travels all over the USA to show the good and the bad of every city. Nick Johnson recently visited San Antonio back in March or April. It is a long video but he covers everything about San Antonio. From Market Square to all the stray dogs in out town. Nick has over a million followers and this video is the one that represent San Antonio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFPyWXwzu1Q on his channel. He also did Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Corpus Christi, and Texas Hill country.

[Spoiler]

He lost me the second he said downtown is “absolutely dead” which couldn’t be any further from the truth it’s actually insulting. It’s not 1999 anymore. If downtown is such a ghost town JazzSA Live wouldn’t be at Hemisfair (outgrowing Travis Park) this weekend, or Diwali or Luminaria or Day of the Dead. Houston Street just had a Centro sponsored Park(ing) Day event which shuts down the streets to have a block party and it was busy! Also he points out the Pearl has a bunch of parking lots all around it and those parking lots…are privately owned. He didn’t mention Downtown Tuesday either which offers free CoSA parking after 5pm and you see an uptick in local guests for that along at least the meters at night. San Antonio doesn’t “prioritize” parking lots it’s just nobody has the interest so far to buy them up and put something there (cough Weston), another victim of the destruction of downtowns through the 60s by removing a bunch of small dilapidated structures a la Houston and Dallas. It’s not San Antonio’s fault, it was an American sickness.

And once again the same old argument of an underwhelming skyline gets made. No. Phoenix is an underwhelming skyline. San Antonio has the tallest observatory tower in the state, 200 feet above the Reunion Tower! We don’t build massive skyscrapers because all of our towers are historic (the Nix, Tower Life, the Medical Arts Building, the Majestic, etc). He also said the city turned the Riverwalk into a gimmick…Times Square is a gimmick. Fremont Street is a gimmick. The Riverwalk is over ten thousand years old and is a living ecosystem with apartments, offices, shops and just the natural beauty of the Hill Country all around. We’re just guests.

The video is an objective analysis of the challenges facing the city’s urban core. You chose to take it as a personal insult.

[jaga185]

You're correct Seguin in that the problem is no one is building on those lots. When he mentioned Southtown my mind went to the lot south of Cinnaholic and the Goodyear. I mean, I know we need places like Goodyear but it shouldn't be there front and center. Imagine an iconic building right there as the signature of Southtown, with retail on the bottom and apartments up top. Even just 5-6 stories would be enough.