SAN ANTONIO │ City and Metro Off-Topic Thread

[kingkirbythe....]

After scandal at Centro San Antonio, new CEO Matt Brown is expanding the nonprofit’s reach

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sa-inc/...O-16842878.php

When Matt Brown stepped in as CEO of Centro San Antonio in 2019, the public-private nonprofit had just emerged from scandal after its staff accountant was accused of embezzling $291,000.

After the alleged fraud was discovered in 2017 — leading to the resignation of then-CEO Pat DiGiovanni — some of Centro’s board members talked about narrowing its focus. Centro oversees two nonprofits with separate missions: One, the Centro Alliance, acts as a lobbying group for downtown investors, while the other manages the downtown public improvement district on the city’s behalf.

Instead, Brown has expanded Centro’s reach, taking on new responsibilities to create public art, help small businesses and fight against homelessness. Under his watch, the nonprofit has turned Peacock Alley, which runs beside its offices on Broadway, into a venue for jazz concerts and movie nights. There is a plan to illuminate all of downtown’s parks and plazas into a “holiday wonderland” during the Christmas season.

[kingkirbythe....]

This St. Mary’s Strip bar is on the National Register of Historic Places

https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyl...s-16927099.php

The facade, which looks like it grew right out of the concrete in front of the bar at 2702 N. St. Mary’s, is the work of the late Dionicio Rodríguez, who completed the piece just three years before he died in 1955. It is one of only two known building facades attributed to Rodríguez and likely one of his last pieces.

[kingkirbythe....]

At Alamo Helicopter Tours, Jose Corona never gets tired of seeing San Antonio from above

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sa-inc/...s-16921454.php

Jose Corona began dreaming of flying when he was 3 or 4 years old. That’s when he watched an Army helicopter land in his neighborhood, pick up an injured patient and take off for a hospital.

“It was shocking as a kid, just standing there at the fence, you know?” he said. “From the very beginning it was always wanting to do it for a living. That was the goal.”

When he was in his early 30s, Corona took flying lessons in New Braunfels. He eventually became an instructor and began conducting tours for Alamo Helicopter Tours, a company based at Stinson Municipal Airport on the South Side.

In 2016, Corona and his wife, Betty, purchased the company from its prior owners, also a husband-and-wife team. The Coronas now oversee a staff of eight, including five pilots, in San Antonio and Austin. They offer sightseeing tours and flying lessons as well as charter flights, often to business executives shuttling between meetings in the two cities.

[kingkirbythe....]

Basura Bash: Time to grow San Antonio’s annual litter cleanup

https://sanantonioreport.org/basura-...itter-cleanup/

There is something amazing about 2,500 people of all ages and from all parts of San Antonio showing up on a Saturday morning to clean up litter.

Basura Bash, San Antonio’s annual citywide spring cleanup that began in 1994 with a handful of volunteers meeting at Mission County Park, this year saw thousands wade through muddy creeks, the sprawling Olmos Basin and along 13 miles of the San Antonio River.

The trash collected by this all-volunteer army ultimately will be measured in tons and, based on my own experience Saturday, will include everything from discarded truck tires and other outsized articles to facial masks, dental picks, bits of plastic foam and countless cigarette butts, evidence that litter reflects the world we live in.

[kingkirbythe....]

Tour of historic East Side San Antonio cemetery digs up fascinating facts about the city’s past

https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyl...y-16930478.php

When it comes to telling San Antonio ghost stories, Fred and Stephen Garza-Guzman prefer the strange but true tales buried in their hometown’s darker past.

And what better place to dig up that history than at one of the city’s oldest graveyards?

The Garza-Guzmans own Curious Twins Paranormal, which for the past four years has hosted evening walking tours of City Cemetery No. 1, the East Side burial ground that dates back to 1853. The 20-acre site is home to many famous names in San Antonio’s early development, including bankers Thomas Claiborne Frost and Friedrich Groos, Menger Hotel magnate William Menger and C.H. Guenther of the Guenther House and Pioneer Flour Mills.

[kingkirbythe....]

Immersive Van Gogh exhibition secures downtown San Antonio venue, will open in May

https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio...t?oid=28266025

The long-awaited Immersive Van Gogh exhibition will make its San Antonio debut. Finally.

Originally set to open last November, the show was rescheduled to February 2022 due to "venue-related issues."

Now, on Monday, event organizers Lighthouse Immersive announced that the exhibition has secured a venue in downtown San Antonio — but forget that February plan. Instead, it will open May 26.

The exhibition will feature animated projections of Vincent Van Gogh's artwork, backed by a musical score that includes both contemporary and classical music. It will be on view through Sept. 5.

Immersive Van Gogh will be the inaugural exhibition at the new Lighthouse ArtSpace, a former industrial property in Dignowity Hill. Lighthouse Immersive has opened 16 Lighthouse ArtSpace venues in North America, including one each in Dallas and Houston.

According to Lighthouse Immersive, San Antonio's Tobin Center for the Performing Arts helped the event producers secure the venue.

“We sincerely apologize for the delay,” Corey Ross, producer at Lighthouse Immersive, said in a statement. “A proper venue for these unique immersive experiences needs to satisfy a long list of criteria, and locating an optimal space in San Antonio has presented some challenges. With the help of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, however, we have finally found a venue that suits all of our needs and we are on-track to open May 26. We would like to extend our gratitude to our patrons for their patience and to the Tobin Center for getting us situated.”

Lighthouse Immersive will send an email contacting ticketholders for dates prior to May 26 and offer the option to reschedule or receive a refund.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

This St. Mary’s Strip bar is on the National Register of Historic Places

https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyl...s-16927099.php

The facade, which looks like it grew right out of the concrete in front of the bar at 2702 N. St. Mary’s, is the work of the late Dionicio Rodríguez, who completed the piece just three years before he died in 1955. It is one of only two known building facades attributed to Rodríguez and likely one of his last pieces.

I saw "strip bar" and I got excited.

[kingkirbythe....]

West Side buildings converted to studios for creatives

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sa-inc/...s-16820181.php

After he purchased a former church and medical clinic now called The Parish, makeup and hair artist Zachry Smith approached him about turning it into studios for creatives, Hernden said.

The 16-unit Parish leased up quickly. Hernden decided to take the same approach with the 11-unit Brownstone, nine-unit Root and another building dubbed Zócalo, which was once occupied by a drug-testing company and will have 12 units when finished.

The buildings are 70 to 80 percent leased at any given time, Hernden said. Some tenants have moved out because they’ve outgrown the space, while others left due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Studios and rent range in size and price, but the average space is between 250 and 300 square feet, and the average rent is $450 to $500 a month, he said.

[kingkirbythe....]

PechaKucha San Antonio returns with first live event in two years at San Antonio Botanical Garden

https://www.mysanantonio.com/enterta...l-16926965.php

PechaKucha San Antonio, the popular storytelling series, has announced a return to in-person sharing with their first date at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens scheduled for this spring.

The forthcoming event on Thursday, March 3, marks the first in-person local PechaKucha since February 2020, when a group of individuals took to the stage to share their passions at the Hermann Sons Ballroom. Since, two virtual events took place in 2020. Two years have passed and the organization is more than eager to commune outside the glow of the screen.

[kingkirbythe....]

'Don't dump your aquarium in the river': San Antonio officials warn locals about non-native species

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...r-16622149.php

Officials are reminding residents to not dump their aquariums in the San Antonio River after finding non-native species that are wreaking havoc on the attraction's ecosystem.

The San Antonio River Authority detailed in a blog post on Friday, November 12, how two invasive species are negatively impacting the river. The species are the plecostomus and the vermiculated sailfin catfish, both commonly referred to as armored catfish.

[forward looking]

Yes the water tower in question is in Olmos Park near Devine and Hildebrandt. Saws was sued over this accident. There are two towers in that vicinity and this is the one I wrote of.

Originally Posted by Keep-SA-Lame

You sure about that? That tower definitely belongs to the Alamo Heights Water System, not SAWS. They have their own independent water company within their city limits. They have their own pumps and everything, though I think the sewer must interconnect with SAWS at some point since they don't have their own sewer treatment facility.

[kingkirbythe....]

Originally Posted by forward looking

DeLorean was offered a sweetheart deal by the City is what I am hearing.

Looks like this might be what you were hearing about foward looking. Hopefully more information will come out soon.


San Antonio offering incentives for revamped DeLorean company despite its murky future

https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio...t?oid=28282181

DeLorean Motor Co. grabbed business headlines last week when it unleashed a social media announcement just before the Super Bowl that it’s resurrecting the troubled 1980s sports car as an electric vehicle.

Along with that splash came a news release from San Antonio economic development officials that the new venture will locate its headquarters here, employing 450 people, “contingent on final approvals of various incentive packages.”

In prepared statements, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff trumpeted the announcement as a validation that the city, which has long struggled to transition its economy beyond the service sector, can be a beacon in the auto market.

...

It’s unclear just what kind of incentives local leaders are prepared to throw at DeLorean. Officials with both the city and the county would only say details are being negotiated right now.

However, observers caution that the Alamo City has a mixed record at best when it comes to incentivizing startups.

[ILUVSAT]

^^^From my understanding, it's simply a HQ. Their factory will not be located in S.A.

[Restless One]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

^^^From my understanding, it's simply a HQ. Their factory will not be located in S.A.

I don't think factory site has been determined yet.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio is one of the least affordable U.S. cities for renters, new report finds

https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio...t?oid=28281883

Once trumpeted for its affordable cost of living, San Antonio is now among the 10 least affordable U.S. cities for renters, according to new research from Online Mortgage Advisor.

The broker-matching website's "Priced Out Property 2022" report puts the Alamo City at No. 10 in the nation when it comes to growth in the percentage of an average resident's salary that goes to paying rent.

In 2017, average monthly rents in SA consumed 29% of the average monthly salary of a local worker. That amount jumped by 2.6% in 2021, hitting 32%.

[kingkirbythe....]

Most proposed development code changes now head to in-depth review

https://sanantonioreport.org/most-sa...-depth-review/

San Antonio’s Planning Commission forwarded a vast majority of proposed development code changes to a subcommittee on Wednesday. That panel will be taking a closer look at how the changes could impact development costs and how the city grows.

It’s the latest step in a year-long process to update the city’s unified development code, which establishes rules, policies, and procedures for land development.

Proposed changes touch on a wide range of topics, including flood prevention, urban farms, light pollution, transitional housing, short-term rentals, tree preservation, public engagement, building height limits and transitional housing.

[Schertz1]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

San Antonio is one of the least affordable U.S. cities for renters, new report finds

https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio...t?oid=28281883

Once trumpeted for its affordable cost of living, San Antonio is now among the 10 least affordable U.S. cities for renters, according to new research from Online Mortgage Advisor.

The broker-matching website's "Priced Out Property 2022" report puts the Alamo City at No. 10 in the nation when it comes to growth in the percentage of an average resident's salary that goes to paying rent.

In 2017, average monthly rents in SA consumed 29% of the average monthly salary of a local worker. That amount jumped by 2.6% in 2021, hitting 32%.

San Antonio, at 32%, is one of the most affordable cities.
The article's title is misleading.

[theOGalexd]

What do you guys think about the new concert venue in Port SA?

I like the concept and am always for SA getting new venues but it seems like a missed opportunity putting it somewhere random like Port SA instead of by the Pearl or somewhere new development is. Kind of reminds me of the AT&T Center.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by Restless One

I don't think factory site has been determined yet.

Correct. However, I too read that DeLorean is seeking "other locations for manufacturing operations." Could it still end up in S.A. - maybe.



DeLorean Motor Company "CEO Joost de Vries said the company has considered the Austin area, as well as Dallas and other U.S. cities, for manufacturing operations, though no decisions had been made by publication time. San Antonio will be home to the HQ but manufacturing will be located outside of the Alamo City, he said." A decision is expected later this year.

Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...austin-ev.html


**I didn't realize that their current HQ is in Humble and it has been there since 1995.

[kingkirbythe....]

Free Roasted Corn Festival pops back into San Antonio with karaoke, games, and music

https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifesty...e-16926956.php

A free elote festival is popping back into San Antonio, returning for a second year on March 26 with more fun and corn. The organizer and owner of El Chistoso Elotes, Robert Reyes, tells MySA he's excited to welcome the public back for the festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 6750 Rigsby Avenue, a property near China Grove.

Reyes originally planned to have the Roasted Corn Festival in March 2020, but postponed it due to the pandemic. For the festival's first year in March 2021, guests had to have an RSVP ticket to get into the venue. This year, however, that isn't the case, Reyes says.