[Texan101]

Hyatt construction

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown060.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown059.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown055.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown051.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown034.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown031.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown030.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown029.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown028.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown022.jpg

[Texan101]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown056.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown048.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown045.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown042.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown032.jpg

[Texan101]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown040.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown036.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown037.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown035.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown021.jpg

[elmariachi]

The Vistana sure is going to stand out in that spot. I can't can't wait until its done. I bet it is easily going to reach 200 feet. Hopefully more. 14 stories plus the "crown".

On a side note, i really like the way the Drury looks now, with the lighted stick on top. Too bad I can't stand the Drury sign itself.

Great pics by the way. Thanks for sharing them.

[Complex01]

You know any day, we should see a crane at the Vistana site. I am waiting for it...


:cool:

[KevinFromTexas]

Great job on those pics, Texan101. Thanks!

[JACKinBeantown]

Nice pics. You know, the Riverwalk is a great place for people, but SA seems to be making the mistake of not really having much street level retail and other people-friendly things at the street level of its newer buildings. That could come back to haunt the city. Otherwise it's a really nice downtown.

[TXLove]

very nice photos

[Mopacs]

Thanks for the updated shots of the Hyatt! Its coming along nicely, and starting to make an impact on the skyline.

[sakyle04]

Nice pics. You know, the Riverwalk is a great place for people, but SA seems to be making the mistake of not really having much street level retail and other people-friendly things at the street level of its newer buildings. That could come back to haunt the city. Otherwise it's a really nice downtown.

The tipping point, we believe, will come with more residents. That said, there has been noticeable growth in this area in the last few years...

[sarocks14]

Great pics. I'm interested in seeing Main Plaza completed...got a year to go though haha

[sirkingwilliam]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/Downtown021.jpg

Who are the tenants for those two (brown) buildings?

[sarocks14]

Who are the tenants for those two (brown) buildings?

Isn't it the City?

[sakyle04]

Who are the tenants for those two (brown) buildings?

The near one is some sort of water treatment facility and the far building is the former SAWS headquarters...

So, yes, in a roundabout way - they are city buildings. Hopefully, one day, they will be bulldozed to make way something new and interesting.

[Boris]

Cool shots. The DT Hyatt's comming along nicely.

Looks like you got up on some parking garages for your shots. :notacrook:

[sirkingwilliam]

Why not tear down both buildings and expand the convention center on that land with a walk way over Market St. connecting the two buildings.

[JACKinBeantown]

The near one is some sort of water treatment facility and the far building is the former SAWS headquarters...

So, yes, in a roundabout way - they are city buildings. Hopefully, one day, they will be bulldozed to make way something new and interesting.

Like a city park. That would make for some nice green space. It would also use up a good chunk of land for something other than a building, thus forcing the rest of the land in the area to be at a higher premium and therefore more fertile ground for even taller buildings.

[Texan101]

Cool shots. The DT Hyatt's comming along nicely.

Looks like you got up on some parking garages for your shots. :notacrook:

Yep, Even went to the top of the Marriot hoping for some shots. But couldn't find any public windows facing the new Hyatt. Now those would have been some good shots!

[ryan5021]

FYI, there is now a crane at the Marriott Courtyard site.

[sakyle04]

:previous:

FYI, there is now a crane at the Marriott Courtyard site.

:boogy:

[Complex01]

HA, if that is not an Early Fiesta treat i dont know what is...

Oh wait i do....


A nice glass of cold beer
Crawford getting Suspended


I want to see a picture of the crane...


:cheers:

[starvinggryphon]

Crawford getting Suspended



TRUE THAT!!! Saw the crane today being assembled. Can't Wait! Also, the carnival opens today and there is a lovely feeling downtown like everybody's waiting for sunset to start drinking and get this Fiesta started. There were a gang of margarita stands setting up in Market Square and everybody from UTSA was just watching from afar just waiting helplessly. :slob:

[KevinFromTexas]

FYI, there is now a crane at the Marriott Courtyard site.

Sweet! Can anyone tell me if The Vistana has started construction yet? I saw one of Texan101's pics of it, showing the site, but is the asphalt gone at the site? Have they begun digging yet?

And I'm wondering if we should start a San Antonio Update thread in this section of the forum like the one for Austin. Perhaps this thread can be it? Whaddya think?

You guys could come on and report construction progress with a single post like "such and such building is up to 41st floor" ;), instead of creating a thread about it or mentioning it in another thread which may not be directly an update kind of thread. It would keep people more up to date on what's going on in San Antonio. I've sort of missed some of it myself because of that.

[sirkingwilliam]

I think this would be a perfect thread for a "San Antonio Update" stickered at the top. I'm hoping to get my camera fixed so I can venture out and snap the city.

[KevinFromTexas]

Alright, I've made it a sticky topic and changed the title to San Antonio Update.

[sirkingwilliam]

Good stuff!

Can there also be updates on suburban developments or is it strictly downtown projects?

[KevinFromTexas]

Good stuff!

Can there also be updates on suburban developments or is it strictly downtown projects?

Whatever you like, but stay on topic of development related stuff. This includes highrises, lowrises, retail, transportation, (roads, rails, and airport), and sports stadiums, but keep the "sports talk" out of this thread. Anything that doesn't pertain to San Antonio's development, even population figures or anything else should be posted in its own seperate thread. This thread should be about updated news and facts about ongoing construction projects, and construction images and announcements of new projects. You can still make a post about a new project in its own thread if you like, as well as here and in the city compilation thread. This thread should stay on topic of construction news so as to keep people posted of what's going on.

You can check the Austin Update thread to see what should be posted here.

[greenbelt]

Nice picks, we love San Antonio!

[sirkingwilliam]

I'm not trying to start anything by asking this, but why was the position changed? The SA Update thread was stickered at the top now it is not.

[sakyle04]

:previous:

I'm not trying to start anything by asking this, but why was the position changed? The SA Update thread was stickered at the top now it is not.

It is arranged geographically.

If Houston gets a Sticky thread it will be anchored to the right side of the page and the same would be true for El Paso and the left side of the page. :yes:

[KevinFromTexas]

I'm not trying to start anything by asking this, but why was the position changed? The SA Update thread was stickered at the top now it is not.

The topics will move above each other as they get replied to. So if the Austin Update is below the San Antonio one and someone replies to it, it'll move to the top, and if the San Antonio Update is below the Austin one and someone replies to it, it'll be on top afterwards. It's just how the forum program works. Try it and see.

[starvinggryphon]

Hey Kevin, the Vistana is certainly under construction now. The asphalt was removed long ago and forgive my layman's terms but cavities have been drilled, the rebar tubes have been inserted and the concrete is being poured as we speak. Also an awesome new rendering was erected on the corner of Commerce and Santa Rosa.

[KevinFromTexas]

^ Thanks!

[sirkingwilliam]

Thanks!

[starvinggryphon]

Has anyone visited the Vidorra site lately?

[elmariachi]

Has anyone visited the Vidorra site lately?
I passed by a couple days ago but there still isn't much going on. They have started digging a little though.

[kornbread]

I passed by a couple days ago but there still isn't much going on. They have started digging a little though.

Maybe they're going to plant some tomatoes:shrug:

[sakyle04]

Maybe they're going to plant some tomatoes

Ha.

I never would have guessed that there would be a 20-story condo East of 37, so I think that's why I have so much patience...but could this process take any longer?

Maybe we are just used to seeing hotels fly up (recently Hyatt and soon Courtyard on St Marys) and we don't understand the delays of financing and then building 20 stories of individually sold "homes".

[sirkingwilliam]

Maybe the long wait has to do with whatever they're having to dig into? My own theory, lol.

[kornbread]

For them to supposedly break ground in December and there not be any kind of activity at the site for 4 months, it sure seems like the groundbreaking was for appearances only. For all we know, they may still be trying to reach 60% (going on one year since they started selling the units).

We were in town this past weekend and the Broadway is all boarded up in a way that seems like they are trying to hide THEIR lack of activity.

I think there is demand for downtown condos, but I'm not so sure people are buying into high-rise living. I mean, if the market was really hot we should have already started to see something rise.

It could be that best thing going on downtown are the apartment projects. These could give people a try before you buy feel for downtown and kickstart some development in about 5 years.

[sirkingwilliam]

I believe they've already sold the 60% percent.

[sakyle04]

For them to supposedly break ground in December and there not be any kind of activity at the site for 4 months, it sure seems like the groundbreaking was for appearances only. For all we know, they may still be trying to reach 60% (going on one year since they started selling the units).

We were in town this past weekend and the Broadway is all boarded up in a way that seems like they are trying to hide THEIR lack of activity.I agree with this theory...

If the place was sold out (or even sold to a level that was profitable for the developer) that tower would rise so fast our necks would snap.

I believe they've already sold the 60% percent.

And they may have sold 60%, but it may be that the number of profitability is 75% and that's the number that they're really waiting on before they sink 10s of millions into a building.

[texboy]

My theory is that Vidorra is right now situated in a part of the city that is very detached...Yes there is Sunset station, but to be honest there isn't a WHOLE lot of nightlife/energy/convenience to that part of town, coupled with the fact that the east side is just not very pretty....yes I think Vidorra will be a nice addition to our skyline, but it will take some time before the east side of 37 is going to be an attractive place to live IMHO. Lets take the Vistana...that was just announced like what a year to maybe a year and a half ago...and they are already doing construction on it! Vistana is in an up and coming part of downtown. Its in an area close to UTSA downtown, Houston Street, walking distance to the financial district and the riverwalk .... its in a great location!

[sakyle04]

My theory is that Vidorra is right now situated in a part of the city that is very detached...Yes there is Sunset station, but to be honest there isn't a WHOLE lot of nightlife/energy/convenience to that part of town, coupled with the fact that the east side is just not very pretty....yes I think Vidorra will be a nice addition to our skyline, but it will take some time before the east side of 37 is going to be an attractive place to live IMHO. Lets take the Vistana...that was just announced like what a year to maybe a year and a half ago...and they are already doing construction on it! Vistana is in an up and coming part of downtown. Its in an area close to UTSA downtown, Houston Street, walking distance to the financial district and the riverwalk .... its in a great location!

I agree to a large part....

BUT I think it is important to note that the economics of making an apartment building work (or a hotel for that matter) versus the economics that drive a condo building are VERY different.

Apartments build and then lease, hotels do much the same - therefore they can go up faster, since the sooner they open the sooner they make money.

Condos have to sell first. Money is made when enough units have sold. Build too quickly and the project will bleed money...

[sirkingwilliam]

The Vistana was announced 8 months ago in August of 2006. However that is a apartment building, Vidorra is a condo highrise. Two different breeds of animal.

[sirkingwilliam]

Isn't downtown ideal for apartment living? Why aren't there more apartment highrise projects planned?

[SAguy]

sirkingwilliam-Isn't downtown ideal for apartment living? Why aren't there more apartment highrise projects planned?

Look for the River North/Museum District to explode with new apartments and condos within in the next few years. In fact, KSAT 12 recently reported a new hotel/condo was in the works for a vacant lot in this district. I didn't catch the location but it appears to be near Pearl Brewery.

[sirkingwilliam]

Just got back from downtown, dropped off some friends who wanted to watch the parade, and drove by the Vidorra site. The entire site has been cleared, so much has progressed at Vidorra so that's looking good. Also, never noticed that the building at the northwest corner of Houston St. and Alamo Plaza was being turned into a Hotel Indigo. Cool.

Finally, does anyone know what the 6-story building at Hackberry Ave. and Nolan St. across from Dignowity Park is going to be? It look renovated and very nice. Actually, there's a small pocket in that area that seems to be on track to becoming a quasi King William like neighborhood, with the homes and streets having that feel, I saw atleast half a dozen homes under renovation, really nice homes next to homes that either have just been renovated or were renovated within the past few years. So that area is shaping up nicely.

[sirkingwilliam]

Look for the River North/Museum District to explode with new apartments and condos within in the next few years. In fact, KSAT 12 recently reported a new hotel/condo was in the works for a vacant lot in this district. I didn't catch the location but it appears to be near Pearl Brewery.

Any new information on this one? By the way, when by the Hotel Indigo building and construction was still going on.

[21bl0wed]

estimated 250,000 at the river parade tonight...I was dissapointed with the floats though.

[sakyle04]

:previous:

Ya, a friend of mine had a fire escape party at the Exchange Building and we watched from there...

The floats (that really float) were what they were...it was the number of people who showed up that impressed me.

[sirkingwilliam]

Look for the River North/Museum District to explode with new apartments and condos within in the next few years. In fact, KSAT 12 recently reported a new hotel/condo was in the works for a vacant lot in this district. I didn't catch the location but it appears to be near Pearl Brewery.

Are you sure it was KSAT? I contacted KSAT and they have no information pretaining to a hotel/condo development in the River North district.

[SAguy]

I'm postive it was KSAT 12. It was aired last week if not the week before.

[NBTX11]

I'm postive it was KSAT 12. It was aired last week if not the week before.

Did they say how tall it is supposed to be.

[Complex01]

I was downtown today (in San Antonio). For some updates, there is a crane, its a Y crane, at the marriott site. The Hyatt is on floor 14. It already has some good height to it. I have some pics,that i will post, i just need to recover from the past 2 days.

:yes:

[texboy]

I was downtown today (in San Antonio). For some updates, there is a crane, its a Y crane, at the marriott site. The Hyatt is on floor 14. It already has some good height to it. I have some pics,that i will post, i just need to recover from the past 2 days.

:yes:


I'm looking for an excuse to use new found terminology from this past semester in construction science....

the crane you are referring to is a "luffing-boom crane" the types of cranes on the Hyatt site are actually called "hammerhead boom cranes"...

ok just had to do that! :tup:

[sakyle04]

I was downtown today (in San Antonio). For some updates, there is a crane, its a Y crane, at the marriott site. The Hyatt is on floor 14. It already has some good height to it. I have some pics,that i will post, i just need to recover from the past 2 days.

Complex01 - I am pretty sure I saw you last night at NIOSA....you were the guy with the 8ft sombrero and 14 white cups stacked up in your hand, right? :yes:

:drunk:

[Complex01]

He he, no i was the one with, well you know i dont know how many beer cups i had, but if anything i had a Faux Hawk, and taking pictures of cranes and stuff, he he...

:drunk:

[21bl0wed]

I didn't really like the crowd at NIOSA on thursday...if i had been sober i really wouldn't have liked it :D They should make it 18+

[TXlifeguard]

I didn't really like the crowd at NIOSA on thursday...if i had been sober i really wouldn't have liked it :D They should make it 18+

Yeah. The 'College Nite' crowd is usually mostly people who have never been to college. Either too young or just thugish.

[texboy]

Too many cars for too few roads

Web Posted: 04/30/2007 01:37 AM CDT

Patrick Driscoll
Express-News

Ruben Cerna has found that living on the city's suburban fringes isn't always what it's cracked up to be.


The attraction is easy enough to understand: big homes at affordable prices, no city taxes, and a slice of country with grazing horses and tree-lined roads. Throw in a school district with a sterling reputation and the lure can be irresistible.

And that's the problem — a lot of people, maybe too many, want a piece of the fairy tale.

Cerna bought his two-story American dream six years ago near Shaenfield Road just west of Loop 1604, where the latest land rush in Bexar County is now in full swing.

He said he left his old neighborhood because it was getting too crowded and run-down. Now, as farms around him are sold, woodlands get scraped bare and houses are packed in faster than he imagined, Cerna has made another choice.

His fight right now, waged between 12-hour days as a truck driver and spending time with his wife and two children, is to get more traffic signals installed on the two-lane country roads that have been drafted for use as suburban arterials.

"It's just cars all day long," said Cerna, 47. "I just don't understand why they won't go ahead and put traffic lights out here. It's not like it would be a wasted expense."

Cerna's right. More traffic lights are needed or soon will be. But those fixes won't stop waves of city traffic from spilling onto rural roads already clogged with cars.

Culebra and Potranco roads west of Loop 1604 were each built to handle about 12,000 cars a day. The most recent state traffic counts show that Culebra gets more than 20,000 daily and Potranco almost 18,000.

Some motorists go out of their way to avoid gridlock.

One recent morning, Bexar County sheriff's Lt. Dennis Casillas was stopped in traffic on Potranco Road when he looked out the window of his patrol vehicle and saw a car buzzing by on the shoulder.

A lot of people do it, the driver told the lieutenant when he pulled her over. Traffic is so bad that parents often resort to the shoulder to get their kids to school on time. She was taking her son to a school just around the corner.


When Cerna bought his home, he joined about 14,000 people spread over some 80 square miles outside Loop 1604 between Potranco and Bandera roads in the county, according to the Alamo Area Council of Governments.
The major streets connecting these people to the rest of San Antonio compose a thin network of two-lane roads with no curbs, sidewalks or bicycle lanes. Years ago, that was enough.

"Everything was just a country road," said William Houghton, 71, who bought 2 acres near Potranco and Talley roads in 1985 and built his own house. "It was beautiful. You know Camelot? I would say it was like Camelot."

But Houghton's Camelot is under siege. Population is booming in that quadrant of the county, and it's expected to grow seven times over by 2030, to more than 98,000 residents. Areas south of U.S. 90 and north of Interstate 10 are growing nearly as quickly.

With the growth comes traffic. But expanding the roads, maybe at best doubling them over the next 25 years, will leave them way behind.

"History tells you the truth," said Joe Aceves, Bexar County's infrastructure director and a former city public works director. "Historically, infrastructure falls pretty far behind the development that occurs."

It's not that nobody's trying:

County taxpayers are footing $17 million in bonds to build four-lane Wiseman Boulevard from Loop 1604 to Talley Road, which is about to open, and widen Shaenfield and Braun roads to four lanes, with work starting this year.

The Texas Department of Transportation has $34 million worth of projects under way to widen Culebra Road to four lanes, finish adding a northbound lane to Loop 1604 and add left-turn lanes from 1604 to Guilbeau Road.

Developers are building four-lane roads in their subdivisions, of which Alamo Ranch Parkway and Alamo Parkway will eventually cut through, and they paid half of the $8.2 million for Wiseman Boulevard.

VIA Metropolitan Transit plans to extend bus service on Culebra Road next year and add express buses on Texas 151 to Loop 1604 in two years. The agency also may start running buses on 1604 past Potranco Road and Military Drive in a few years.

It won't be enough, and the city's record $550 million bond package going before voters May 12 doesn't touch this area, which is mostly outside city limits.

Traffic is "going to continue to grow," said Clay Smith, TxDOT's engineer in charge of planning in San Antonio. "Travel times will increase."

More projects are planned for the Northwest Side, but funds are short. Officials are discussing what they dub "innovative financing."

TxDOT, local governments and developers might team up to raise $68 million to widen Potranco Road to four lanes and build an 8-mile, two-lane section of Texas 211. By selling bonds, the work could get done at least a decade sooner.

Another plan actually uses an old idea: toll roads. In a few years, motorists could be asked to cough up tolls to help pay for adding four to six express lanes to 1604, bypassing yawning backups at stoplights.

That still won't be enough.

"No, we're still short," Smith said. "We'll still see congestion increasing."

The numbers are just too daunting.

As many as 60,000 homes could be built outside Loop 1604 between Potranco and Bandera roads in just 15 to 20 years, say Northside Independent School District officials, who keep close tabs on developers so they can plan where new schools will go.

Families in each household make about 10 trips a day, according to city planners. And people living in far-flung sprawling areas tend to drive farther and more often.

"It's not going to be fun out here in the near future," Houghton said as he sprinkled water on his front yard's bald patches. "I'm not bitter, but I just want to know where all these people are coming from that they're building the houses for."

He stopped and looked up, letting water spurt aimlessly from the hose.

"Where are they coming from?" he said.

Best-laid plan


The dire picture for the Northwest Side isn't new. Most of the city and growing areas in the county suffer traffic congestion or crumbling streets, and there are few easy solutions.
When planners recently put their pencils to paper to come up with a magic number for making most traffic problems disappear in Bexar County by 2030, they settled on a whopping $19 billion deficit. That hole is more than twice what's actually budgeted for projects.

"We've got three choices," said Scott Ericksen, spokesman for the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which oversees how federal gas tax dollars are spent here. "Find more money, change the way we travel, or get very congested."

The $300 million for streets, bridges and sidewalks in the city's bond proposal — more than half the funds — is well behind the area's wave of growth and offers just a fraction of the relief that's needed.

"We're trying our best to catch up," said Tom Wendorf, city public works director. "We're just not as nimble, say, as a developer."

The city tries to stay ahead of developers by requiring them to build networks of through streets for their subdivisions, including those in extraterritorial areas, so that less traffic is funneled to existing highways.

A map dictating where those thoroughfares will go covers the explosive growth west of Loop 1604, which the city will probably inherit someday. But that ideal grid, even with roads widened as planned, won't be a cure-all for the traffic coming there.

"It's going to be like any other city," said Emil Moncivias, the city's planning director. "It's going to be busy."

And as tapped-out as taxpayers are, they may soon pay a larger share for such streets. A Texas Supreme Court ruling in 2004 and a state law passed the next year forbids cities from forcing developers to build more than needed for the traffic their subdivisions spawn.

San Antonio is kicking off a study to spell out how to pinpoint where traffic comes from and divvy up the related road costs. County officials went ahead and split expenses with developers for Wiseman Boulevard so that four lanes would be built instead of two.

"It's probably going to become more commonplace," said Aceves, who worked the deal for Wiseman Boulevard.

Also, the plan can be and often is changed by the City Council at the behest of developers. A former city planner says such changes fueled notorious traffic quagmires around Bandera Road, U.S. 281 and other areas.

"It's completely screwed up," said Dave Pasley, a former city planning director and special projects coordinator. "I fought a lot of battles and lost most of them over the years."

There's still hope for the mostly virgin tracts west of Loop 1604, for which the thoroughfare plan remains largely intact, Pasley said.

There are glaring gaps, including no extension of FM 1560 and Texas 211 northward, no extension of Braun Road to Texas 211, and a lack of roads around Helotes, Grey Forest and areas east, he said. But overall, the far Northwest Side could fare better than the North Side.

"If there is follow-through and implementation of these plans," he said. "A big if."

Those are the kind of ifs that Brenda Ward is counting on.

As a mother, she worries about the safety of her two teens as they travel the narrow roads to Taft High School.

As principal of Ward Elementary on Shaenfield Road — it's not named after her — she worries about the safety of her 1,200 students. In August, Jefferson Middle School will open next door and bring 1,500 students.

"We understood it was a growing area when we moved out here," she said. "We see them plowing down the cornfields and the cute little farms, and the houses and model homes are all going up out here."

If only traffic and safety officials could keep up.

"To pre-plan those things, knowing the houses are coming," she said. "Until it's a problem and so many people die, it doesn't seem to happen."





This is yet another reason its time the San Antonio City Council starts thinking up, instead of out! The last time I went back to San Antonio, the traffic in Stone Oak (where my parents live) was HORRENDOUS.... at 6:30pm it took me 25 minutes to get from Hardy Oak Blvd to the 1604....I for one will be looking to buy as close to downtown or as close to where ever I work as possible when I get out of college. When I was going to UTSA, I got tired of sitting in traffic on the 1604 every stinkin morning!

[sakyle04]

^ The council can't do much to stop our stupidity....other than encourage vertical growth, which is probably what you're implying. We can only hope they pull a Will Wynn and make it a city mandate.

Not to say your parents are stupid, but I cannot fathom buying a home outside 1604. The traffic is terrible and will only get worse.

I, like you (and like a lot of folks) will be looking at the area closest to my workplace and if that is in flux - then downtown it will be.

As it stands, my wife and I were looking a couple of years ago and my exact location was in question. So, we live 0.3 miles from her job (near 410 rather than 1604). It is awesome for her to say the least. Quality of life extends beyond square footage and gated neighborhoods for us.

We love it.

[Complex01]

:previous:

I agree. I would never want to live outside 1604, the traffic is just bad. Also i hate to drive, so the less i have to do the better...

[Complex01]

Okay its time for my pics, Fiesta was okay, i got sick on friday :yuck: , so spent saturday night and all day sunday in bed. It happens. Anyhow i didnt get the best pics, but you know just to give an idea. Hope you all enjoy...


http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/am4ever7/DSCN0474.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/am4ever7/DSCN0476.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/am4ever7/DSCN0515.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/am4ever7/DSCN0523.jpg

[Mopacs]

Thanks for the updates! Every little bit helps when you're keeping track of the project from afar. The Great Wall of San Antone' rises! ;)

[sakyle04]

^ I heard it will be visible from space - like the original. :haha:

[KevinFromTexas]

Cool. Keep the updates coming.

[texboy]

Not to say your parents are stupid, but I cannot fathom buying a home outside 1604. The traffic is terrible and will only get worse.

They bought out there 8 years ago when there was only one stop light on Stone Oak Pkwy at Huebner...they are now moving to get OUT of Stone Oak. They will be moving to New Braunfels so that my dad can be closer to work.

[matttwentyeight]

speakin on quality of life issues- i am no longer going to practice selling real estate in new braunfels! i have over a 100 mile commute from my house to work to house to gym- to tan-to home!

i'm lookin at a job that they manage commercial properties as at apt's. condos, other things such as those and the job i am eyeing is right down the street from my house! maybe 2 or 3 stop lights and that it!

quality of life is important to me and i feel that eventuelly developers will see the need for things that might be costing a pretty penny at first but will habe a gold mine of reserves from that one penny's affect!

matt

[Schertz1]

I visited a few sites today while in San Antonio!

THE BROADWAY

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/broad1.jpg

LA VISTANA

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/apt1.jpg

HYATT

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/hyatt1.jpg

LA VIDORRA

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/lav1.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/lav2.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/lav3.jpg


MARRIOTT

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/mar1.jpg


SAT


http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/spurs.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/DSC00656.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/DSC00654.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/DSC00652.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l164/schertz1/DSC00653.jpg

[sakyle04]

^ Nice update Schertz...

Nice to see the Vidorra folks are tending their garden, finally turning dirt.

Also, I am really excited to see the Marriott go up on that skinny lot. My architect cousin and I think that the little brick building just north of the site should be a one-lane bowling alley. :)

[sirkingwilliam]

I second that sakyle, great job Schertz. Vidorra progressing quite well since my last visit to the site (April 23). That should quiet the noisy birds... lol, j/k.Finally, is it me or is the Marriott site an example of crazy density? I love it!

[sakyle04]

^ sirkingwilliam's thought about the "crazy density" at the Marriott site got me thinking...

Isn't that the dream for River North? There is only going to be so much riverfront. Hopefully, it spurs density just like on the river walk itself.

[Complex01]

You know any day, there should be a couple of more cranes going up. Honestly i cant wait for that day. Well all in due time. Great updates, thanxs for posting...

:yes:

[sakyle04]

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50049_1.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50050.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50053.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50072_2.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50073_1.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50075_1-1.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50069.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50082-1.jpg

[sakyle04]

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50083.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50081.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50062.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50061.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50056.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z83/theburkholders/hyatt/SUC50055.jpg

[Complex01]

Nice updates. I see they are working on the 16th floor of the hyatt. Very nice, so we are about 47% = (16/34) of the way up.

I want to see a crane already at the Vistanna and the Vidorra...

[JACKinBeantown]

Vistana is probably my favorite for SA right now. Very classy. Beats the crap out of the new Hyatt.

[sakyle04]

^ Ya, I cannot wait to show you guys the plans. Such an interesting idea for the pool deck and balconies.

[KevinFromTexas]

Awesome work, guys. Thanks for the updates.

[ryan5021]

FYI, construction has started on the 10 story Drury Inn on 1-10 and 1604.

[Texan101]

FYI, construction has started on the 10 story Drury Inn on 1-10 and 1604.

Yeah i drove by there last night, Bout time! Ill make sure to get some shots when it really gets going. Its only 5 mins from me.

[sirkingwilliam]

10 story at the SW corner of 10 and 1604, 14 story more inland on the NW corner of 10 and 1604 and half a dozen (?) stories on the SE corner of 10 and 1604. Not too bad.

[KevinFromTexas]

14 story more inland on the NW corner of 10 and 1604

Do you have anymore info on that? Any articles, or links? What companies are involved with it? I don't think I've got that one listed for San Antonio's list.

[sirkingwilliam]

Do you have anymore info on that? Any articles, or links? What companies are involved with it? I don't think I've got that one listed for San Antonio's list.

Hotel Talavera, at The Rim development. I was off by one story, it's actually going to be 13 stories. Ive counted 14 floors but an article I just read states 13. BTW, check out this Google map showing The Shops at La Cantera, The Rim and La Joya. Look how big Th Rim is compared to the two others.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104240273150068008581.00000112b12d74556ed0a&t=k&z=13&om=0

[KevinFromTexas]

Hotel Talavera, at The Rim development. I was off by one story, it's actually going to be 13 stories. Ive counted 14 floors but an article I just read states 13. BTW, check out this Google map showing The Shops at La Cantera, The Rim and La Joya. Look how big Th Rim is compared to the two others.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104240273150068008581.00000112b12d74556ed0a&t=k&z=13&om=0

Oh ok, the Hotel Talavera, yeah I have that one listed. Has that one begun construction yet?

And is the Staybridge Suites at Sunset Station finished yet? I know it was topped out, and the outside is complete. Are they still working on the inside? Is it open yet?

[sakyle04]

And is the Staybridge Suites at Sunset Station finished yet? I know it was topped out, and the outside is complete. Are they still working on the inside? Is it open yet

looks like we're still going through interior finish-out.

[21bl0wed]

Oh ok, the Hotel Talavera, yeah I have that one listed. Has that one begun construction yet?



Well...im not sure if its technically u/c yet. There's def. nothing above ground..but its really hard to tell since theres so much stuff u/c in that area, and there's no signs specifying whats what..

[sirkingwilliam]

Seeing how leasing for The Villages at The Rim began a while ago and Hotel Talavera will be built along with the Villages, I would expect construction soon on it.

[AndresAndujar]

The two low rise brown buildings are in fact the former San Antonio Water System headquarters (beyond) and the chilled water plant in the foreground. CPS pipes and sells chilled water to many downtown developments such as the Hilton, the Hyatt, Rivercenter, Marriott and the Convention Center. That is why you don't see big cooling towers at those locations.

The 10 year Convention Center master plan will likely show expansion onto this site. The street will be re-directed.

[sakyle04]

The two low rise brown buildings are in fact the former San Antonio Water System headquarters (beyond) and the chilled water plant in the foreground. CPS pipes and sells chilled water to many downtown developments such as the Hilton, the Hyatt, Rivercenter, Marriott and the Convention Center. That is why you don't see big cooling towers at those locations.

The 10 year Convention Center master plan will likely show expansion onto this site. The street will be re-directed.

very good to hear about this.

it is nice to hear that things we hope for, are indeed thought of by the important people who will one day make the planning decisions.

[Texan101]

Had to go downtown today, so while stopped at a light figured id take a few updates of the Hyatt.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/towerMay001.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/towerMay002.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/IrishCon/towerMay003.jpg

[KevinFromTexas]

^ Cool. Those lower floors are insanely high! They almost look to be about 20 feet high. :crazy:

[sakyle04]

Vidorra Update:
Email from Vidorra says that the tower crane is expected to be assembled by late June or early July.

Also stated that the building is over 50% pre-sold.

http://www.garrisonpartners.com/vidorra/images/construction.jpg

[Complex01]

Someone correct me if i am wrong, but i thought they had changed the exterior (Grand Hyatt) so that the glass was more of a rectangle then just a glass square. Hmm i dont know. Still getting taller...

:shrug:

[sakyle04]

Someone correct me if i am wrong, but i thought they had changed the exterior (Grand Hyatt) so that the glass was more of a rectangle then just a glass square. Hmm i dont know. Still getting taller...

:shrug:

Was that something you noticed somewhere? Or was it maybe just for the condo floors?

I really don't know about that one...

[Complex01]

:previous:

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/1460/hyattgrandsazu4.jpg

You notice in the rendering how the glass for the hotel portion looks like a rectangle seperated by a "concrete square". Well looking at the current facade, they are just using squares. I was under the impression that they were not going to use the squares, and use rectangles (for the glass)...

[sakyle04]

^^ I see it Complex...

Umm, do you think this makes the building looks slimmer? Sort of like how fat people aren't supposed to wear horizontal stripes....

Maybe this will slim up the great wall.

[kornbread]

You notice in the rendering how the glass for the hotel portion looks like a rectangle seperated by a "concrete square". Well looking at the current facade, they are just using squares. I was under the impression that they were not going to use the squares, and use rectangles (for the glass)...

If you go to the Arquitectonica site and zoom in on the flash image you can see that the windows are square. It looks rectangular because every other span is a darker color. In the latest pictures of the cladding, you can see the indented area between the two windows that will eventually be darker.

Look at pictures 9&10 of their Houston Convention Hotel project to get an idea of what it might look like (less the multi-color). Picture 9 is a shot where the light doesn't really show the color, while picture 10 is a staight-on view with the color visible.

[JACKinBeantown]

Comparing Texan101's photos (18 floors) to the rendering, it looks like it's just over half the height of the main building roof.