[Boris]

New San Antonio Federal Courthouse moves closer to development
San Antonio Business Journal - 4:10 PM CDT Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The General Services Administration (GSA) has narrowed down its list of potential sites for a new U.S. Courthouse in downtown San Antonio.

..................

The three sites are:

The current San Antonio Police Department headquarters site;

A federally owned site next to the current Federal Building on Durango;

And a site that is bounded by the San Antonio River on the East, Durango on the South and Main on the West.


http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2007/05/14/daily17.html?jst=b_ln_hl
......................

Anyone know how much they are going to spend on this?

[sirkingwilliam]

My question, if they build on the current SAPD HQ site, where does the SAPD build their new HQ?

[jaga185]

:previous: Just what I was thinking...and even so, I would be glad to see the Police Station go, its so ugly!

[sirkingwilliam]

It is, so old and outdated.

[sirkingwilliam]

Reference to the sites. The black X is the third option and the red X is the first option/current SAPD HQ.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/8625/safedcourtvs5.png

[Saddle Man]

It shouldn't be built on the third site by the river.

[Texan101]

It shouldn't be built on the third site by the river.

I agree, would be a nice spot:tup:

[Saddle Man]

It's a nice spot for something other than a federal building. The federal gov't could give a rat's ass downtown San Antonio looks like, and could possibly build a parking lot (or something worse) on the river front portion of the lot.

[sakyle04]

honestly, i like the river site more than the police hq.

this may be a minor catalyst in some new development nearby wherever it is located.

the riverside site is just south of La Cascada. perhaps a new federal building will push that area to become another potential hot development zone DT, more restaurants, retail, and an another daytime magnet that makes residential buildings in that area look attractive...

and remember - the site on the river is the only one that is currently surface parking... why tear down a building (even one as ugly as police hq) when there is a perfectly hideous surface parking lot to destroy?

we here at the forum all share a common enemy - downtown surface parking lots.

[alexjon]

Perhaps they'll build a federal courthouse like the one in Portland?

16 stories, but swanky!

[Complex01]

:previous:

I doubt they would build a 16 story building next to La Cascada, it would be taller then it, and block its views. How ever i do agree, there are plenty of parking lots that need to go, especially in that area, its just one big parking lot...

[KevinFromTexas]

:previous:

I doubt they would build a 16 story building next to La Cascada, it would be taller then it, and block its views. How ever i do agree, there are plenty of parking lots that need to go, especially in that area, its just one big parking lot...

For reference, La Cascada is 149 feet tall.

[sakyle04]

mayor alexjon has a good point...

check out the courthouse from portland...that would be a sweet addition to DT.

http://www.brightworks.net/images/projects/hcp.jpg

[Complex01]

:previous:

Hey wait a minute. That picture is the court house in Seattle.

This is the courthouse in Portland...

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=340342

Either way, i think they are both nice. Well i like the Seattle one a lil more. I guess cause i like Seattle a lot more then portland...

:D

[sakyle04]

^^^ Thanks, Complex01.

Fixed it. (And I liked the Seattle one a little more too...)

Either way, they're doing some decent work here considering that they are government buildings.

[sakyle04]

And no matter what, it isn't going to get much worse than this:

http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/tx-w/locations/santonio.jpg

[sirkingwilliam]

Proposed courthouse site on river upsets some

Web Posted: 06/06/2007 10:45 PM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA060707.1B.FedCourthouse.348918a.html

Scott Huddleston
Express-News

A scenic, park-like area of the San Antonio River is one of three final sites proposed for a new federal courthouse, a use some say would clash with the character of downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

The U.S. General Services Administration also is looking at San Antonio's downtown police station and a federally owned site on Durango Boulevard between the federal building and the Institute of Texan Cultures.

It's the location on the river that's drawing fire.

"It just doesn't make sense," said Diana Treviño, who grew up in an early 1900s home by the river that could be razed if the spot is chosen.

Also at risk besides the two-story Victorian-style Sanchez House, also known as the Dwyer House, is the future of a peaceful section of the River Walk where ducks swim and people walk, jog and ride bicycles, Treviño said.

"I'm concerned that they're going to wipe all that out," she said. "When I think of a federal building, I think of lights, barricades and other things that are uninviting, that make you want to stay away. When the tourists come downtown, they want to see historic San Antonio. They don't want to see a building."

The search for a new federal courthouse site began seven years ago with 18 sites under consideration. Now it's down to three, including the site near the northwest corner where the river flows under Durango.

Lawyer Carla Morrison bought the Sanchez House at 408 Dwyer Ave. five years ago and invested $500,000 to restore it and use it as her office. She's hired a lawyer specializing in land use and public relations expert T.J. Connolly to help build a case against the river site.

Morrison is in Guatemala and couldn't comment on the case. Connolly said he created a Web site last week to allow people to read about the situation and post their opinions. On Tuesday, he posted 5,000 e-mails to area community leaders and media outlets statewide.

"Our goal is to make this choice the path of greatest resistance," he said.

Security requirements for a federal courthouse could impede barge and pedestrian traffic on that stretch of the river, about 1,500 feet downstream from the highly developed Horseshoe Bend area of the River Walk, Connolly said.

That could cripple the city's plans to make a 13-mile stretch of the river a draw for tourists and residents, with linear parks, hike-bike trails and new development, Connolly said.

"You can't allow barges or joggers by a federal courthouse," he said. "There's too great a risk of a bomb being on a barge or in a jogger's backpack."

Officials representing the city and the River Walk weren't as concerned about potential impacts on the river but felt the police station is the best site.

Mayor Phil Hardberger said security issues "would all have to be worked out down the road" if the river site were chosen.

Greg Gallaspy, executive director of the Paseo del Rio Association, said the police station, followed by the spot by the Federal Building, would be his two choices. Conflicts between use of that area of the river and courthouse security could increase over time as downtown hotel development increases, he said.

"I think the Police Department is the answer," he said.

The city suggested the police station as a site, knowing it was antiquated, at 45 years old, and needs to be replaced or upgraded. If it's chosen as the courthouse site, with construction starting as early as 2011, the city will have to find a new location for police headquarters, City Manager Sheryl Sculley said.

Shala Geer-Smith, regional spokeswoman for the General Services Administration, said a town hall meeting on the site selection is planned in the fall as part of a careful process under the National Environmental Protection Act.

Though the agency doesn't have to abide by local historic preservation laws, "we have our own historic preservation rules that we have to go through," she said.

There are options that would allow the Sanchez House to remain standing, by relocating it or building around it, Geer-Smith said.

The agency, which could take up to a year to select a site, is "very early in the process" of site selection and hasn't even designed the building, she said.

[jaga185]

As much as I hate whiney people, go with the police station site, the current building is hideous. Anyway, lets hope the police decide to stay downtown...

[Chicago3rd]

mayor alexjon has a good point...

check out the courthouse from portland...that would be a sweet addition to DT.

http://www.brightworks.net/images/projects/hcp.jpg

Nice things about the Federal Court Houses is that their floors are taller than most office buildings. The Fed Court house in pdx is only 16 stories but taller than 20 story buildings.

My taste says put it down on Durango next to the river. That way there will be something pulling the downtown core in the southern direction. Hopefully start filling up those parking lots (which the police station could do too) but lots of capital already been put into that area, El Mercado, UTSA, Santa Rosa Hospital....just thinking stratigic and downtown is the river in San Antonio.

[sakyle04]

Nice things about the Federal Court Houses is that their floors are taller than most office buildings. The Fed Court house in pdx is only 16 stories but taller than 20 story buildings.

My taste says put it down on Durango next to the river. That way there will be something pulling the downtown core in the southern direction. Hopefully start filling up those parking lots (which the police station could do too) but lots of capital already been put into that area, El Mercado, UTSA, Santa Rosa Hospital....just thinking stratigic and downtown is the river in San Antonio.

Agreed, although it looks less likely to happen considering the above article...

And notice, in the picture, the building directly behind the PDX courthouse is quite a bit shorter - and it is 18 stories - 2 stories taller!!

[TXlifeguard]

As long as it doesnt limit ped and river traffic, I kinda like the idea of the river site. The river stretch through DT is ecclectic if anything, you have retail, office, hospitality, and residential; all fronting the river in that small two mile stretch of river. I dont see how the courthouse would be all that different. I understand that stretch of the river is believed to be more residential overall, but that is a bit of a stretch considering that the neighbor property on one side is the Aresenal, HEB's corporate HQ complex, and on the other side is the La Cascada/Fairfield mid-rise residential tower. So its a bit of a stretch for Ms. Morrison to make it sound all that residential, like the GSA was trying to plunk the courthouse down in the middle of the Great Northwest subdivision or something. You've got King William there, sure, but the Pioneer Flower Mill, and Blue Star are just on the other side of KW as a bookend. Also Univision is right across the river from this site, so if the KW folks can deal with all that, why cant they deal with the courthouse. I'm not saying they cant, I'm just saying if they raise the argument, they'll have to do better than that.

If done right, it has the potential to be a showpiece on the river. Its a pretty good size site, so if they set the building back far enough, they could use the space along the river as great public space, even complete with outdoor eating areas for a cafe or something located in the building. That setback would fulfill the feds requirement for a setback from river traffic. Make the building structure visually connect with the river with lots of windows, balconies, and some Texas limestone on the lower levels, glass on the upper levels. But it's one of those projects that would have to be done right, because it would either be great, or hideous.

To me it sounds like Ms. Morrison dropped a half mil on her property and doesnt like the concept of eminent domain, so yet again, as history so often repeats itself here in SA, one person is putting their personal wishes ahead of the greater good. We'll be able to add Ms. Morrison's name to that great list of 'to hell with the rest of you all, it's about ME, damnit!' kooks that includes folks like 'No fluoride in the water, I don't care how many kids teeth fall out' Kay Turner, and 'I don't care how bad 281 traffic gets because I homeschool my kids and rarely have to leave the house all that often anyhow' Teri Hall.

The police site would work I guess, depending on how it sits on the site there. They could take over the entire block and put some building bulk at the corner of Flores & Nueva where the city parking garage is, and then rebuild a much larger garage with the city, behind the complex. That would add some nice density in proximity to the Bexar County Justice Center and put it more into downtown. Plus it would expand the parking garage that everyone says isnt big enough.

[TXlifeguard]

(For some reason I cant edit my posts from firefox)

I also forgot to call bullsh*t on TJ Connely's claim that it would mess with river traffic. The site sits about two block downstream from the damn that keeps water in the river bend and horseshoe sections of the riverwalk. It's about a 20 foot drop, so there wouldn't be any boat traffic in that section of the river anyhow. There's another dam about a quarter mile downstream (behind Blue-Star) where the river leaves the channel and returns to the more creek-like environment. I've never seen boats in that stretch of the river and it wouldnt be profitable to have them there anyhow. So TJ is using emotion to get people on his side. Sleazy, but effective. How many people know where that dam is and that there isnt any river traffic on that section now anyway? Probably about 15.

[sirkingwilliam]

I just prefer the police site because it will then mean a new modern police station else where downtown. I hate the Hemisfair Park idea because I think they should level all those buildings and build a real park. Tear down Texan Cultures and build elsewhere, maybe River North. Imagine if Hemisfair were transformed into an actual urban park.