[texboy]

I do have health insurance...and good insurance too. I guess I should have elaborated more on my stance. I do believe a national health care system would be the best thing for our country....couldn't agree more. I have been talking to people as of late though, that say they think the government should step in on things such as portion sizes at restaurants, and how much of a certain item a grocery store can carry. That I DON'T agree with. I do think that educating the public is also very important though... and I think a good step in that direction was made when the government revised the food pyramid...but I won't get into that. Some regulation I think would be necessary, but when government steps in, they almost always either step in at the wrong time or they step in too much.

In short, I agree with you for the most part.

[Chicago3rd]

Jack...3rd reason...poor investment by the Health Industry. Someone hast to pay for their loses.

If fat was such a health crises....and causing a drain on the system....then it would be covered (weight loss) by most insurance companies, which it isn't. Wouldn't it be easier to by $41 a month for a pill than thousands for all the things that can go wrong when a person is obese? But they don't consider it medical...so I don't see how it can be a medical cause to higher insurance.

[GoldenBoot]

btw you want to know what those numbers were based on, the ratio of the amount of health clubs to the number of restaurants...yea don't ever use those again.... All you have to do is look at the top ten to realize that all of those cities are in or near or ARE major metro areas. and btw, never in a MILLION YEARS will I EVER think the damn government should step in on a city populations "obesity"....I want the government to stay out of my life as much as possible these days. If people want to be fat LET THEM...its their life...NOT THE GOVERNMENTS!

If cities and news agencies across this country use these rankings, so shall I!

When ever you rank something, there is always going to be an air of subjectivity as well as some objectivity…

Obesity in the United States IS a problem and it doesn't matter if your private/commercial health insurance company pays for this type care or not.

It does matter when these corpulent individuals need medical care and are on either Medicare or Medicaid insurance. It also matters if they do not have health insurance at all. Why? Well, the care for these patients is funded with dollars accrued from your annual Federal Income Tax collections. It is important for governments to promote better health so that it is not such a burden on their bottom lines.

I have worked for a healthcare network in the Austin area for some time. It is a non-profit healthcare organization who dishes out in excess of $100 million per annum for "charity" care. Who pays these organizations back for caring for these patients? The U.S. Government.

Now, I would admit that the majority of patients we see are not ailing from conditions directly related to obesity, but it is still a problem and we all need to care about it (amongst many other things)!

P.S.
Do you consider Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. as “major metro. areas?” They’re all bigger than San Antonio and all have been ranked as some of the “Fittest” cities in America. Just because one might live in a “major metro. area” does not mean that its population is going to be “fat.”

[SayTownboy]

If cities and news agencies across this country use these rankings, so shall I!

Don't be stupid, like them. The criteria for this list is such a damn joke, I don't even think people who try to use it legitly know how it came to be.

When ever you rank something, there is always going to be an air of subjectivity as well as some objectivity…

Number of health clubs and memberships to restuarants is just a stupid stupid way to make a list that labels a city "unhealthy" or "fat."

[Paul in S.A TX]

Portland and Sac I wouldn't label bigger.

[urban_encounter]

Portland and Sac I wouldn't label bigger.


We already know that you wouldn't. But they are.

;)

[urban_encounter]

[QUOTE=GoldenBoot ]





Number of health clubs and memberships to restuarants is just a stupid stupid way to make a list that labels a city "unhealthy" or "fat."


hmmmm,

Actually SayTown, I agree with you 100%.

I hadn't heard that criteria. Though admittedly the people here in California are thinner than you would find in other (unmentioned parts of the country). No I'm not talking about Texas either. In fact it never seemed to me that Teaxans or more specifically San Antonio seemed fat. People seemed just as fit as they do here.
Now Milwaukee on the other hand??? lol

However, I agree that as a formula for determing whether a city is fit or fat, it doesn't make sense.

[texboy]

I just got a job at the new Lifetime Fitness here in San Antonio...This place is MASSIVE! visit www.lifetimefitness.com and take the virtual tour...you will see what I mean. They have SOLD OUT all but their Sport memberships....and as far as I know they are getting close to not being able to offer the Sport membership anymore. The demand is HUGE here for health clubs and both Spectrum Clubs and Lifetime Fitness were smart enough to see this! I also here 24 hour Fitness maybe trying to make an entry into San Antonio...I don't think they will have problems. Lifetime Fitness is already planning to build another club over on 1604 and I-10, just based on the numbers theyve seen at the 281 1604 club.

[Paul in S.A TX]

Hays county is only 12-15 miles from Bexar county but is apart of Austin metro.So many people commute from San Antonio to San Marcos and vice versa.The same for San MArcos -Austin, but they are a few miles closer.Anyhow it's just a what if, so really doesnt mean anything, but if Hays county was apart of SA it would be in the 2.1 million range as well.
I would put San Antonio larger than Sac or Portland the first 400 square miles where you actually feel urbanity. Then they surpass San Antonio metro a bit by counting cities and towns 40-50 miles away. San Antonio's southern metro is not very populated presently.The growth is mostly all north, in San Antonio and between both of the cities.

[Paul in S.A TX]

Austin-SA corridor map.San Antonio's southern counties are not included.

http://www.thecorridor.org/counties/Map.jpg

[urban_encounter]

Hays county is only 12-15 miles from Bexar county but is apart of Austin metro.So many people commute from San Antonio to San Marcos and vice versa.The same for San MArcos -Austin, but they are a few miles closer.Anyhow it's just a what if, so really doesnt mean anything, but if Hays county was apart of SA it would be in the 2.1 million range as well.
I would put San Antonio larger than Sac or Portland the first 400 square miles where you actually feel urbanity. Then they surpass San Antonio metro a bit by counting cities and towns 40-50 miles away. San Antonio's southern metro is not very populated presently.The growth is mostly all north, in San Antonio and between both of the cities.


I wish I could fly you out here as my guest because you continue contradict the facts. Facts don't lie, neither do density maps, census statistics etc which you've seen for yourself....

Rankings for the three MSAs you mentioned

24th Portland
26th Sacramento
29th San Antonio
(2004 MSA)


The Sacramento MSA is only the immediate urban areas of the 4 county region. Sacramento, Davis, Roseville, Folsom West Sacramento etc.... Your thinking about the CMSA in regards to some of the Sierra towns (which btw are tiny backwaters)...

I enjoy debating with you Paul. I think it's friendly, good natured and what makes these boards entertaining. But really, why do you still cling to this notion considering all of the maps, statistics etc that you've seen?? Is the testimony of someone (me) who has lived in both cities not credible???

This is all in good fun.......

enjoy........... :)

[urban_encounter]

Austin-SA corridor map.San Antonio's southern counties are not included.

http://www.thecorridor.org/counties/Map.jpg


Reminds me alot of the I 80 corridor between the Bay and Sacramento.

[DerekfrmSA]

If I can throw my 15 cents into this thing.

I firmly believe San Antonio as a city is at the beginning stages of a really high wave that is about to crest.

N o other time has San Antonio had such great economic lust, at work, I meet someone new, who has recently moved to San Antonio from out of state, everyday. It's crazy.

The growth in at every level in the city within the next five years will be insane. San Antonio in five years will be at another level. Top level, no. But another level.

[urban_encounter]

I agree with you 100% Derek. However the thing to keep in perspective is that other cities and metros are also growing. Many at the the same rate of growth (or greater).

Even though I'm moving to Chicago for career and educational opportunities, I have seen how my own city has exploded population wise and continues to do so. I also watch all the new development planned or currently under construction around the area and especially downtown.

Having just recently visited Portland the same is true for that city, though I think Portland is much farther ahead of the urban curve than either San Antonio or Sacramento.

None of this minimizes what is occuring in San Antonio. However proper perspective is key.

One area where San Antonio is much further ahead of either Sacramento or Portland, is the number of corporate headquarters.

(large corporations)

[DerekfrmSA]

No way am I trying to take away from any other cities achievements. And I do think I have the proper perspective when I do say what I say.

I've lived in this city all my life and at 28 I don't claim to know it all or to have seen it all, but from what little I can offer, this city has never once been in the position it is in. It's always just been average in terms of "what was next." Average or borderline. Leadership for the past 15 years we have had below average leadership.

Not only that but unlike other cities growing at as fast or faster, we have never been able to call it "positive growth" unlike the last 3-4 years.

UTSA is one of the fastest growing Universities in Texas, the ACCD is said to reach an enrollment of 69,000 students by 2010.

South Side growth is booming for the first time ever.

It's just wonderful to see this city finally realizing its full potential instead of just being fine with average.

[urban_encounter]

I love San Antonio. It will always be one of my favorites.

Sorry I didn't mean to insinuate that you were taking away from other cities achievements. Sorry if that's how it sounded.

I guess what I was trying to say is that I'm always amazed at the rates of growth for cities like Portland Sacramento or San Antonio.

It's absolutely insane at times.

Now the real challenge is to ensure they all grow responsibly from here on out...

[TXlifeguard]

In fact it never seemed to me that Teaxans or more specifically San Antonio seemed fat. People seemed just as fit as they do here.

You have clearly never been on the dating scene here. lol.

[Paul in S.A TX]

NICE!


We marched five leagues over a fine country with broad plains, the most beautiful in all of New Spain. We camped on the banks of an arroyo. This I called San Antonio de Padua, because we reached it on the day of his festival." - General Domingo Teran de los Rios, June 13, 1691, in a letter to the King of Spain on the occasion of the founding of San Antonio.

[DanielM]

In fact it never seemed to me that Teaxans or more specifically San Antonio seemed fat. People seemed just as fit as they do here.

You have clearly never been on the dating scene here. lol.

HAHA...so true

[SayTownboy]

I've been part of the SA dating scene for some 5 years now.

I can attest to big girls living in San Antonio, but what city doesn't have them?

I've meet and seen more healthy weighing women than I have seen overweight women throughout my so far successful 5 years on the dating scene.

[DanielM]

maybe im just pessimistic or something but ive seen more fat people here than anywhere else.

[urban_encounter]

I've been part of the SA dating scene for some 5 years now.

I can attest to big girls living in San Antonio, but what city doesn't have them?



SayTown, that just means that there are alot of good cooks on the market.


;)



:haha:

[SayTownboy]

maybe im just pessimistic or something but ive seen more fat people here than anywhere else.

anywhere? I assume you are a world traveler?

[DanielM]

maybe im just pessimistic or something but ive seen more fat people here than anywhere else.

anywhere? I assume you are a world traveler?

ha, not exactly, i just mean where ive been. most of the western states and florida. but i mean, even compared to dallas i seem to see alot less fat people there.

[SayTownboy]

maybe im just pessimistic or something but ive seen more fat people here than anywhere else.

anywhere? I assume you are a world traveler?

ha, not exactly, i just mean where ive been. most of the western states and florida. but i mean, even compared to dallas i seem to see alot less fat people there.

You live in Floresville, which I take it means you spend a lot of time on the southside.

The Southside def. has a larger (no pun intended) ratio of big girls to healthy girls.

[jaga185]

Its cuz we satowners love to eat...oh god how i love to eat but I'm not fat so, maybe I shouldnt talk. lol

[SayTownboy]

We love to eat because we have great food!

[SayTownboy]

Condominium planned on site of Earl Abel's restaurant

Tricia Lynn Silva

Local commercial real estate firm Koontz McCombs plans to develop a new high-rise condominium at the corner of Broadway and Hildebrand -- at the site of Earl Abel, a landmark San Antonio restaurant.

Earl Abel's has been located at that site for some 65 years.

"Our goal is to build something that will help ensure that this historic area of the city continues to thrive for many generations to come," Koontz McCombs President Bart Koontz says. "We believe this development will be something the neighborhood and all of San Antonio can be very proud of."

Koontz adds that he believes this project will serve as a catalyst for the redevelopment of Broadway -- and thus will help breathe new life and vitality "into the heart of this great city."

The project has yet to be christened with a name. Construction is slated to begin in late 2006, and is set to come online in 2008.

Meanwhile, restaurant owner Jerry Abel is still considering the future of his restaurant business.

"It's hard to walk away from it, but at the same time the building is old and needs an awful lot of maintenance, which is quite expensive," he says of the current Earl Abel's site. "It was really getting to a point that it stops making good business sense to keep going in this facility."

Abel says he is still considering options for the future of the business. He says he is open to the possibility of moving the restaurant to a new location. However, he has made no final decision.

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/11/14/daily6.html?jst=b_ln_hl

[SayTownboy]

The Sunset Station/Inner East area is gonna look really good in a few years with the two 20 story towers and the 13 story Staybridge Suites and the 32 story (if its not the two 20 stories) condo highrise all being built in the same general area.

Man!

Talk about an improved skyline.

[SayTownboy]

More Broadway St. redevelopment news:

C.H. Guenther & Son buys ButterKrust building for new headquarters

C.H. Guenther & Son Inc., maker of Pioneer and White Wings brand of flour, baking mixes and tortillas, closed Monday on the purchase of the former ButterKrust property on Broadway from San Antonio Water System (SAWS).

SAWS bought the property in 2003 with plans to remodel the 110,000-square foot building into its new corporate headquarters.

However, San Antonio-based Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) agreed to sell its headquarters at U.S. Highway 281 near Mulberry to the water system for $27.25 million, well below market rate. Valero has since consolidated headquarters to the former Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. campus -- a company Valero acquired in 2001.

Now that SAWS has sold the ButterKrust building to Guenther Development LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of C.H. Guenther & Son, a new tenant has finally been found for the historic property.

C.H. Guenther plans to redevelop the long-vacant building into its new corporate headquarters. Currently, the company's headquarters are located just south of the King William District where it maintains its manufacturing operations.

"We are pleased to acquire the ButterKrust site, which will give us the opportunity to participate in the redevelopment of the Broadway corridor," C.H. Guenther President and CEO Dale W. Tremblay says. "While the redevelopment process will take time, we are well positioned to contribute to the efforts to bring new life to this important part of the city."

C.H. Guenther needs additional space as it works to acquire new businesses and grow its original brands. Earlier this year, a joint venture between C.H. Guenther and East Balt, purchased the bakery assets of Golden West Foods from RHM Ltd. Golden West supplies the buns and English muffins for McDonald's restaurants in the United Kingdom and Belgium.

"We're just delighted to pass stewardship of this beloved local landmark to one of San Antonio's oldest and most respected companies," SAWS Board Chairman James Mayor says. "This helps ensure the redevelopment of lower Broadway will indeed be realized."

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/11/14/daily7.html?jst=b_ln_hl

[JACKinBeantown]

I remember eating at Earl Abel's as a kid after some school function. It'll be sad to see it go in a way, but if the owner (and family owner at that) says the building is hard to keep up I guess I understand. Still... 65 years.

[SayTownboy]

Video on the condo highrise in Uptown:

http://www.woai.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=172648@video.woai.com

[SayTownboy]

I love this picture:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a396/insidethe210/medina.jpg

Medina Lake area.

[Mopacs]

great picture! The hills and lakes/valleys west and northwest of San Antonio are stunning.... Along with the colorado river valleys W and NW of austin, the area pictured are among the most scenic in Texas

[Chicago3rd]

I love this picture:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a396/insidethe210/medina.jpg

Medina Lake area.

It is an extremely beautiful country...the Hillcountry is. There was a great drive in the back area between San Marcos to 281 just north of Canyon Lake...the Devil's Back Bone I think? So fun to drive all that area.

[jaga185]

The Devils Back Bone was an awesome site to see, I drove it with my dad and sister over this passed summer. I wish I would have taken pictures, oh well, too late now.

[Double L]

I love this picture:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a396/insidethe210/medina.jpg

Medina Lake area.

That'd be a good place for a McDonalds!!!! ;):D

[jaga185]

^^^ I totally agree with you!!! :laugh:

[SayTownboy]

I drove up Broadway tonight (about 6:30) from downtown to Hildebrand.

Man, there is just so much potential for that area.

I mean, driving up the street you see BMW dealerships, Lexus dealerships, and other luxury car dealerships but then you see abandoned buildings and old vacant car lots, etc.

The traffic is def there, it took about 15 minutes to drive 2 and a half miles.

Also, the 4-story office building complex looks really nice.

Broadway could and hopefully will be very special in a few years.

Very special.

[Paul in S.A TX]

Website for downtowns newest urban village on the Riverwalk.



http://www.piazzasanlorenzo.com/master_site_plan.html

[SayTownboy]

Galaxy's gone; meet the Rialto

Web Posted: 11/17/2005 12:00 AM CST

Larry Ratliff
Express-News Film Critic

The Galaxy Theater has long seemed like an old friend. The first movie I ever saw in San Antonio, "The Jerk," starring Steve Martin, was there in 1979.

Oddly enough, Martin and the theater near the intersection of Loop 410 and Interstate 35 have both undergone significant transformations recently.

Martin, no longer the "wild and crazy guy," is taking on leading-man dramatic roles these days ("Shopgirl").

The Galaxy, thanks to a $2 million renovation, has been reborn as the Santikos Rialto Cinema Bistro. A dinner-and-a-movie house, the Rialto caters to adult moviegoers, much like Santikos' Bijou at Crossroads.

Can't decide whether to go to dinner or take in a movie during those precious hours when the baby sitter's clock is ticking? You can do both at the vastly remodeled venue with the noticeably changed front.

Once inside the doors with ornate handles, the Rialto offers nine movie choices and two sit-down dining options — three if you count the snack bar.

Patrons can head straight across the teal, mauve and blue-swirl carpet to their auditorium of choice or dine in the lobby's free-standing Italian restaurant, The Bella Napoli.

Perhaps you're puzzled about the nine auditoriums and not 10, which used to be the case. One of the 300-seat auditoriums took one for the team, so to speak. It's now the monstrous kitchen.

Food and beverage director Gary Smith and his staff need somewhere to prepare serious dinner dishes. Gamberi Rialto ($13.95), for instance, features six jumbo grilled shrimp with a lemon butter garlic caper sauce. In a fowl mood? Chicken Parmigiana ($10.95) fills a plate with chicken medallions, fresh tomato sauce and Italian cheeses.

Film buffs in a hurry or just in the mood to combine the movie and dining experience can proceed directly to the auditoriums. A now-familiar layout awaits, one similar to Bijou at Crossroads or Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. That means regular movie seats with wooden benches between them as tables.

The lean forward to the food bench seems a little more of a stretch here than at similar venues. It's not bad, though. The service, while a little slow arriving (but with an apology), was attentive and knowledgeable.

Food choices inside the theaters are varied enough to suit almost any hunger. Everything from pizza ($7.87 for the supreme) to cheese sticks ($5.79) and beyond to chips and salsa ($3.70) and buffalo wings ($6.48) are available.

I opted for the beef fajita salad ($8.10) and a cup of Starbucks coffee (small regular drip for $1.25).

For those more adventurous (or not on the clock), coffee choices can be spiked into Irish Whiskey ($6), Calypso Rum ($6) or Cossack Vodka ($6), just to name a few. Mixed drinks and wine are available as well.

The Rialto, named in honor of the bridge in Venice, Italy, represents yet another step in John Santikos' innovative style.

I'm not quite sure what the player piano and the two pool tables next to the formal dining tables (covered with table cloths) in the lobby dining area are all about.

The fully renovated bathrooms are state-of-the-art, though. I've seen automatic faucets before and hand-motion automatic towel dispensers. At the Rialto, though, just place your hands under the soap dispenser and plop, you've been dispensed.

A few operational bugs remain, which will no doubt soon be worked out. The movie in the auditorium I was in, for instance, was well underway before the house lights went down. And the projected image was slightly out of proportion to the screen.

The Rialto Bistro is a welcome addition to the San Antonio movie landscape. No cost corners appear to have been cut, and portraits of legendary stars from Hollywood's golden era (Groucho Marx, Mae West, Bette Davis, etc.) hang in the lobby. That's a nice touch.

Any movie emporium that has gone to this much trouble and expense to please its patrons serves two-fold notice:

Serious movie fare will be shown here. And, you want fries ($3.47) or a margarita (Rialto Rita, $9) with that?

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA111805.WK.rialto.196baaff.html

[SayTownboy]

Massive Comal project unveiled

Web Posted: 11/18/2005 12:00 AM CST

Roger Croteau
Express-News Staff Writer

NEW BRAUNFELS — Community leaders got their first look Thursday at a planned 265-acre mixed-use development that promises to be the largest of its kind in this city.

Creekside, planned for the northeast corner of Interstate 35 and FM 306, would include retail space, restaurants, a movie theater, hospital, medical office park, amphitheater, day spa, hotel and apartments.

In all, the $200 million project would include about 1 million square feet of development, rivaling the San Marcos outlet malls in sheer size.

The mixed-use development was introduced Thursday afternoon at a reception with community leaders and the developers.

"It's a huge opportunity for our city," New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Rusty Brockman said. "This kind of development provides not just jobs, but a broad range of tax base. It's a destination for people all over the area, kind of like the outlet malls in San Marcos."

But developer Jim Ray of Texas Commercial Investments said Creekside is "going after a completely different market" than the outlet malls.

Kenneth Lockard, president of Lockard Cos., Texas Commercial's partner in the project, said retailers are lining up to commit to locating at Creekside.

"The traction this project has gained so quickly, it is going to happen," he said. "This is an immense project, but we are moving quickly. I expect we'll be turning dirt in August or September and have stores open by Thanksgiving 2007."

The developers have proposed forming a tax increment financing district, which would divert the property tax created by the development to pay for road and drainage improvements needed at the site.

The developers have proposed extending FM 306 through their site. Local officials want to extend the road as part of an outer loop around New Braunfels.

"I think it's fabulous," Councilwoman Valerie Hull said. "It looks like a good, solid project. What more could you ask for?"

Monroe Miller, New Braunfels Economic Development Corp. board member, said the sales tax generated by Creekside would help the city fund other economic development projects in the future.

The intersection appears to be a hotbed for new development. H-E-B plans to build a new store, with an attached shopping center and pad sites directly across the highway from Creekside.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA111805.1C.bigdevelopment.1b76f24c.html

[coddat]

Where the heck is there a lexus dealer or BMW dealer on broadway? Cavender Caddy and they chrysler/jeep dealer is still there but the other car dealers are all around 410. I do think that broadway will see some real change with gunther going in, but I hate for it to lose it kinda funky vibe that it gives off.

[SayTownboy]

Where the heck is there a lexus dealer or BMW dealer on broadway? Cavender Caddy and they chrysler/jeep dealer is still there but the other car dealers are all around 410. I do think that broadway will see some real change with gunther going in, but I hate for it to lose it kinda funky vibe that it gives off.

The Lexus dealership is in NoDo.

And the BMW is also on Broadway.

It sells BMW mopeds and such.

[JACKinBeantown]

I hope they do a good job building the complex in New Braunfels. In words at least it has the potential to be something cool.

[coddat]

Lexus of San Antonio is at lockhill-selma and san pedro right behind the pyramid building. So I would call that north San Antonio above the loop. Alamo BMW barely counts since they don't sell cars and aren't affiliated with BMW center of San Antonio

[SayTownboy]

Lexus of San Antonio is at lockhill-selma and san pedro right behind the pyramid building. So I would call that north San Antonio above the loop. Alamo BMW barely counts since they don't sell cars and aren't affiliated with BMW center of San Antonio

How does Alamo BMW barely count when they sell BMW products? Whether its cars or other automobiles.

How does Alamo BMW barely count if its not affiliated with BMW center of San Antonio?

But you're right, it wasn't a Luxus dealership as I thought, it is a Cadillac dealership.

Cavender Cadillac

http://www.thorngravesaia.com/commercial/cavendercadi/cavendercadi_1.jpg

Located in NoDo about half a mile south of the 281/35 interchange.

So as I said, Broadway has so much potential!

[SayTownboy]

Retail sites need 'no vacancy' signs

Web Posted: 11/19/2005 12:00 AM CST

Adolfo Pesquera
Express-News Business Writer

Vast expanses of new retail space opened in the third quarter, with high opening-day occupancy rates that boosted citywide inventory and cut vacancy numbers.

The debut of the Shops at La Cantera bumped up an already healthy third quarter. It added 1.2 million square feet that came online 97 percent occupied.

"As exciting and significant as it is," multiservice brokerage firm REOC's research director Kim Gatley said, "more than 1.3 million square feet of retail projects reach completion this year in addition to the new mall."

Other openings included Culebra Market, the Oaks at Green Valley and expansions at existing centers such as the Vineyard and the Forum at Olympia Parkway.

Speculative building is at full capacity, with almost 4.7 million square feet in construction, including Brooks Corner and City-Base Landing at Goliad Road and Southeast Military Drive, Westover Marketplace at Highway 151 and Loop 410, the Rim of La Cantera at Interstate 10 and Loop 1604, and the Legacy at U.S. 281 and Loop 1604.

"Despite the tremendous amount of space added," said REOC Vice President Sandra K. Rogers, "demand is outpacing construction. Net leasing was positive by 895,000 square feet for the quarter compared to 349,128 square feet in the third quarter of 2004."

The vacancy rate fell 2.6 percent from the same period last year to 10.3 percent. REOC analysts attributed the driving forces to five steady years of record-breaking housing development, population growth, new jobs and strong consumer spending.

The outlook is good for the fourth quarter and beyond, said REOC President Todd A. Gold, "although a few bumps should be expected. Consumer spending may be curbed by higher fuel costs, spiraling debt and rising interest rates."

Ownership changes, such as the Federated Department Stores-May merger, also will bring significant vacancies, he said. Consolidation of stores will leave a 178,000-square-foot vacancy at North Star Mall next year.

Average rents went up year over year from $14.61 to $15.23 a square foot. LoopNet, a real estate information services company, reported investors are paying more than double what they paid for mall and big box properties a year ago.

LoopNet noted San Antonio has moved above parity with the major markets of the Southwest. A year ago, investors were paying $52 a square foot in San Antonio for mall and big box space, compared with an average $83 in the Southwest. Today, the average price is $123 in the Southwest and $124 in San Antonio.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA111905.1C.retail.206a64e2.html

[JACKinBeantown]

What's the going rate four a 4-bedroom house on the northeast side of SA between 410 and 1604? Anyone?

[SayTownboy]

E. Side land courtship hits bump

Web Posted: 11/20/2005 12:00 AM CST

Elizabeth Allen
Express-News Staff Writer

As developer Dan Bailey crafts his plan for a massive sports complex on the East Side, he finds himself in an uneasy courtship with someone key to redeveloping the area — landowner Bill Tidwell.

Last week, it almost blew up for Bailey when Tidwell, tired of hearing his name bandied about town as part of the deal when no promises had been made, had associate Cecilia Garcia send Bailey a harshly worded letter telling him to set the record straight. Garcia copied the Nov. 17 letter to various community leaders.

"It has come to Mr. Tidwell's attention that you or your associates may be representing to others that he has agreed to participate in the project and include his properties within your site plan," wrote Garcia, owner of real estate firm The Priority Group and member of the city's planning board. "We are concerned that others may be relying on your representations that he is a part of this project.

"Mr. Tidwell will support legitimate efforts to improve the area and maximize the use of existing public resources," the letter continued before urging Bailey to cancel plans for a news conference Tuesday at Tidwell's Red Berry Mansion.

Bailey and wife Marlene Bailey own HollyHills Group, a California-based company that already has announced big plans for an industrial park on the South Side and a golf community on the far West Side.

Tuesday they plan to announce their redevelopment ideas for the area that surrounds the Bexar County-owned SBC Center and Freeman Coliseum, as well as the adjacent city-owned Willow Springs Golf Course. Making that work depends on weaving together a web of supporters, each seeming to be looking to the next for confidence.

And at this point it looks like the plan will still — or once again — include Tidwell.

Tidwell owns Cardell Cabinetry, a sprawling cabinet factory along Interstate 35 in the East Side Council District 10. And over the past two years he also bought two important East Side properties. One is the Red Berry Mansion, on 84 acres along Salado Creek and adjacent to the city's Willow Springs Golf Course. And across Houston Street from Willow Springs — and the arenas — he owns a 165,000-square-foot warehouse.

Tidwell's timing is good. Bexar County officials last week awarded a $327,000 contract for a master plan of the SBC Center-Freeman Coliseum complex. That design could reach out to include the golf course and surrounding properties like Tidwell's, and County Judge Nelson Wolff has said any large-scale redevelopment of the area would need to include them.

Wolff was one of those who received a copy of Garcia's letter to Bailey. Others included Mayor Phil Hardberger and District 10 Councilwoman Sheila McNeil.

Garcia's letter wrapped up by saying Tidwell is willing to talk.

They've already been talking for some time, as Bailey reminded Tidwell in a reply sent that night.

"When we first met on the trip to Rockport, we shared with you our Vision of the Eastside," Bailey wrote to Tidwell. "I told you at that time that the project would work without Red Barry (sic) Mansion but you were adamant about leaving it in and you were so thrilled after seeing what we had envisioned for the Eastside."

By Friday morning, Bailey had patched it up with Tidwell, who softened his stance and said they'll meet again today.

"I told him he could go ahead and have his press conference," Tidwell said.

Part of the reason he had asked Garcia to write the letter was because of the rumors that were coming back to them both, he said. The other part was business hardball. Tidwell had grown tired of waiting for Bailey to get him real numbers on a proposed partnership.

"I took a little inventory of my time and where I want to go with my life," he said, adding that he's decided an outright sale to Bailey would be better than partnering with him in an ambitious 10-year project.

Bailey spokesman T.J. Connolly said he expects the conference will be held at the Red Berry Mansion, but will firm up the details after the two men meet.

McNeil said Friday that Bailey never specifically told her Tidwell had signed on to either partner with Bailey or sell him his properties.

"But the impression was that they were going to team up to do this," she said.

Tidwell admitted he's been intrigued with the Bailey plan for some time, but said recently that he would proceed with caution after learning that Bailey had served time for fraud in the 1980s.

Tidwell's been seeking reassurance that city and county officials support Bailey — particularly Wolff, whom he admires. And he said Bailey told him Wolff was on board.

"On board with what, though?" Wolff said when asked about his support. "It's just a sketch. It doesn't say who owns it, or who's going to pay for what. I just said that 'It's great that you've got a vision for the East Side.'"

Wolff has remained coy in part because he thinks Tidwell is key. And he falls back on the county's first duty: intelligent redesign of the arenas property.

"We're going to concentrate on the grounds," he said.

The planners take the same position. Led by Kell Muñoz Architects and San Francisco-based EDAW, they will start with the site itself, said Kell Muñoz CEO Henry Muñoz. Then they'll work their way to the surrounding properties and see how it all fits together.

Muñoz said he hasn't conversed with the Baileys for "going on six months," but a sketch his firm showed county commissioners was remarkably similar in its elements to the ideas Bailey has shopped around. Those include a football stadium, NASCAR track and a baseball stadium.

McNeil said she's waiting on what the planners dream up, and what else is out there, before she takes a position on HollyHills.

"I'm not at liberty to say who they are, but there are a couple of other people who have come to me with ideas about the area," she said.

Tidwell himself has hinted, without elaboration, that others have ideas for the East Side. And whatever those ideas are, he said, to work, they're going to have to be big.

eallen@express-news.net

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA112005.01B.Courtship.2639ce8f.html

[coddat]

going rate for a 4 bedroom house in NE San antonio can behad from 85,000-250,000+ dollars depending on age and subdivision

[SayTownboy]

Developers' big dreams could bring in NFL, MLB and more

San Antonio Express-News
11/20/2005

San Antonio wants a pro football team.

The city has committed fans and a growing corporate base, but it doesn't have a 21st-century stadium.

It has the Alamodome, a 13-year-old venue with barely enough luxury suites to fill a pocket in Texas Stadium.

The mayor says he wants an NFL team. He also says the city will not build a new stadium with public money.

What to do?

Dan and Marlene Bailey believe they might have the answer.

The Baileys are developers with deep pockets and big dreams.

Their portfolio bulges with prime real estate — more than $50 million invested in local properties.

Their ambition soars. They say $50 million is just a start.

Over the past two years, the Baileys have purchased 1,300 acres at Briggs Ranch, scooped up 522 acres across from the Toyota manufacturing plant, acquired the Villita professional building and bought two floors in the Broadway Bank building.

On Tuesday, they'll unveil plans for a sports and entertainment district on the East Side. With the SBC Center serving as the district's anchor, the Baileys' vision includes an Indy/NASCAR racetrack, a golf resort, major hotels, a high-end retail center, condos, vacation shares, a movie theater complex, a rodeo village, a Major League Baseball park and, yes, an NFL stadium.

If that's a bit much for the mind to grasp, consider the financing plan. Private-sector money from venture capitalists.

The Baileys say investors won't sink money into a stadium — but they will pour it into a sports and entertainment district.

Yes, they acknowledge, some public money will be necessary. But how much?

Joe Heitzler, CEO of the Baileys' company, HollyHills Development: "I will better know the answer after the first of the year."

After Tuesday's unveiling, Heitzler will travel to New York to seek investors. Then he'll fly home to Southern California and look for more.

If he doesn't find many, it's back to the drawing board.

Financing aside, city and county leaders wonder about the timing and location of the proposed baseball park and football stadium.

County Judge Nelson Wolff says Greater San Antonio is not ready to support Major League Baseball: "We're about 10 years away."

The NFL, Wolff believes, would want a stadium farther north on I-35 to draw fans from Austin.

Then there's the view of Mayor Phil Hardberger. He calls the Baileys' plan "intriguing." He also wants "to be realistic."

That's a nice way of saying he'll believe it when he sees it.

Heitzler says the Saints are very interested in the stadium component of the sports and entertainment district. He directed me to New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis. Loomis did not return my call.

There are reasons to wonder about the backing of this East Side vision, sure. Dan Bailey, after all, spent 31 months in prison for mail fraud involving real estate investments in Dallas and Southern California. He was released in 1991.

But there might be reasons to believe in the East Side vision. It's not Bailey's alone. One local group, EDAW/Kell Muñoz Architects, also wants to build a sports and entertainment district around the SBC Center. The district would include an NFL stadium.

Last month, Bexar County commissioners selected the EDAW group to design a master plan for the SBC Center grounds. It's not clear how the group intends to finance the stadium or the district.

The Baileys, though, say their intent is clear. They've bought "substantial" acreage around the SBC Center, and they've spent half a million dollars assembling plans for the district.

Heitzler, meanwhile, opens doors to sports and entertainment interests. He is former chairman of Championship Auto Racing Teams; former CEO of Forum Sports Entertainment, the broadcasting entity for the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings; and a former production executive at CBS Sports.

"We have a plan," he says, "that would allow San Antonio to present itself to the NFL in a more dramatic and effective fashion."

Saints owner Tom Benson is looking for a new stadium, and the Alamodome isn't what he wants.

A complex on the East Side might be a lofty dream. It also might deepen his interest.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/columnists/krodriguez/stories/MYSA112005.03A.rodriguez_column.25fb77a3.html

[SayTownboy]

What's the going rate four a 4-bedroom house on the northeast side of SA between 410 and 1604? Anyone?

This 4 bedroom, 3 bath house in Live Oak (northeast side) is $150,000.

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/055/563988a.jpg

http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=10&locallnk=yes&frm=bymap&mnbed=4&mnbath=2&mnprice=0&mxprice=99999999&js=off&pgnum=1&fid=so&mnsqft=&mls=xmls&areaid=139&typ=1%2C+2%2C+3%2C+4%2C+5%2C+6&poe=realtor&ct=San+Antonio&st=TX&sbint=2&presort=sbint&sid=05B16981898CC&snumxlid=1053339439&lnksrc=00002

[JACKinBeantown]

Thanks SayTownboy. Any others?

[coddat]

http://images3.e-net.com/mls/import/SanAntonio/property/full/34/543334_1000.jpg 4 bedrooms in Camelot II subdivision...listed for $84,900
http://www.bradfieldproperties.com/property/property.asp?PRM_MLSNumber=543334&PRM_MlsName=SanAntonio

[enigma99a]

insanely cheap. What are the wages like in SA?

[coddat]

Median Household income for the zip those homes are in is 46,376 according to 2000 census
http://www.aacis.info/mapping/zips/med_income/78239.HTM (http://)

[Paul in S.A TX]

Median family income is higher than Dallas or Houston now.

[SayTownboy]

In Schertz (2.5 miles outside of 1604):

4 Bed, 3 Bath
3,026 Sq. Ft.

$177,500

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/014/554191a.jpg

[SayTownboy]

Schertz as well:

4 Bed, 3 Bath
2320 sq.ft.

$205,000

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/027/526381a.jpg

[SayTownboy]

Universal City (half a mile outside of 1604):

4 Bed, 2 Bath

$115,000

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/048/561245a.jpg

[coddat]

too bad none of those are actually in San Antonio..a minor detail worth noting, try the 78239, 78217,78218,78247 zip codes those are between 410 and 1604 and all in the city proper

[SayTownboy]

Schertz:

4 Bed, 3 Bath

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/097/561373a.jpg $134,900

San Antonio (Far north east side):

4 Bed, 3 Bath
2,527 Sq. Ft.

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/033/538695a.jpg $136,900

Live Oak:

4 Bed, 2 Bath
2,334 Sq. Ft.

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/097/558501a.jpg $148,900

Schertz:

4 Bed, 3 Bath
2,419 Sq. Ft.

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/submit/large/018/564973a.jpg $155,000

[SayTownboy]

too bad none of those are actually in San Antonio..a minor detail worth noting, try the 78239, 78217,78218,78247 zip codes those are between 410 and 1604 and all in the city proper

True, Schert and Universal City are not San Antonio nor inbetween 410/1604, Live Oak however is between 410 and 1604.

Either way, they're all fairly the same price.

[coddat]

You can get even cheaper though, below 100K, if you look just north of 410 around perrin-beitel, starlight terrace, nacogdoches, walzem.

[SayTownboy]

San Antonio (Just to the east of the airport):

4 Bed, 2 Bath
1,320 Sq. Ft.

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/listings/large/081/539896.jpg $95,000



San Antonio:

4 Bed, 2 Bath
1,822 Sq. Ft

http://homepics.realtor.com/image10/http/sanantonio/listings/large/013/545224.jpg $119,000

[SayTownboy]

You can get even cheaper though, below 100K, if you look just north of 410 around perrin-beitel, starlight terrace, nacogdoches, walzem.

Very true. I wasn't using zip codes which is why I used cities in the far north east side as reference points when searching.

[coddat]

Don't you just love that you get a nice tree or two along with not having a house that looks like your neighbors for less money than a cookie cutter house with a postage stamp lawn.....just a general comment, not directed at anyone

[SayTownboy]

San Antonio added more than 12,000 new jobs. By September 2005, we were looking at a 5.3 percent growth rate and some 18,400 new jobs from the same time last year.

Last year, we broke records with 12,700 starts. But that doesn't even begin to paint the picture for 2005. According to a recent survey by Metrostudy, San Antonio had more housing starts than any other major Texas market in the third quarter with 4,034 housing starts. And these aren't houses that are staying empty. In fact, some say that while other areas need to be concerned about a housing bubble that's about to burst, San Antonio won't be on the receiving end of that pink slip.

Holy freakin' crap!

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/11/21/focus5.html

[SayTownboy]

Don't you just love that you get a nice tree or two along with not having a house that looks like your neighbors for less money than a cookie cutter house with a postage stamp lawn.....just a general comment, not directed at anyone

I totally feel you on that, although no trees in the lard and a cookie cutter design isn't the devil. :laugh:

I am. :hell:

:hilarious j/k

[GoldenBoot]

QUOTE from the SA Businesss Journal's website...
...The San Antonio metropolitan area experienced a 1.7 percent growth in local employment in October 2005, over October 2004...

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/11/14/daily42.html?jst=b_ln_hl



QUOTE from the SA Businesss Journal's website...
...Among some of those key indicators found in the new 2005 Third Quarter Economic Report is job growth. The report shows that the San Antonio area has netted some 12,700 news jobs between September 2004 and September 2005...

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/11/21/story2.html



It's pretty excting news for the San Antonio Metro. Area! Now you all are feeling the growth that others have been experiencing (or have experenced in the past)!

It's S.A.'s turn!!!

[SayTownboy]

United Airlines adds seven new nonstop flights from San Antonio

United Airlines will launch new nonstop service between San Antonio International Airport and seven new markets early next year, the company said Tuesday.

Chicago-based United Airlines (OTCBB: UALAQ) will offer the flights through United Express partner Trans States Airlines.

Starting Feb. 23, 2006, United Express and Trans States Airlines will offer twice daily flights between San Antonio and New Orleans.

On March 3, however, the airline will add new daily flights from San Antonio to Colorado Springs, Colo.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Omaha, Neb. United Express will add twice daily flights to Albuquerque, N.M.; Oklahoma City; and Tulsa, Okla.

"These new routes from San Antonio will complement our existing service and offer our customers convenient access and more flying options to cities all over the world, including our hubs in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.," Vice President of Operational Services for United Express Sean Donohue says.

United Airlines offers more than 3,400 flights a day to more than 200 domestic and international destinations.


http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/11/21/daily15.html

[texboy]

Preview: Classic urban spaces on Friday tour

Web Posted: 11/27/2005 12:00 AM CST
Mike Greenberg
Express-News Senior Critic

Downtown's revival may be going more slowly than its advocates would wish, but it's well past the pie-in-the-sky phase. It's real, it's extensive, and much of it meets a high standard of design.

The Downtown Alliance offers a glimpse of the recent activity in its second Urban Spaces Tour on Friday evening.

The inaugural tour last year focused on Houston Street. This year's tour zigzags through the south-central part of downtown to take in high-end condominiums, offices, a new hotel and an upscale bar.

The holy grail of traditional retailing, outside of Rivercenter mall and a few long-established institutions, remains elusive. But with hundreds more residential units in the pipeline, stores may follow in a few years.

The tour begins at La Cascada, the new high-rise condominium project on the River Walk a couple of blocks south of the Bexar County Courthouse.

The tour will visit two units, including a model apartment. The views from both will have the singular advantage of not including La Cascada: The less said about this building's architecture, the better.

A two-block walk to South St. Mary's Street leads to the Farmer's Building condominiums — formerly an eight-unit apartment building converted to two large condos with very nice arcade porches and upstairs terraces.

A few blocks to the north, on Navarro Street, is the Mexican Consulate, built in 1928 for a Federal Reserve Bank branch. Its simple but handsomely proportioned classicism, with giant-order Ionic columns flanking the entry arch, is temporarily (one hopes) costumed in Mexican tricolor tinsel.

The building is part of a distinguished grouping — with the nearby Tower Life Building and Granada Apartments — designed by Atlee B. Ayres and Robert M. Ayres.

Continuing a block north, the tour stops at the brand-new Hotel Contessa, at Navarro Street and the river. Designed by Three Architecture of Dallas, the hotel is most notable for incorporating part of the River Walk's original stone retaining wall — 4 feet thick at the base — into the design.

The contemporary three-story lobby and its adjacent Barcelona-themed restaurant — its metal gates are stylized from Antoni Gaudi's Casa Batllo — have fine views of the River Walk.

The Contessa's developer, Hixon Properties, shows off its offices around the corner in the adjoining Staacke and Stevens buildings, 1890s gems designed by J. Riely Gordon.

Their facades were beautifully restored in the early 1980s, but the interior renovation, for office lease space, was fairly basic. When Hixon decided to occupy the entire third floor, Beaty & Partners Architects did a first-class job of space planning and design — alluding to the buildings' historic character in a clean and contemporary vocabulary.

The tour ends at Medusa, a classy contemporary bar that opened this year on South Presa Street, where the Parchman Stremmel Gallery used to be. Art is still a staple in the space: Robert Tatum curates monthly exhibits, which open the third Thursday. The space is contemporary, understated and fairly dark, with lighting that emphasizes the art on the walls and the martinis on the bar.

For those of a mind to continue the tour beyond the official itinerary, several other high-end bars beckon a short stroll (or stagger) away. Zinc is right next-door.

Food and drink will be offered at three tour stops, including Medusa's "surprise" dessert presentation, the details of which have been kept secret even from the tour organizers. There also will be poetry readings, dancers, mariachis (at the Mexican consulate, of course) and graffiti art by Supher.

Only 250 slots are available for the Downtown Spaces Tour, and reservations are required by Monday. Tours will head out every 20 minutes between 4:30 and 8 p.m. Friday and last about 2 1/2 hours. The cost is $40 per person. Free parking is available at the CPS garage at 134 Navarro St. Call (210) 225-3862.

[jaga185]

I wouldn't mind going on one of those tours, but thats too much money for a high-school budget, haha.

[texboy]

I think in 5 years, it will be more worth paying that money to go on that tour. There will be a whole lot more highrise residential up in downtown.

[SayTownboy]

Timber! U.S. 281 on road to tolls

Web Posted: 12/01/2005 12:00 AM CST

Patrick Driscoll
Express-News Staff Writer

The newest signs of construction on U.S. 281 aren't pretty, but they're the first visible proof that, yes, toll roads are coming to San Antonio.

Crews have begun scraping live oaks into piles along the highway and putting up fences to catch silt that rains soon will scour from the naked ground.

In January, workers will begin constructing frontage roads and later add four to eight express toll lanes from North Loop 1604 to Stone Oak Parkway. The new roadway will be 16 lanes at its widest points.

"It's a lot of pavement," said Frank Holzmann, a Texas Department of Transportation engineer.

The $83 million job, mostly funded with $77 million in gas taxes, is expected to take three years. TxDOT studies anticipate toll fees of 14 cents a mile.

While motorists welcome the extra lanes, they frown at the idea of paying tolls.

"It should have been done a long time ago," said John Hay, who drives on that stretch of U.S. 281 to get to work.

"But is that the toll road?" he added after a pause. "I think that's a bunch of crap. I don't think it needs to be a toll road."

Like many others, Hay will scout for the best alternate free road and figures he may have to add 8 miles to his 25-mile commute.

"But I won't have to deal with the tolls, I guess," he said.

Citing a shortfall of $8.4 billion over 25 years to build needed transportation projects in San Antonio, the Metropolitan Planning Organization has included more than 70 miles of toll roads in its long-range plans.

The agency also set aside more than $500 million in public money to subsidize toll projects.

Two private consortiums are competing to fully finance, build and operate the most lucrative toll lanes — a 47-mile system on Loop 1604 and U.S. 281 on the North Side.

The construction that starts next month is for the first 3 miles of U.S. 281 toll lanes, which will be the heart of the 47-mile network and a bargaining chip for the state in upcoming negotiations with the toll-road companies.

"It's a big step for the city of San Antonio and in improving mobility for the area," Holzmann said.

Some motorists are furious that existing U.S. 281 highway lanes will be replaced with frontage roads — even though the number of lanes will be the same — and say the toll lanes won't fix traffic problems.

Critics haven't given up on efforts to stop new lanes on U.S. 281 from being tolled.

"Have toll roads solved Houston's or Dallas' congestion and highway funding issues? No!" said Terri Hall of Texas Toll Party — San Antonio. "This toll mandate is an outrage, and our grass-roots movement is growing by the day."

Other hapless drivers still are learning the news.

"Toll lanes! My gracious," said John Perrott, stroking his chin. "Well, I don't know, I might go the back way."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA120105.01A.toll_construction.132ee21f.html

[jaga185]

I'm glad I don't live out there, never have, never will. So there would be no reason for me to go out there and pay. But I still think it was much needed, regardless of toll or not.

[DerekfrmSA]

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/11/28/daily31.html?jst=b_ln_hl

City agrees to add 39 new hybrid vehicles to fleet

In order to reduce gas consumption and help improve air quality in San Antonio, City Council approved the purchase of 39 new 2006 Toyota Prius hybrids.

These new hybrid vehicles will be used to replace older administrative vehicles in the city's fleet -- cars that are more than 10 years old or have more than 96,000 miles.

City officials say hybrid gas and electric vehicles reduce air pollutants by 95 percent. These particles can cause respiratory health problems and smog.

Hybrid vehicles also burn an average of about 5 cents of gas per mile, compared to 8 cents a mile in conventional sedans. San Antonio already has 26 hybrid sedans.

"This purchase illustrates ...City Council's commitment to reducing ozone-forming pollutants in our region," City Councilman Chip Haass says.

"From now until October 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency is grading the San Antonio's region's air quality. Measures like this should assist us in avoiding federal sanctions," he adds.

"We will continue to lead the way and urge our governmental and private-sector partners to convert their fleets to hybrid vehicles," Haass says.

Buying hybrid vehicles is the latest in a series of initiatives the city has implemented over the past few years to improve the region's air quality.

The city has also purchased ultra-low sulfur diesel for its truck fleet, compressed natural gas for River Walk maintenance barges and equipment and cleaner-burning propane for 240 city vehicles.

Taken together, these efforts work to further diversify the city's fleet away from standard gasoline products, City Councilman Art Hall says.

[DerekfrmSA]

I'm glad I don't live out there, never have, never will. So there would be no reason for me to go out there and pay. But I still think it was much needed, regardless of toll or not.

I do live out that way. I won't mind having to pay 13 cents or whatever per mile, it beats sitting in stand still traffic during rush hour.

[TXlifeguard]

We're only talking about a 3 mile stretch of road here. So less than $.50 to bypass all that nonsense? I'd pay it in a heartbeat.

I cant wait till they get started on the 1604 stretch. I'd drop $3 to go from 281 to I-10 in under ten minutes during rush hour. I am always in my truck between meetings all over town. If you can afford to sit in the traffic and dont want to pay the tolls, then your time probably isnt worth that much to begin with. I bill at $75 an hour, and when I am in the truck, I am not making money. If I spend a half hour in traffic, then I see it as missing out on $35.

Of course, I dont know how they will ever get the dumba$$es in this town to wrap their heads around the concept of tolls, cause people here are the cheapest people on the planet. I've noticed that no one is ever 'for' anything here. Free or not. Red McCombs could be passing out $100 bills in front of the Alamo and people would bitch about it.

Toll it all! I can afford it.

[jaga185]

We're only talking about a 3 mile stretch of road here. So less than $.50 to bypass all that nonsense? I'd pay it in a heartbeat.

I cant wait till they get started on the 1604 stretch. I'd drop $3 to go from 281 to I-10 in under ten minutes during rush hour. I am always in my truck between meetings all over town. If you can afford to sit in the traffic and dont want to pay the tolls, then your time probably isnt worth that much to begin with. I bill at $75 an hour, and when I am in the truck, I am not making money. If I spend a half hour in traffic, then I see it as missing out on $35.

Of course, I dont know how they will ever get the dumba$$es in this town to wrap their heads around the concept of tolls, cause people here are the cheapest people on the planet. I've noticed that no one is ever 'for' anything here. Free or not. Red McCombs could be passing out $100 bills in front of the Alamo and people would bitch about it.

Toll it all! I can afford it.

haha, nice statement

[Chicago3rd]

About Tollways. Don't know how anyone here would equate a toll way with increased speed and efficiency. We got them in Chicagoland and we have expresslanes too...and they don't always work. Just preparing you all for reality.

[coddat]

Red mccombs is ruining the sanctity of the alamo..How dare he! Just kidding but really tollways are fantastic, In Dallas that's all I try to use going north from highland park area to north dallas or frisco. I believe our SA tollway is going to be all electronic, so no toll booths or large toll plazas, just a straight shot up 281/1604!

[starvinggryphon]

Just announced in today's Business Journal: A new Marriott to rise where the former St. Mary's Catholic school was located on the riverwalk. It will be 17 stories and have an impressive Mediterranean type domed tower dealy. Sounds cool.

[TXlifeguard]

We got them in Chicagoland and we have expresslanes too...and they don't always work. Just preparing you all for reality.

You have a good point. But its not like ALL of us have never seen one before. (image of a bunch of south texans standing at the entrance, scratching their heads trying to figure out the onramp) Houston and Dallas are full of them. Their usefullness are all about how they are engineered / constructed. Specifically, the Dallas North Tollway and Westpark Tollway in Houston are great tollways that cut a significant amount of travel time off of a commute on the nearest freeway.

[SayTownboy]

Just announced in today's Business Journal: A new Marriott to rise where the former St. Mary's Catholic school was located on the riverwalk. It will be 17 stories and have an impressive Mediterranean type domed tower dealy. Sounds cool.

Great! Do you have a link?

[SayTownboy]

Seeing how they will be electronic toll ways and not the traditional "coin booth" setup, traffic will be able to zoom right through.

[TXlifeguard]

Westpark Tollway in Houston is completely electronic.

Its great too. My family lives right off of it on Grand Parkway. They can get on (at its terminus at Grand Parkway) and get to the Galleria area (Westheimer) in about 15-20 minutes.

The same trip on 59 would take about 30 minutes. The same trip on the katy freeway would take about 40 minutes.

Also, I believe that (if it hasnt happened already) they are working on an integration plan where the electric toll tag systems will work on any of the toll systems in the state. So if you have a 'toll-tag' in Houston, it will work as an 'EZ Pass' on the thus branded system in Dallas.

[Paul in S.A TX]

Many of the new projects downtown are midrises but will surely give downtown more density.The architecture will be impressive which is a big plus.

[kornbread]

Many of the new projects downtown are midrises but will surely give downtown more density.The architecture will be impressive which is a big plus.
How do you know?

The only renderings I've seen are the condos across from the hotel Valencia (San Lorenzo?) The new Marriott sounds promising (the developer is Finvarb http://www.finvarb.com/) but we don't really know yet. What else are you referring to that is impressive?

Has anyone heard anything about the Best Western by Sunset Suites? When I was trying to find something on the Staybridge I came across this article (dated 2/8/2005):
http://recenter.tamu.edu/mreports/SanAntonio13.asp (http://)
The Best Western Sunset Station, though not in downtown, has plans to expand by another 65 to 100 rooms, said Mark Ingle, the hotel's general manager. Average daily rates for the rooms have hovered between $88 to $94, according to Source Strategies' Hotel Brand Report. For the first two quarters of last year, occupancy was 75.5 percent and 78.4 percent

Do they have room to expand, or are they building on to their property? Currently the hotel is 4 stories and 64 suites, so 100 rooms would be a sizeable upgrade.

Finally, the Drury Inn reservation site talks a little about the renovation of the Alamo Bank building:
http://www.druryhotels.com/properties/Alamo.cfm

[SayTownboy]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/D_IMAGE.107bcca8616.93.88.fa.7c.4c7d39fb.jpg

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/D_IMAGE.107bcca8616.93.88.fa.7c.4c7c7fc5.jpg

Golf resort latest gem for officials to show off

Web Posted: 12/08/2005 12:00 AM CST

Elizabeth Allen
Express-News Staff Writer

In a banquet hall of the tall, pink San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter hotel, the city's business and political elite gathered Wednesday to laud the official announcement of Cibolo Canyons — the luxury PGA golf resort that has weathered four years of public strife.

"It was a very tortured process," state Sen. Jeff Wentworth said of the political struggle that went into creating the resort.

It was a heady moment for officials who pushed for the project, and it came as part of a spate of recent economic boosts for the city: a new Toyota pickup factory; the ascendance of Valero Energy as the country's largest petroleum refiner; and SBC's acquisition of AT&T, the world's largest telecommunications company.

As that business growth and the recent speculation over potential major league sports teams make national news, Wentworth said that "it creates a buzz for San Antonio that's very beneficial."

So the big players took some time to slap each other on the back and graze on a fajita buffet.

They listened to the golf course designers and admired preliminary sketches of the two courses and the JW Marriott hotel. Developers estimate the completed resort will be valued at $1 billion by the time it's completed.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff was having a particularly good day on the heels of announcing that baseball's Florida Marlins are considering San Antonio for a new home.

It's exciting even if it turns out to be a ploy by the Marlins to make news that gets someone else's attention, he told Kenneth Jastrow, chief executive officer of Temple-Inland, the parent company of Lumbermen's Investment Corp., owner and developer of 2,850 acres in Northeast Bexar County where the resort will be.

"You know how you date one girl to get to the other girl?" Wolff quipped.

He later said that much of the groundwork for the region's growth has been done over the past 20 years. Now that growth is gaining momentum, Wolff said, it's time to push for everything that can be gained from it.

But officials should not equate success in sports development with the more meaningful growth of major industry, warned Char Miller, director of the urban studies program at Trinity University.

"I think big-league sports is nowhere near as important as the economic growth and the kinds of jobs produced by Toyota, AT&T and the like," Miller said.

For Cibolo Canyons, the project must overcome several years of opposition and bad blood.

Water quality concerns and a bill that would have given the resort eminent domain powers of a city raised an uproar from environmentalists in 2001, when Lumbermen's tried to set up a deal with PGA of America.

One massive public petition drive and two collapsed deals later, Lumbermen's, local politicians and businessmen struck a new agreement with PGA Tour and brought in hotel heavy-hitter Marriott International Inc.

Resort developers increased environmental protections and offered wage guarantees in exchange for a 29-year non-annexation agreement with the city.

Then they had to wade through the tide of negative public opinion and a late start in the legislative session to pass a bill that lets the district levy taxes and issue bonds.

"We tried our best not to let it get into the newspaper, and it worked for a while," Wolff told the crowd.

Officials are waiting on a development agreement that will pay for it all.

The pressure is on for board members of a public improvement district to hammer out the agreement with Lumbermen's and Marriott before Christmas, said board member Robert Rodriguez.

"I think we've been asked to meet as many times as we need to get that done," said Rodriguez, who is a member of a subcommittee working on the agreement.

County commissioners will have final say on the development agreement.

eallen@express-news.net

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA120805.01A.PGA.17c8aaf3.html

[davinSA]

This development is absoulutley fantastic for San Antonio! It is really going to boost tourism and our economy tremendously!

[jaga185]

I don't see how, it isn't even in the city limits.

[Paul in S.A TX]

This is a top notch resort that will bring more elite to San Antonio.San ANtonio is already a major resort city comprable to Phoenix,Orlando etc. as far as resort hotels.Not overal number of golf courses,Phoenix has more.Anyway i'm surprised it got the green light, since it will be built over the aquifer and all the contoversy.

[Paul in S.A TX]

Golf resort latest gem for officials to show off

Web Posted: 12/08/2005 12:00 AM CST
Elizabeth Allen
Express-News Staff Writer

In a banquet hall of the tall, pink San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter hotel, the city's business and political elite gathered Wednesday to laud the official announcement of Cibolo Canyons — the luxury PGA golf resort that has weathered four years of public strife.

"It was a very tortured process," state Sen. Jeff Wentworth said of the political struggle that went into creating the resort.



Courtesy PGA Tour










It was a heady moment for officials who pushed for the project, and it came as part of a spate of recent economic boosts for the city: a new Toyota pickup factory; the ascendance of Valero Energy as the country's largest petroleum refiner; and SBC's acquisition of AT&T, the world's largest telecommunications company.

As that business growth and the recent speculation over potential major league sports teams make national news, Wentworth said that "it creates a buzz for San Antonio that's very beneficial."

So the big players took some time to slap each other on the back and graze on a fajita buffet.

They listened to the golf course designers and admired preliminary sketches of the two courses and the JW Marriott hotel. Developers estimate the completed resort will be valued at $1 billion by the time it's completed.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff was having a particularly good day on the heels of announcing that baseball's Florida Marlins are considering San Antonio for a new home.

It's exciting even if it turns out to be a ploy by the Marlins to make news that gets someone else's attention, he told Kenneth Jastrow, chief executive officer of Temple-Inland, the parent company of Lumbermen's Investment Corp., owner and developer of 2,850 acres in Northeast Bexar County where the resort will be.

"You know how you date one girl to get to the other girl?" Wolff quipped.

He later said that much of the groundwork for the region's growth has been done over the past 20 years. Now that growth is gaining momentum, Wolff said, it's time to push for everything that can be gained from it.

But officials should not equate success in sports development with the more meaningful growth of major industry, warned Char Miller, director of the urban studies program at Trinity University.

"I think big-league sports is nowhere near as important as the economic growth and the kinds of jobs produced by Toyota, AT&T and the like," Miller said.

For Cibolo Canyons, the project must overcome several years of opposition and bad blood.

Water quality concerns and a bill that would have given the resort eminent domain powers of a city raised an uproar from environmentalists in 2001, when Lumbermen's tried to set up a deal with PGA of America.

One massive public petition drive and two collapsed deals later, Lumbermen's, local politicians and businessmen struck a new agreement with PGA Tour and brought in hotel heavy-hitter Marriott International Inc.

Resort developers increased environmental protections and offered wage guarantees in exchange for a 29-year non-annexation agreement with the city.

Then they had to wade through the tide of negative public opinion and a late start in the legislative session to pass a bill that lets the district levy taxes and issue bonds.

"We tried our best not to let it get into the newspaper, and it worked for a while," Wolff told the crowd.

Officials are waiting on a development agreement that will pay for it all.

The pressure is on for board members of a public improvement district to hammer out the agreement with Lumbermen's and Marriott before Christmas, said board member Robert Rodriguez.

"I think we've been asked to meet as many times as we need to get that done," said Rodriguez, who is a member of a subcommittee working on the agreement.

County commissioners will have final say on the development agreement.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eallen@express-news.net

[GoldenBoot]

This is a top notch resort that will bring more elite to San Antonio.San ANtonio is already a major resort city comprable to Phoenix,Orlando etc. as far as resort hotels.Not overal number of golf courses,Phoenix has more.Anyway i'm surprised it got the green light, since it will be built over the aquifer and all the contoversy.


Paul, I would agree with you that S.A. is a good resort city. However, I believe it is still got some ground to cover before one can group it with the Phoenix's (one of the most concentrated areas on the planet for top rated spas & golf resorts) and Orlando's (125,000+ hotel rooms, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, 150+ golf courses, etc.) of the world.

But it is obvious that S.A. is moving in the right direction to be able to do so someday...

[SayTownboy]

150+ golf courses?

[Mopacs]

The Vidorra's website is now up. (The Sunset Station, twin 25-story condo project):

http://www.verticallivingsa.com

[Mopacs]

I have scanned in the renderings of the new 25-story Vidorra condos at Sunset Station. I like the design. What do you guys think?

http://images15.fotki.com/v235/photos/5/54967/229189/Vidorra_small-vi.jpg

[Chicago3rd]

^^
YES!