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Proposed 32-story apartment tower by Weston Urban lands key approval

The group behind Frost Tower landed its first design approval Wednesday for its next major downtown project.

The Historic and Design Review Commission granted conceptual approval to Weston Urban's proposed 32-story apartment tower at 305 Soledad St. without discussion. The development group will need to return to the commission for final approval before obtaining a building permit.

The project would add 351 residential units to the city's core along with 7,250 square feet of retail space and a six-level parking garage with 456 spaces, according to Planning Commission documents from a previous request for the city to alter property lines.

Project team members referenced in the documents include architectural firm Page Southerland Page Inc. and Campbell Landscape Architecture.

The site is currently a parking lot bounded by Soledad, East Travis, North Main and West Pecan streets. Construction is estimated to cost more than $107 million and is expected to begin in mid-2021 with completion by 2023.

In an Oct. 20 Design Review Committee meeting, HDRC chairman Jeff Fetzer said the gray brick of the tower portion was a bit out of character for San Antonio, but not that something new couldn't be proposed, according to a staff report. Other commissioners said, based on the report, that the materials are appropriate.

In a letter to the commission, Patti Ziontz, president of the Conservation Society of San Antonio, wrote that the 32-story tower is "excessively tall" and would overwhelm nearby landmarks like the Rand Building and Robert E. Lee Hotel.

First hurdle done!