SAN ANTONIO | Urban Core Development Thread - Page 252

aggie2008 · #**5021** Posted **Aug 16, 2017, 10:35 PM**

USAA just bought the BoA Tower downtown. Pretty impressive holdings next door to each other that include 747,000 square feet of space and roughly 1,500 parking spots. I wonder if "no current plans" changes for that building like it did One Riverwalk Place when they purchased that ~5 years ago.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/real-est...hp?ipid=brkbar

Wishful thinking on my part: Maybe they'll propose something like AT&T is doing in downtown Dallas by reimagining their cluster of office buildings? At the very least, one of SA's biggest employers now has a larger vested interest in making downtown more appealing to employers so that they can fill up that office space! https://www.dallasnews.com/business/...-dallas-campus

I wonder if the part of this conversation about USAA Real Estate Company moving downtown will be revived with the larger building purchase.....
https://therivardreport.com/explorin...ng-urban-core/

mklunder13 · #**5022** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 7:06 AM**

I was wondering if there were still plans, or if there ever were plans, to revitalize the Friedrich Building on E Commerce? Because on my most recent trip to SA I was driving along E Commerce and was so amazed by that building and all the existing building along that stretch of E Commerce. I could easily see that area, with just some investment and revitalizing of the vacant buildings, becoming an SA version of what S Congress is to Austin. So much character and amazing opportunity to really turn that area into a great, young, walkable, urban neighborhood.

wwmiv · #**5023** Posted **Aug 21, 2017, 7:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mklunder13

I was wondering if there were still plans, or if there ever were plans, to revitalize the Friedrich Building on E Commerce? Because on my most recent trip to SA I was driving along E Commerce and was so amazed by that building and all the existing building along that stretch of E Commerce. I could easily see that area, with just some investment and revitalizing of the vacant buildings, becoming an SA version of what S Congress is to Austin. So much character and amazing opportunity to really turn that area into a great, young, walkable, urban neighborhood.

Part of why S. Congress is an urban walkable corridor with a full slate of retail options is because the surrounding neighborhoods are wealthy and upper middle class. E. Commerce, unfortunately, doesn't have the immediate factors for that kind of success. That isn't to say that being surrounded by middle class or low income neighborhoods can't feature pedestrian strips like those on the S. Congress corridor, it's just that when they do it is most often in the context of substantially denser housing than mostly single family low density residential neighborhoods. Putting in some mixed income VMU development in the handful of empty parcels and continued development around Sunset Station & the Alamodome (pretty much all the industrial stuff west of Cherry and east of 281/37) would go a long way in revitalizing this corridor and providing neighborhood amenities to the surrounding low and middle income single family housing.

Spoiler · #**5024** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 1:44 AM**

I remember a plan for the Friedrich complex being presented that demolished ~80% of it and that the plan was rejected. Someone with a lot of money and not much common sense could turn it into a stunning residential development. In my fantasy, the complex becomes an expansion of Southwest School of Art and the buildings are turned into student residential, studios, and places to do large scale sculpture in metal, wood, glass, and ceramics, with the requisite kilns, shops and forges.

Regardless of my dreams, E Commerce needs something to happen with the Friedrich complex for the street to flourish.

mklunder13 · #**5025** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 8:12 PM**

I highly agree. The redevelopment is crucial to the revitalization of E Commerce. The street has so much to offer, with Yeya's Antiques, beautiful murals, and existing infrastructure that could easily be turned into retail.
The same goes for Merchants Ice House on E Houston. I vaguely remember hearing something about that getting redeveloped but I guess that fell through as well. Both could be amazing, affordable lofts/mixed use for young professionals/creatives. I really love that idea you have for Southwest School of Arts for Friedrich.

wwmiv · #**5026** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 9:33 PM**

Why would the Southwest School of Art expand into a building 10 minutes away from where they are currently located? If they have any expansion plans whatsoever (doubtful), I'd rather see them buy up one or more of the multiple surface lots adjacent to their current location and build new construction. After all, the current campus is on the Riverwalk adjacent to or nearby to a number of related cultural amenities. For instance, the central library, Artpace, the Tobin Center, SAMA, Garcia Art Glass, the Briscoe, LA Villita, the Majestic, Arneson River Theatre, Centro de Artes, the Alameda and the soon-to-be San Pedro Creek amphitheater, the Lila Cockrell Theatre, Magik Children's Theatre, as well as numerous small galleries scattered throughout downtown. All of these are either adjacent to their current campus, a short walk on the river level, or a few blocks away on street level. There's no reason to expand to an area that has little in the way of related activity or cultural scene, geographically bifurcating their comparatively small operation thereby making campus operations significantly more complex with little in the way of either institutional or public benefit.

The Friedrich Building will end up being rehabilitated eventually as mixed-use housing, likely with midscale to upscale apartments, street level restaurants, and retail space.

Spoiler · #**5027** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 9:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Why would the Southwest School of Art expand into a building 10 minutes away from where they are currently located?

To expand.

Spoiler · #**5028** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 9:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mklunder13

I highly agree. The redevelopment is crucial to the revitalization of E Commerce. The street has so much to offer, with Yeya's Antiques, beautiful murals, and existing infrastructure that could easily be turned into retail.
The same goes for Merchants Ice House on E Houston. I vaguely remember hearing something about that getting redeveloped but I guess that fell through as well. Both could be amazing, affordable lofts/mixed use for young professionals/creatives. I really love that idea you have for Southwest School of Arts for Friedrich.

If VIA successfully turns the Scobey complex into housing on the near west side, it might help Merchant's Ice and Friedrich get off the ground. I imagine all three places have similar challenges.

wwmiv · #**5029** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 9:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoiler

To expand.

Without any benefit to the institution and likely with significant drawbacks to their operations and scheduling.

wwmiv · #**5030** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 10:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoiler

If VIA successfully turns the Scobey complex into housing on the near west side, it might help Merchant's Ice and Friedrich get off the ground. I imagine all three places have similar challenges.

Where are the Scobey complex and Merchant's Ice?

Spoiler · #**5031** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 10:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Without any benefit to the institution and likely with significant drawbacks to their operations and scheduling.

Gee, did I forget to put the words "in my fantasy" in the post above? No, there they are!

wwmiv · #**5032** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 10:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoiler

Gee, did I forget to put the words "in my fantasy" in the post above? No, there they are!

I'm not trying to be rude, man. I'm simply pointing out that your "fantasy" is undercut by all of the facts on the ground. Has the school ever given any indication that they are wanting for space on their current campus? I haven't seen anything to that end, and even if they were they have many more realistic options for expansion: the Soleded lot across Augusta, the parking lot across the river at Augusta and Convent, their own two parking lots on Navarro, the two underutilized lots across Navarro, the two parking lots across Richmond from those underutilize lots, among others.

There are fantasies and then there are wild unrealistic fantasies. I'd love to see the school expand in the medium to long term future, too, but we aren't going to see them expand onto a corridor far removed from their current location. Instead, if they do expand, it will be an expansion of their current campus.

Spoiler · #**5033** Posted **Aug 22, 2017, 10:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Where are the Scobey complex and Merchant's Ice?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=VIA+Scobey

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Merchant%27s+Ice+Building

deeger · #**5034** Posted **Aug 31, 2017, 5:56 PM**

[IMG]

[/IMG]

[IMG]

[/IMG]

I ran into the developers yesterday when taking these pics and they said they're seeing stuff revealed they didn't know was there.

For reference: https://therivardreport.com/renovati...s-on-st-marys/