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  #141  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2008, 8:27 PM
TXlifeguard TXlifeguard is offline
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Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam View Post
I think you're all making a bigger deal out of this.

I can understand not liking it if it was named SoFlo from the beginning to capitalize on other cities use of abbreviated names for their districts. But in the case of SoFlo it wasn't. They just shortened South Flores Arts District. Also, I feel to abbreviate a district or neighborhood isn't exclusive to one particular city or any cities even if said city[s] originated the trend or popularized it or what not.


Bottom line, I'm not trying to change your opinions on how you feel towards the name just saying I disagree.
I get what your saying, but a knockoff is still a knockoff. Like the purple, blue, green, etc awarness gel wristbands arent knockoffs of Lance Armstorng's LiveStrong yellow wristbands?

If it was an abbreviation issue, why not go with SFAD or S-Fad or something? Cause it doesn't sound as cool? But the others with a directional abbreviation do? This is all I'm saying.

The reason I jumped in the fray here, and before on this issue is pretty simple to me. I realize most of us on here are visionaries, dreamers and 'big picture' folks, but far too often on here and elsewhere when two new buildings are announced to go up next to each other in a historically under served area, some fool has to be the first outta the gate with a knockoff name for it all (like EaCoSa for East Commerce in SA or something simularly stupid) when half the time the project never happens anyway. It get exponentially worse when same said jackass runs to wikipedia and adds it or begins assigning names to parts of town that no one has ever heard of - hell, y'all cant even agree here what exactly our uptown is, where it is, or if we even have one. (BTW, if we did, the County Judge wouldda called it uptown instead of 'up up Broadway' earlier this week). Cause in all the noise, the real, legitimate neighborhoods and places of interest get overlooked. (could you imagine a tourist getting in a cab at the airport telling the driver to take him to uptown cause he had read some stuff about it on Wikipedia and it sounded cool? The cabbie would be all 'WTF is uptown?)
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  #142  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2008, 10:09 PM
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very true, I always assumed uptown was the SAC area, N. St. Mary's, and Pearl. RiNo is still in downtown IMO.
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  #143  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2008, 10:27 PM
KeepSanAntonioLame KeepSanAntonioLame is offline
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That's the problem with making up names. No one knows what on earth you're talking about.
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  #144  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2008, 5:38 AM
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The wikipedia list of so-called districts was mind-numbing. Ultimately if an area/neighborhood gets named it will be by those who live and work there.

I always thought Southtown fit. It sounded fine until I heard East Town. Although you can't name a neighborhood that doesn't exist. I'm sure the Econo/Red Roof workers don't say "Where's my kevlar, I got to go to east town." They don't say the last part, at least.

Whether River North sticks or not we'll have to wait and see. It certainly beats the POTS (piss on the sidewalk) district.
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  #145  
Old Posted Jun 10, 2008, 8:29 PM
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They've broken ground on the Embarcadero project.
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  #146  
Old Posted Jun 10, 2008, 8:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KeepSanAntonioLame View Post
They've broken ground on the Embarcadero project.
for the curious and/or forgetful...

Upscale condo community planned near downtown San Antonio

from: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantoni...ml?t=printable
A local development group has unveiled plans for a high-density, high-end residential community near the heart of the city.

Known as Embarcadero, which is Spanish for "pier," the four-story project will be located on 2.2 acres of land at North St. Mary's and Ninth streets -- just north of downtown San Antonio and along the banks of the San Antonio River.

Plans call for 24, for-sale units that will range in size from 982 to 2,600 square feet, and in price from $280,000 to $712,000, says Tim Sanford, a principal in Paradigm Hotel Group -- the developer of Embarcadero.

Sanford estimates development costs for the project will exceed $6 million.

Embarcadero is one of the first residential projects to come out of a larger, master plan for redeveloping more than 350 acres of land bordered by Interstate highways 10, 35 and 37 and Third Street -- known as River North.

Over the next several years, the goal with River North is to take what is now an often-overlooked area of the city and transform it into a bustling mix of residential, office and retail properties.

Down by the river
Paradigm plans to break ground on Embarcadero around May 1. The project would be ready for occupancy by next summer.

Of the 24 units in the development, eight residences have already been sold, says Sanford, who adds that another four are presently under contract for purchase.

"We've enjoyed a very good level of interest," he says.

About 5,000 square feet on the first floor of Embarcadero will be carved out for a Scuzzi's Italian Restaurant.

A hotel is also in the works for Paradigm's project, Sanford says. While the flag for the property is still being determined, the strategy is to bring in "an upscale limited-service concept that will complement the residences" of Embarcadero, he adds.

Sanford is one of the latest developers to carve out his niche in an emerging residential market -- namely a sector that includes not only downtown proper, but areas like River North, along the outer edges of San Antonio's central business district (CBD).

Embarcadero, Sanford believes, will stand out among this slate of new housing.

With the majority of the units being priced at under $500,000, Embarcadero is an attractive alternative to similar projects -- where it's not unheard of for units to surpass the $1 million price mark.

Size is also a matter of importance.

Says Sanford: "With 24 units, it's easy to know your neighbors."

Embarcadero's most marketable feature, however: Its location.

Notes Sanford: "We have what these other projects don't have: The San Antonio River."

Sum of the parts
Projects like Embarcadero are being fueled by potential residents looking for something more urban in nature, says Ben E. Brewer, president of Downtown Alliance San Antonio.

Last year, Brewer's organization commissioned a demand analysis to gauge the need for market-rate housing downtown -- a follow-up to a study previously completed in 2002, Brewer says.

The recent report estimated that by 2015, demand for the urban lifestyle will have fueled the need for some 1,200 condominium units in the central business district -- a number that San Antonio is "far from meeting," Brewer says.

Many of these new urban residential developments -- including River North -- are rising up on the perimeters of downtown, where land costs are lower.

Brewer's organization is working in partnership with other entities -- including the city of San Antonio and the Downtown San Antonio Community Development Corp. -- to bring the River North project to fruition.

Ultimately, River North will come together through a mix of public and private funding, Brewer adds. The latter is being spurred in large part by a tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) that has been created by the city along a 195-acre stretch of the River North project.

Under a TIRZ, property taxes are locked in at a base amount for a given period of time -- in the case of River North, 25 years.

Taxes assessed on improvements above the floor amount are then set aside to help fund the cost of public improvements to the property -- helping to offset the total cost of new development.

It is projects like Embarcadero that will help spur the private investment in a long-term revitalization venture like River North, Brewer says. "People pay attention to what's going ahead of them," he adds. "(Sanford) is a perfect example of the investment being made (in River North). He sees what's coming."
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  #147  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2008, 2:34 AM
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  #148  
Old Posted Jul 19, 2008, 3:54 PM
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River foundation commissions seven artists for bridge projects
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc..._projects.html

Dan R. Goddard - Express-News

London artist Martin Richman plans to use shifting color and light to transform the Lexington Street Bridge in his first public art project in the United States.

Richman is among eight artists commissioned by the San Antonio River Foundation to create $2.2 million in design enhancements for eight bridges and six underpasses along the Museum Reach portion of the San Antonio River Improvements Project.

Two other internationally known artists selected for the project are Bill Fontana of San Francisco, who plans to create an interactive sound installation for the underpass at Jones Avenue, and Donald Lipski of Philadelphia, who envisions a deep-space field of twinkling stars using light and recycled materials on the underpass at Interstate 35.

San Antonio artists who will be working on bridges and railings are Stuart Allen, Rolando Briseño, Mark Schlesinger and George Schroeder.

The work of these seven artists will join the $3 million grotto by Carlos Cortés, which the foundation announced in April.

“I’ve done quite a few bridges in England,” Richman said during a visit to the city to study the bridge near the El Tropicano Hotel. “I’ve got some ideas, but it would probably be premature to say exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll probably use lights and colors and the manipulation of space, probably reflections, and the color will probably be bolder than I use in England. Technology has improved so much that it’s now practical to use colored lighting to completely transform bridges.”

Permanent light installations for bridges at London Fields and Bethnal Green in London are among numerous public art projects by Richman, who said he first became interested in designing light shows for rock bands. He’s also created light sculptures for hotels, high schools, corporate headquarters and power stations. However, he is primarily trained as a painter.

“I think I came through San Antonio about 20 years ago on a tour with Peter Frampton,” Richman said. “But what I like to do is combine ideas from my studio painting practice with the use of light. Light is such an incredibly powerful medium, and now technology makes it possible to manipulate it in any way you want.”

Richman’s design for the Lexington Street Bridge will create a gateway to the new 2-mile extension of the river known as the Museum Reach, said Kim Abernethy, river foundation director. The seven artists have an Aug. 15 deadline to submit their conceptual plans, which will be reviewed by various city and river commissions in the fall. Abernethy said the foundation hopes to have all the public art projects completed in time for an unveiling in May 2009.

“We’re excited,” Abernethy said. “We feel like we had a good selection process that came up with artists who will do some truly fascinating projects. The money for these projects is coming out of the $15 million the foundation has raised so far for river improvements, with most of the donations coming from corporations and individuals. We hope to raise a total of $50 million for the whole river improvements project. Besides art, we’ll also being doing a lot of educational and environmental projects.”
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  #149  
Old Posted Jul 19, 2008, 4:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldmanshirt View Post
River foundation commissions seven artists for bridge projects
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc..._projects.html

Dan R. Goddard - Express-News

London artist Martin Richman plans to use shifting color and light to transform the Lexington Street Bridge in his first public art project in the United States.

Richman is among eight artists commissioned by the San Antonio River Foundation to create $2.2 million in design enhancements for eight bridges and six underpasses along the Museum Reach portion of the San Antonio River Improvements Project.

Two other internationally known artists selected for the project are Bill Fontana of San Francisco, who plans to create an interactive sound installation for the underpass at Jones Avenue, and Donald Lipski of Philadelphia, who envisions a deep-space field of twinkling stars using light and recycled materials on the underpass at Interstate 35.

San Antonio artists who will be working on bridges and railings are Stuart Allen, Rolando Briseño, Mark Schlesinger and George Schroeder.

The work of these seven artists will join the $3 million grotto by Carlos Cortés, which the foundation announced in April.

“I’ve done quite a few bridges in England,” Richman said during a visit to the city to study the bridge near the El Tropicano Hotel. “I’ve got some ideas, but it would probably be premature to say exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll probably use lights and colors and the manipulation of space, probably reflections, and the color will probably be bolder than I use in England. Technology has improved so much that it’s now practical to use colored lighting to completely transform bridges.”

Permanent light installations for bridges at London Fields and Bethnal Green in London are among numerous public art projects by Richman, who said he first became interested in designing light shows for rock bands. He’s also created light sculptures for hotels, high schools, corporate headquarters and power stations. However, he is primarily trained as a painter.

“I think I came through San Antonio about 20 years ago on a tour with Peter Frampton,” Richman said. “But what I like to do is combine ideas from my studio painting practice with the use of light. Light is such an incredibly powerful medium, and now technology makes it possible to manipulate it in any way you want.”

Richman’s design for the Lexington Street Bridge will create a gateway to the new 2-mile extension of the river known as the Museum Reach, said Kim Abernethy, river foundation director. The seven artists have an Aug. 15 deadline to submit their conceptual plans, which will be reviewed by various city and river commissions in the fall. Abernethy said the foundation hopes to have all the public art projects completed in time for an unveiling in May 2009.

“We’re excited,” Abernethy said. “We feel like we had a good selection process that came up with artists who will do some truly fascinating projects. The money for these projects is coming out of the $15 million the foundation has raised so far for river improvements, with most of the donations coming from corporations and individuals. We hope to raise a total of $50 million for the whole river improvements project. Besides art, we’ll also being doing a lot of educational and environmental projects.”

Sounds really nice.

Here's the 3 million dollar grotto.

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  #150  
Old Posted Jul 21, 2008, 2:30 PM
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let me just say that i hope the $3M grotto isn't too Disney-ish... i have fears that it will be...and maybe the whole word "grotto" has been tainted by Hefner...but i was really hoping that the beauty of this new reach of the river would be in highlighting the natural serenity and beauty of the SA river through these parts.

i also wanted to chime in on the naming debate. i think that we have to be careful in assigning names that don't naturally fall on areas. whenever i refer to anything on south flores, i find myself saying "south flores" and not soflo...i mean, it's 3 syllables instead of 2. not a huge difference there in terms of effort and i want people to know that i'm proud of this city - and sometimes the little abbreviations work to erode local flavor.

"flores" is puro san antonio. "soflo" could be in des moines or tuscon or boise. if, after 30 years, south flores is a known entity, then maybe it gets shortened and nothing is lost.

we (downtown enthusiast types) are more influential than you might think. we are the people who leak out information to people who care much less but may be much more influential. and friends and family ask us when they see a crane or a cleared lot - because they know that we care. so we have a chance to help set the tone a little bit with these areas. let river north be river north until something organically changes that. let the near-eastside be the near-eastside....if it eventually earns itself a name, great - if not then it never deserved one in the first place.

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  #151  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2008, 1:28 PM
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Here's an article about the results of the latest public meeting:


Property owners divided over River North plan

Greg Jefferson - Express-News

Property owners saw the proposed blueprint for River North's redevelopment Monday night, three months after the city took control of planning for the near-downtown area, but it looked a lot like what many of them had already seen.

Some of the people crowded into Providence High School's cafeteria — at least those who are close followers of the master plan — recognized the work of California-based Moule & Polyzoides. After acquiring it in May, the city left most of the firm's draft in place.

The plan's aim is to forge “a walkable, mixed-use urban neighborhood” out of the 377-acre territory — much of it downtrodden — northeast of downtown, said Richard Milk, community development coordinator in the city's planning department.

The plan sets out four neighborhoods, centering on performing arts (the area between Municipal Auditorium and the Scottish Rite Temple), Broadway, Madison Square Park and the San Antonio Museum of Art.

The proposals include a string of parks along the River Walk extension under construction, parking garages, a plaza adjacent to SAMA and a trolley system. The area would be studded with mixed-use residential, retail and office projects.

Judy Lackritz, owner of a “postage stamp” of land on Avenue B near SAMA, liked what she saw of the plan, saying it would guide the redevelopment that she believes the river improvements will usher in.

“I think we need to get on with it,” she added.

But another property owner, speaking up during a brief question-and-answer session, wanted to know whether the plan was merely pie in the sky.

“I think it's a beautiful thing,” he said of the plan. “But where's the money coming from?”

Milk's answer: from a special taxing district set up for River North, and from private investors.

A not-for-profit spin-off of the Downtown Alliance, which represents property owners, had overseen planning for River North. But opposition surfaced in early spring, with some critics contending a draft plan gave some property owners more favorable treatment.

Others complained they'd been left out of the process, and still others worried about the sweeping zoning changes proposed in the draft.

The nonprofit staged two public presentations of the plan in December and January.

The plan on display Monday covered a territory bounded by Interstate 35 to the north and Houston and Travis streets to the south. Many of River North's properties are zoned for industrial use.

Moule & Polyzoides recommended replacing the existing zoning with so-called form-based zoning, which shifts the emphasis from how a property is used to how it looks. It's little understood, and some River North property owners have chafed at the idea.

Linda Hardberger, Mayor Phil Hardberger's wife, asked Milk to explain form-based zoning. After answering, he noted that whether the plan will rely on that kind of zoning “is an open question.”

Another questioner, Cathey Meyer of the Downtown Residents Association, wanted to know whether the plan would depend in part on the power of eminent domain. Milk said there'd been “no discussion of acquiring property” through condemnation.

Meyer objected to the way the meeting was organized, saying: “The majority of property owners wanted to ask some very basic questions, but they didn't get the chance.”

City officials took a few questions from the floor and then divided the meeting into smaller groups for further discussion. Assistant City Manager T.C. Broadnax said the plan likely would go to City Council for approval early next year after more public meetings.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...orth_plan.html
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  #152  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2008, 3:23 PM
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I've been trying to find old articles in the oregonian, but in essence, this is pretty much what happened to both the Pearl District and the South Waterfront.

"It's nice, but how do we pay for it?"
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  #153  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2008, 11:04 PM
KeepSanAntonioLame KeepSanAntonioLame is offline
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http://www.ksat.com/video/17295131/index.html

This was on KSAT last night.
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  #154  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2008, 11:08 PM
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Essentially, those that own businesses will either expand or sell pretty quickly when the primary projects are approved (mobility plan, rezoning).
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  #155  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2008, 11:53 PM
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oldmanshirt = best avatar ever. and now...best signature ever.
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  #156  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2008, 1:35 AM
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Quote:
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oldmanshirt = best avatar ever. and now...best signature ever.
lol, thank you thank you

I'm just glad somebody got the reference and didn't just think I have an affinity for nerdy TV shows, nasty vegetables, and omnivorous mammals that are both bipedal and quadrupedal.
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  #157  
Old Posted Jun 17, 2010, 2:03 AM
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Thought I'd bump this almost-stale thread by adding a little somthing. It's pretty old (the idea) but I'm not sure I've seen a rendering here for it. We've mentioned the SAHA property here (previous Rex site) and SAHA mentioned it in their 2009 meetings. Well here it is.



It's at the corner of St. Mary's and Brooklyn, right next to the once-proposed Embarcadero site, which is across Ed Cross's property on Ave. B/9th.
It's supposed to be a 200-unit, mixed-income, mixed-use development. With Hemisview 99% done and Sutton about 40% complete, and Zachry no longer using the site for construction, we could see this alot sooner than later.
from SAHA 2009 Draft PHA Plan-
Quote:
Disposition:
Proposed Action- Rex: Development of the Rex site will be considered at the completion
of the current Museum Reach improvements to the Riverwalk.
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  #158  
Old Posted Jun 17, 2010, 5:48 PM
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Looks like a beach resort. <_<
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  #159  
Old Posted Jun 23, 2010, 6:23 AM
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I like it. Better than steel and glass monotony
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  #160  
Old Posted Jun 23, 2010, 7:20 AM
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Nice. but it should be taller
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