DOWNTOWN

TOMORROW

STRATEGY

SUMMARY

The Downtown Tomorrow Strategy was developed to guide implementation of several efforts occurring in downtown. The vision for Downtown is:

As the home of 60,000 people and the workplace of many thousands more, downtown San Antonio is the thriving and diverse center of arts and entertainment in South Texas and the engine of a vibrant regional economy. Here, visitors, 10,000 college students, and residents of all ages walk, work, and play in a beloved and unique urban landscape that supports their daily lives and needs – all within 2 miles of home.

The purpose is to help focus efforts on priority initiatives and build community awareness and support. There are five strategic framework elements reflecting the core foundations that Centro provides and three focus areas. The Strategy also highlights seven catalytic projects currently underway or are proposed for downtown. These projects will change the trajectory of downtown and are essential to implementation of the vision for downtown.

DOWNTOWN VISION

The purpose is to help focus efforts on priority initiatives and build community awareness and support. There are five key elements reflecting the core foundations that Centro provides and three focus areas that Centro and its partners will focus on in the coming decade.

1 STRATEGY ELEMENTS

The Strategy is organized under five key elements building on stakeholder outreach and the Downtown Regional Center Plan elements. The elements organize the strategies recommended for downtown, providing measurable outcomes for each

CORE FOUNDATIONS

CLEAN, SAFE
AND RESILIENT

Ensure downtown is a clean, safe, and resilient place for all.

MOBILITY

Provide more attractive and efficient ways to move people in and around downtown.

FOCUS AREAS

RESIDENT LIFE AND COMMUNITY

Create an enjoyable and livable community in downtown for everyone.

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

Enhance economic opportunities for businesses and people in the San Antonio region.

ARTS, CULTURE, & ENTERTAINMENT

Attract visitors to downtown and create the attractive lifestyle in downtown for residents and workers.

Hemisfair is the redevelopment of the former World’s Fair site into a vibrant community park and gathering place. The project includes a mixture of public spaces and private developments that activate the spaces. There are three major development areas: Yanaguana Garden, Civic Park, and Tower Park. Yanaguana Garden opened in 2015 and includes a large playscape area with a variety of play structures and activities that appeal to visitors of all ages. The garden has been further activated through the reuse of historic buildings for commercial shops and restaurants. Hemisfair also solicited the development of a mixed-use apartment project, the ‘68 apartments, which opened in 2019.

Civic Park will be the largest of the parks planned for Hemisfair. The space will serve as a large community gathering place that will host festivals, events, community celebrations, and other experiences. Civic Park is planned to be surrounded by public/private developments that can include a variety of uses including mixed-income residential, retail, and hospitality uses. Civic Park is under construction and is set to be completed by 2025.
Tower Park is the third and final phase of the Hemisfair parks; this project is currently unfunded. Visioning efforts for this phase have begun and will define the program for the area. Also impacting this portion of Hemisfair is the future of the Institute of Texas Culture, which is owned and managed by UTSA. UTSA is in the process of determining the future of the institute as well as the physical building in which the institute was originally located.

The Alamo has long been one of the City’s major tourist destinations and a valued historic asset. The Alamo Trust is dedicated to the preservation of the Alamo mission and sharing its history with visitors. The Trust’s vision is to be the go-to place for all things Alamo and Texas Revolution by providing a world-class visitor center/museum and heritage site complex, telling the whole Alamo story including its evolution from mission to fort, and creating opportunities for people to understand the history of the site and how that can inform our present lives. The Alamo Trust and City of San Antonio developed a joint Master Plan for the Alamo site complex in 2017. The plan has five key concepts:

The Texas Research and Technology Foundation (TRTF) is spearheading the effort to create an Innovation District on the near eastside of downtown. The effort builds on TRTF’s existing campus located in the historic Merchant’s Ice Complex at Houston Street and Cherry Street. The Merchant’s Campus currently is home to TRTF’s Velocity TX bioscience business incubator and accelerator program, as well as the angel investing entity Alamo Angels. TRTF has also attracted businesses that are active in regenerative medicine solutions to locate at the campus.

TRTF recently completed a master plan for the district that calls for attracting over 2.5 million square feet of new development in the near eastside. The catalyst for the larger innovation district is the attraction of Department of Defense military medicine research and development activities in the district. To facilitate this, TRTF has purchased the GJ Sutton property to the south of their existing buildings. This phase 1 catalyst project will include 680,000 square feet of office, lab, and retail space.

To support the attraction of research activities and private development, public improvements are needed to facilitate the growth of the district. Houston Street is a focal corridor connecting the core of Downtown to the eastside neighborhoods. Improvements to Houston Street will help make the street a more inviting pedestrian environment and support the creation of small-scale retail and public gathering places. The innovation district is also envisioned to need support services to address public improvement maintenance, clean and safety programs, and public space management and programming.

The Lone Star District is in the southern portion of the Downtown Regional Center area south of Lone Star Boulevard and east of Probandt Street. The area includes the location of the former Lone Star Brewery and surrounding underutilized parcels. The area is also bisected by the San Antonio River and the River Walk. On the east side of the river is Roosevelt Park and a former CPS Energy power plant.

There have been multiple plans and efforts made to redevelop the area in the recent past. The most recent development plan had an initial phase that included 100,000 square feet of office, 50,000 square feet of retail, and 250 multifamily units. This development plan is stalled while the area waits for a developer that can finance and build the project. Plans to rehabilitate the neighboring power plant into an energy-focused innovation center have also fallen through.

The redevelopment of the area would serve as a major catalyst for the southern portion of the downtown and will provide a major mixed-use center serving the southside of downtown San Antonio.

Zona Cultural has been envisioned as the revitalized destination for culture and commerce in downtown. The Zona Cultural area stretches from Main Plaza on the east to VIA Centro Plaza/ UTSA Campus on the west. The district is connected by Commerce Street and Buena Vista Street/ Dolorosa. The area is home to the Plaza de Armas, the Spanish Governor’s Palace, the historic Market Square, the Alameda Theatre, and the San Fernando Cathedral. The area is also bisected by the San Pedro Creek Cultural Park. The Zona Cultural also extends west of I-10 to the historic Cattleman Square district, which includes VIA’s Centro Plaza and historic Scobey facility that is planned for reinvestment. The extension west also includes the UTSA downtown campus area. Zona Cultural is the original location of major commerce activities in the City of San Antonio when it was founded. The purpose of Zona Cultural is to celebrate this history by restoring its role as a bustling commerce node.

The City of San Antonio, supported by Centro, has begun to make major public investments in the roadways and public spaces in the district including the current reconstruction of Commerce Street that includes enhanced pedestrian pathways. The improvements have largely been funded through the 2017 Bond and the continuing projects from the 2012 Bond. The West Commerce improvements stretch from Colorado Street on the west to St. Mary on the east. These improvements are planned to be completed by 2024. In addition to Commerce Street, improvements to Milam Park and Market Square Park have also been funded. Lastly, Santa Rosa (from Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. to Martin Street) and San Saba Street (from Nueva Street to Martin Street) are being improved like the improvements being made on Commerce Street. These improved streets are meant to catalyze and support the growth of new businesses along the corridors and better connect the River Walk to Market Square and other area cultural attractions. Additional public funds are committed to improve cultural facilities in Zona Cultural. The City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture is also a project partner with the Public Works Department. The street improvements incorporate substantial investments in public art that celebrates the history of the area and the culture of San Antonio.

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has developed visionary plans for investments in education and innovation in downtown. These plans are core elements to the future potential for the city center. UTSA currently has a downtown campus located on the near westside of downtown along Frio Street. In addition to growing and maintaining this core campus area, the university is expanding into other parts of downtown. The university has identified the need for 1.4 to 1.9 million square feet of new space to support growth of their downtown endeavors.

A major component of UTSA’s downtown master plan is the creation of a second node of university buildings between Dolorosa and Nueva Street from Laredo to Flores Street. Construction of the first building completed in 2022 with classes beginning in January 2023. This significant opening will bring 400 students to downtown. The second building is expected to break ground in 2023. The last building site is envisioned to be a mixed-use building with University and private uses within it. The buildings will be home to a new School of Data Science, the College of Business, and the National Security Collaboration Center. In addition, the University is supporting the growth of housing near their facilities to support new students. UTSA has two other major facilities within downtown. It owns and operates the Institute of Texan Cultures located adjacent to Hemisfair. UTSA is currently in the process of developing a plan for the future of the Institute as well as the building it’s currently located in. The university has recently purchased the Southwest School of Art and plans to continue the operations and educational offerings at the school.

The Scobey Complex is a collection of six historic industrial buildings on the near-west side of San Antonio adjacent to VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Centro Plaza. The complex fronts onto Medina Street between Travis Street and Martin Street. VIA purchased the complex in 2017 to help catalyze development around Centro Plaza. VIA selected development partners that include the DreamOn Group, the Geyser Group, and Overland Architects to develop the complex. The development program calls for rehabilitation of the buildings to create space for residential, retail, education, office, and storage space. The residential program includes 81,000 square feet of space that will include both market rate and affordable rental units. One building in the complex will be devoted to office and education space. Retail uses will be mixed into the complex on the ground floor.

Lastly, the basement areas will be used for self-storage. In total the project will have 167,000 square feet of leasable space. VIA will be a major partner in the project and will be the occupant and owner of 26,500 square feet of office space. The project is planned to be completed in 2025.

The San Pedro Creek Culture Park will encompass a total of four phases, including three segments in Phase 1. Phase 1, segment 1 (N. Santa rosa St. – Houston St.) was completed in May 2018. The final 2 segments of Phase 1 were completed in October 2022. Phases 2, 3, and 4 are currently under construction, spanning from El Paso Street to IH-35.

In total, construction on the San Pedro Creek Culture Park will add more than 60,000 linear feet of new walls, replace eight street bridges and all associated utilities while adding four miles of walking trails and 11 acres of landscaping.

Once fully complete, the San Pedro Creek Culture Park is expected to spur a $1.5 billion economic impact by creating 2,100 new housing units, 1,428 new downtown employees, 7,300 new downtown residents, a 150 percent increase in new property value and $227 million in ad valorem tax revenues.

When the four phases are completed, the San Pedro Creek Culture Park will span 2.2 miles through downtown, beginning at IH-35 at the flood tunnel inlet at Santa Rosa Street and ending at the confluence of the Alazán and Apache Creeks at IH-35 to the south.

River North District (RND) is the perfect example of the Urban Practice Live/Work/Play district where locals feel comfortable supporting different sorts entertainment businesses making this area of San Antonio a huge destination. As Broadway corridor gets completed, the perfect symmetry on the city blocks allows to bring a huge opportunities to scene such as Apartments, vibrant scene for Restaurants and Bars, Offices, Bike Lanes, Food halls, theaters, but most important neighborhood business not to mention the huge Art impact is generating as well.

RND has around 1500 apartment units, more than 100k sq ft of office space, to helps to create the full ecosystem with locals living and working in the area. Having the Riverwalk as part of the district, creates a huge amenity for the district in terms of connectivity with the hearth of downtown and the Pearl; all these characteristics make the district also feel like a true urban neighborhood.

St. Paul Square is developing into a unique center that fuses unique eats and offices with nightlife entertainment right in the heart of downtown San Antonio. In just a few steps, you can drink signature cocktails, listen to live music, try the best foods in town. A short walk from the Alamodome and a hub for event venues, St. Paul Square keeps the good times going. With a background rooted deep into San Antonio’s history, the area has seen the performances of Louis Armstrong, B.B. King and Fats Domino in its early days. After years of silence, it’s come alive with the turn of the decade. Join us for a meal you won’t forget or a night out on the town.

3 THE BIG IDEAS

Downtown San Antonio is the heart, soul, and economic engine of the San Antonio metro region. It is the crossroads of rapidly growing South and Central Texas, and one of the most important gateways in the nation between the U.S. and Mexico. Downtown’s economic, civic, and cultural health is the lynchpin of shared prosperity, continued cultural efflorescence, and strategic growth and security for the next century. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, downtown is itself at a crossroads. Many new projects are underway, yet changes in how and where many people work have radically altered expectations about how downtown will evolve in the years ahead. Sustained investment in the core of our city, particularly in housing, education, and cultural resources, has never been more important.

This Downtown Tomorrow Strategy (Strategy) builds on Centro’s 2021 Annual Report and the City of San Antonio’s Downtown Regional Center Plan. The Strategy was developed through focus groups, interviews, and surveys of Downtown area stakeholders to help address issues not in the Regional Center Plan and to help prioritize actions and steps.

This strategy is intended to serve as an implementation strategy for Centro and its stakeholders to support a variety of efforts in Downtown. The Strategy also provides measurable outcomes the community should strive to achieve by 2032.

DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO

Downtown Regional Center Plan

Downtown is defined by the City of San Antonio’s city-wide Comprehensive Plan. The Regional Center boundary captures the Central Business District (CBD) and historic core of the city as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.

Urbanista Downtown Neighborhood Association

This Neighborhood Association is a City-designated neighborhood north of Cesar Chavez. It is home to nearly 3,000 people, the CBD, and includes the Riverwalk, Alamo, Hemisfair, San Pedro Creek, Historic Market Square, City Hall, County Courthouse and numerous other cultural, historic, business and civic locations.

DOWNTOWN

TOMORROW

STRATEGY

SUMMARY

DOWNTOWN VISION

1

STRATEGY ELEMENTS

CORE FOUNDATIONS

FOCUS AREAS

3

THE BIG IDEAS

DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO

Downtown Regional Center Plan

Urbanista Downtown Neighborhood Association

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