urban revitalization

Students Present Designs To Replace Historic Building By Main Plaza

Eileen Pace — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:13:57 +0000

UTSA College of Architecture students could have a hand in designing a new structure to replace the historic Wolfson building that was destroyed by fire in 2011.

Last Wednesday, the sophomore class of UTSA Architecture students presented their final scale models and renderings of a new building for a juried competition at the Radius Center.

The students were judged on designs for a modern office building that would fill the narrow space that still remains a gaping hole on the edge of Main Plaza.

Old City Service Center On West Side Approved For Redevelopment

Ryan Loyd — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:15:00 +0000

The City Council has voted to sell land it no longer needs so that it can be redeveloped into shops and businesses.

The location of the land is on South Zarzamora, where the service center that houses public works, fire and solid waste departments will close this summer. A new service center, currently under construction, will open up at West Commerce and Callaghan Road.

Balancing The Needs Of Families In Center City Redevelopment

Eileen Pace — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:35:39 +0000

Stakeholders of center city development got together today to talk about balancing the needs of young urban professionals with growing families as the revitalization of downtown moves forward.

About 200 members of the Urban Land Institute heard different perspectives from school officials, business partners and real estate gurus about the development of downtown for family residences.

A focus group of real estate agents revealed that many don’t think of showing downtown homes to their clients with families.

Could City And Public Space Design Help Solve Obesity Crisis?

Eileen Pace — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:58:25 +0000

The Texas Public Health Association's Built Environment Conference on March 19 will address concerns about the lack of exercise designed into public spaces, and how design may contribute to obesity in the 21^st Century.

Architects and designers will come away with a toolbox of healthier design practices so that the people who use their buildings have a greater opportunity for moving around.

Federal Officials Make Recommendations For East Side Improvements

Ryan Loyd — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:46:57 +0000

Federal officials visited San Antonio's East Side this week to guage how reinvestment dollars are shaping housing and education needs.

Inner-City Reinvestment Progress Report From Henry Cisneros

Ryan Loyd — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:51:24 +0000

Mayor Julián Castro's movement to re-energize downtown is at the heart of dozens of active projects, and one of the goals of the mayor's transformation programs, SA2020, is to attract people to the city core by building 7,500 apartment units.

One of Castro's confidants is Henry Cisneros, who leads CityView, a company that works with builders to create homes priced within the range of average families.

Student Housing Included In West Side Downtown Loft Development

Ryan Loyd — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:38:35 +0000

San Antonio is adding yet another urban living project in the downtown area, but this time a significant number of units will be designated for students.

The project, located at the old Birdsong Peanut Factory site on S. Frio on the near West Side, will have 98 lofts., with 30-50 percent of them for student housing.

The official groundbreaking on Wednesday marked the beginning of a 19,000 square foot facility. Mayor Julián Castro, who has pushed for urban living and has said this is the "decade of downtown," said he was surprised by a peanut factory in San Antonio.

Children's Museum Moving Out Of Downtown

Ryan Loyd — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:18:09 +0000

The San Antonio Children’s Museum will be moving from its downtown location to Broadway and Mulberry, once construction on the massive-scale project is complete.

The project comes at a time when city leaders have focused their attention on revitalizing the urban core, but executive director Vanessa Lacoss Hurd doesn’t see it as leaving downtown.

“We see it about providing a more holistic campus and experience for what we want to accomplish with our mission,” she said.

Reinvestment Zones Expand To Include More Areas Of Town

Ryan Loyd — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:30:00 +0000

The City of San Antonio’s Inner City Reinvestment/Infill Policy for several years has focused on reinvesting in neighborhoods, businesses and properties, particularly in urban areas that have gone untouched for decades.

But now the program is expanding, and District 5 Councilman David Medina couldn’t be more excited.

Center City's Inner City Reinvestment Zone Targets Less Populated Areas of Downtown

Ryan Loyd — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:56:30 +0000

Center City, a city department with the goal of developing and revitalizing neighborhoods, businesses and cultural resources in the Inner City Reinvestment Zone, is taking a hard look at West Commerce Street.

Director Lori Houston said it’s an area that was once full of life, but now lacks shops, restaurants and other businesses to cater to a myriad of people.