Tagged: Downtown Tuesdays

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.

It was one year ago this week that the city began offering free parking on Tuesdays in city garages. While the city may be losing a small amount of revenue, officials believe the economic impact has offset any losses.

"It’s really for the residents and the small businesses," said District one City Councilman Diego Bernal, whose district encompasses much of downtown. "This is a way for us to help return the city to the residents of San Antonio so they can share it equally with tourists."

On this late summer evening in Travis Park, people are spending more time and more money at the mobile food trucks camped out. Kai Kamaka strums a ukulele while the trucks offer up their specials.

“We love to do this kind of stuff all the time and bringing entertainment to anywhere gathers people together," said Kamaka. "When you get entertainment and food, makes it a great party.”

Several months ago, the city revised when and where food trucks would go for its pilot program that lasts until the end of October.