SAN ANTONIO | Urban Core Development Thread

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by STLtoSA

That is the view when I spin my chair.

Nice!

[mklunder13]

What are the official plans for Solo Serve? I remember hearing about multiple things that were proposed but one was declined.

[STLtoSA]

Originally Posted by mklunder13

What are the official plans for Solo Serve? I remember hearing about multiple things that were proposed but one was declined.

https://therivardreport.com/river-wa...be-demolished/

An 8-story hotel

[SAtown]

Originally Posted by stltosa

building 1 of 3 is just about down.

more please!

[Runner]

Originally Posted by STLtoSA

https://therivardreport.com/river-wa...be-demolished/

An 8-story hotel

Such a prime piece of land for just an eight story hotel. Should have been 20 or 25 stories tall building.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by Runner

Such a prime piece of land for just an eight story hotel. Should have been 20 or 25 stories tall building.

and not ugly!

[AwesomeSAView]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

and not ugly!

IT IS WHAT IT IS!!
Let it go!
Unless, you're a developer, then construct a 50 story tower in that location.

[AwesomeSAView]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

and not ugly!

Oh, and I consider "UGLY", the delapidated, infested, Solo Serve buildings that are being demolished.
ADIOS SOLO SERVE!!!

Have a good one today in SA!!

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by AwesomeSAView

Oh, and I consider "UGLY", the delapidated, infested, Solo Serve buildings that are being demolished.
ADIOS SOLO SERVE!!!

Have a good one today in SA!!

haha, good point.

[STLtoSA]

Some pics from yesterday:

[Rynetwo]

Originally Posted by Runner

Such a prime piece of land for just an eight story hotel. Should have been 20 or 25 stories tall building.

I read somewhere that they do not want high rises lining the entire riverwalk if I remember right so I wonder if certain areas have high restrictions???

[arkitekte]

Originally Posted by Rynetwo

I read somewhere that they do not want high rises lining the entire riverwalk if I remember right so I wonder if certain areas have high restrictions???

There are height restrictions based on solar access to the river. There's not an official height limit, however. Various heights in various places are appropriate.

[tripjammer]

I still don't understand why SA is scared of building tall...

[JACKinBeantown]

It can happen, but not near the Riverwalk. More like on the outer parts of downtown like the Frost and JMJ lots, and around Weston.

[kornbread]

Originally Posted by tripjammer

I still don't understand why SA is scared of building tall...

It doesn't make sense financially. No one is going to do that just for the sake of doing it.

[tripjammer]

Originally Posted by kornbread

It doesn't make sense financially. No one is going to do that just for the sake of doing it.

There is money in San Antonio, we are just a little be behind the times. Look at our non existent mass transit....we will be screwed in 20 years or so if the population is suppose to double by then...

At least SA is trying to add to the downtown, even a hotel is good. There is not enough good hotels...this is a tourist town by the way...

[Restless 1]

Originally Posted by The Model

[IMG]San Antonio Skyline by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

I am not liking that billboard on top of the Weston!

And I agree, it's hideous during the day, at night, it actually looks better. Blue with white lettering.

I do wish they had found a better size/design/way of mounting, something, to make it look better during the day.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by tripjammer

There is money in San Antonio, we are just a little be behind the times.

To what money are you referring. It is cost prohibitive to build tall if the developer (and his/her financial partners) do not make a certain margin on their investment.

Originally Posted by tripjammer

Look at our non existent mass transit....we will be screwed in 20 years or so if the population is suppose to double by then...

SA's population will not double in 20 years. More realistically (and based on the growth pattern of the last 10 years), it will be closer to 28-33 years (sometime between 2045 & 2050).

Originally Posted by tripjammer

At least SA is trying to add to the downtown, even a hotel is good. There is not enough good hotels...this is a tourist town by the way...

I'm not sure how you, personally, would define "good," but, I would agree the city could benefit from a few more lodging developments.

A lot of SA's "tourists" do not stay for the night. Thus, there is no demand for a huge number of overall hotel rooms. SA is not on par with Vegas, Orlando, or even Houston when speaking of the need for overnight options, as each of those cities realize far more "tourists" on an annual basis than does SA.

[Restless 1]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

To what money are you referring. It is cost prohibitive to build tall if the developer (and his/her financial partners) do not make a certain margin on their investment.



SA's population will not double in 20 years. More realistically (and based on the growth pattern of the last 10 years), it will be closer to 28-33 years (sometime between 2045 & 2050).



I'm not sure how you, personally, would define "good," but, I would agree the city could benefit from a few more lodging developments.

A lot of SA's "tourists" do not stay for the night. Thus, there is no demand for a huge number of overall hotel rooms. SA is not on par with Vegas, Orlando, or even Houston when speaking of the need for overnight options, as each of those cities realize far more "tourists" on an annual basis than does SA.

And I know this may be going off-topic, but this is an interesting article:

https://therivardreport.com/getting-...sitor-economy/

Lurking beneath the growing debate about marketing and branding San Antonio are statistics that are not found in press releases about San Antonio’s $13.4 billion visitor economy. Unpublished numbers tracked by the San Antonio Area Tourism Council (see charts) show a steady decline in visitor interest in the Alamo and Alamo Plaza, the River Walk barges and even the San Antonio Zoo. San Antonio’s long celebrated regional tourism market seems to be flat, at best, or actually shrinking.

It seems real numbers are hard to find, and what we are being told does not add up.

If the tourism numbers are correct, then we are woefully lacking in hotel rooms, and if we are not lacking in hotel rooms, then the tourism numbers are not correct, and likely way too high.

I was surprised that SA has only 35,000 or so hotel rooms. I would have thought we have more.

[tripjammer]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

To what money are you referring. It is cost prohibitive to build tall if the developer (and his/her financial partners) do not make a certain margin on their investment.



SA's population will not double in 20 years. More realistically (and based on the growth pattern of the last 10 years), it will be closer to 28-33 years (sometime between 2045 & 2050).


I'm not sure how you, personally, would define "good," but, I would agree the city could benefit from a few more lodging developments.

A lot of SA's "tourists" do not stay for the night. Thus, there is no demand for a huge number of overall hotel rooms. SA is not on par with Vegas, Orlando, or even Houston when speaking of the need for overnight options, as each of those cities realize far more "tourists" on an annual basis than does SA.

Yep, we will never get tall....maybe in 2050....

Ok I over stated the population growth, more like 25 to 35 percent growth in 20 years.....maybe....

Yep we are losing in the tourist front now, people don't care about the Alamo or the River walk anymore....that is true, but hopefully something else will be built downtown to bring in the tourists...Not sure what that would be...