SAN ANTONIO | Urban Core Development Thread - Page 308

Sigaven · #**6141** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 9:06 PM**

Been thinking about this sort of thing for Austin too. Obviously trees are the best answer but those take years or decades to mature to fully shade a sidewalk during hot months. A lot of these proposals look like they will only be effective for a couple of hours per day at most. I think there needs to be some large scale shading structures to cover entire stretches of sidewalk to keep cool on a hot summer day, rather than just intermittent small structures. It'd be cool to have some kind of retractable system that could extend over the whole street on hot days and retract during the winter months so you could enjoy the daylight/sky on a nice day.

Spoiler · #**6142** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 9:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tornado

I really like the large shaded structure that was submitted. I can't tell where they are proposing to put it though. Can anyone tell?

This one?

It's proposed to go over the Houston Street bridge, turning it into a mini plaza and closing it to vehicular traffic.

Tornado · #**6143** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 9:38 PM**

ah, that's it...I should have read the information underneath the rendering a little closer.

Spoiler · #**6144** Posted **Sep 16, 2020, 10:30 PM**

Here's a website for the downtown shade competition with 12 design entries that you can vote on.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/shadeequity

sirkingwilliam · #**6145** Posted **Sep 17, 2020, 7:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

It is all academic. There are no plans to actually build these shade structures at the moment.

Actually, it seems like this is a real competition and the shade structures will get built at the predetermined locations.

kingkirbythe.... · #**6146** Posted **Sep 17, 2020, 11:12 PM**

From the article.

‘The winner will have no guarantee that their idea will ever be realized, as the project is still notional, Brown emphasized. If implemented after future review by City Council, the eventual project would be budgeted at $750,000.’

We will have to wait and see IF the winning design is ever realized.

I’d love to see most of them around town.

sirkingwilliam · #**6147** Posted **Sep 18, 2020, 1:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

From the article.

‘The winner will have no guarantee that their idea will ever be realized, as the project is still notional, Brown emphasized. If implemented after future review by City Council, the eventual project would be budgeted at $750,000.’

We will have to wait and see IF the winning design is ever realized.

I’d love to see most of them around town.

I’m going off this Heron article.

Spoiler · #**6148** Posted **Sep 23, 2020, 12:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tornado

is the cenotaph moving or not? I don't get all the protest of moving it down from its spot. . The same people protesting the move are probably the same people yelling in city council meetings when there's a motion to expand a sidewalk to allow for better walk-ability.

Not.
https://sanantonioreport.org/texas-h...lamo-cenotaph/

Tornado · #**6149** Posted **Sep 23, 2020, 4:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoiler

Not.
https://sanantonioreport.org/texas-h...lamo-cenotaph/

unfortunately, this whole project has fallen victim to politics. Leave it to the big mouth East Coaster Dan Patrick to throw this project into further disarray.

TSK18 · #**6150** Posted **Sep 23, 2020, 4:49 PM**

I can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

After reading that article, it seems as if some people want the cenotaph removed because it infringes on its cultural roots as one of the missions. Doesn't necessarily seem like a good business move to concentrate the redevelopment efforts on that, in my opinion, as much as I respect the history. Honestly, most people don't visit the Alamo for the culture.
But I also find Dan Patrick's hyperbole pretty astounding. “It was the most important 13 days in the history of Texas and Western civilization”. Seems a bit over the top to me.

Spoiler · #**6151** Posted **Sep 23, 2020, 5:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TSK18

I can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

After reading that article, it seems as if some people want the cenotaph removed because it infringes on its cultural roots as one of the missions. Doesn't necessarily seem like a good business move to concentrate the redevelopment efforts on that, in my opinion, as much as I respect the history. Honestly, most people don't visit the Alamo for the culture.

The most recent Alamo redesign rendering shows the compound as it was at the time of the battle, with wooden barricades and cannon emplacements. Leaving the cenotaph on site while ignoring the countless native people whose bodies are actually still (probably) buried in the campo santo right in front of the chapel is what infringes on cultural roots.

SproutingTowers · #**6152** Posted **Sep 24, 2020, 3:15 AM**

The current Alamo redesign proposal reminds me of the main plaza at Balboa Park. As for the Cenotaph I never liked the location and was hoping the city would have purchased the old Joske's before the massive renovation. This way could have leveled it to make it a park and move the Cenotaph there. Plus would be great to free St. Joseph Catholic Church and see it from Alamo Plaza.

Sadsalmon · #**6153** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 2:41 AM**

https://saheron.com/broadway-east-de...egin-november/

Has Anyone Read this yet?

Tornado · #**6154** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 2:53 AM**

Hadn't seen that yet but thx for posting. As per usual with Gray Street...I'll believe when I see it.

sirkingwilliam · #**6155** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 2:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tornado

Hadn't seen that yet but thx for posting. As per usual with Gray Street...I'll believe when I see it.

That’s an odd reaction directed at a group that haven’t done anything to question their validity.

Spoiler · #**6156** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 5:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam

a group that haven’t done anything

Exactly. They've made acquisitions and announcements, but the only project of any size they've come close to completing is the Light building and that's significantly behind schedule. They were supposed to break ground on 1603 Broadway in Spring 2018. Their website hasn't been updated with new information about anything since 2018, their social media has been inactive since March.

Keep-SA-Lame · #**6157** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 7:35 PM**

Looks like they're partnering with Midway out of Houston on this. I agree Grey Street doesn't have a big track record, but Midway sure as hell does.

They really scaled the density up on this iteration. Over 1.5 million square feet of space, and one building at 20 stories. Very cool.

Edit: 200,000 square feet of retail is pretty significant. I wonder what kind of tenants they're going after? Just keep doing the whole Pearl bar and restaurant thing? Maybe a real grocery store or other retail? That building faces Broadway has almost 40,000 square feet. The older HEBs are about that size, but they seem to only build huge stores these days.

Keep-SA-Lame · #**6158** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 8:27 PM**

https://www.expressnews.com/sa-inc/a...photo-20053322

More renderings in the SAEN article. To answer my own question, there's some pretty bougie signs up in those retail spaces.

sirkingwilliam · #**6159** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 8:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoiler

Exactly. They've made acquisitions and announcements, but the only project of any size they've come close to completing is the Light building and that's significantly behind schedule. They were supposed to break ground on 1603 Broadway in Spring 2018. Their website hasn't been updated with new information about anything since 2018, their social media has been inactive since March.

My point is they do not have a history of announcing projects then either failing to finance them or just completely abandoning them. They’re just methodical with their approach. They’re slow and take their time. I’m fine with that if the end result is something we can be proud of. I’d rather wait a few years for something amazing than have some shotgun crap development built on a weak budget all in the name of development.

theOGalexd · #**6160** Posted **Oct 3, 2020, 9:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoiler

Exactly. They've made acquisitions and announcements, but the only project of any size they've come close to completing is the Light building and that's significantly behind schedule. They were supposed to break ground on 1603 Broadway in Spring 2018. Their website hasn't been updated with new information about anything since 2018, their social media has been inactive since March.

I'm wondering if the construction of the Credit Human building has anything to do with 1603 going slow. Every time I drive by that lot it seems like they're using it for parking construction trucks and have a leasing office of some sorts there.

I really hope it happens cause this is probably my favorite development in the pipeline here. A W in SA would be a game changer for my age group.