SAN ANTONIO | City and Metro News Thread

[kingkirbythe....]

Downtown San Antonio's Mokara Hotel earns 4-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide

https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifesty...P-CP-Spotlight

The Mokara Hotel & Spa in downtown San Antonio has wowed Forbes Travel Guide to earn a four-star rating, the only one this year in the Alamo City. Here's what you need to know.

Forbes released its 2022 Star Awards list on Tuesday, May 31, awarding four stars to the hotel and spa at 212 W Crockett Street, according to a news release. Mokara Hotel & Spa has been recognized on Forbes Travel Guide since 2004.

[kingkirbythe....]

Nearly half of homes sold in Bexar went to investors in 2021; at 28%, state rate was highest in U.S.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sa-inc/...s-17208171.php

Investors snapped up nearly half the homes sold in the San Antonio area last year, drawn to rising populations, prices and rents. That meant more competition for prospective buyers in a market where demand was already outpacing the supply of homes for sale.

Forty-six percent of homes sold in Bexar County in 2021 were bought by institutional buyers, up from 11 percent in 2020, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors.

...

The association surveyed about 3,644 real estate agents and found that homeowners sold to investors because they offered cash and bought property “as is.”

About 76 percent of respondents said they saw more investors in their markets in 2021 compared to three years ago, and 42 percent said those buyers usually acquired homes needing rehabilitation.

Of the homes bought, respondents said about 42 percent were rented out and 45 percent were resold.

...

She expects institutional buyers to purchase more properties because interest rates and inflation are still rising and there’s plenty of demand for housing, particularly among millennials.

“I think for the next two years at least we will continue to see an increase in institutional buyer share,” she said.

[kingkirbythe....]

New San Antonio City Council map under fire as business community seeks to unify downtown

https://www.expressnews.com/politics...p-17228360.php

Last-minute protests from the downtown business community this week blew up months of careful planning and negotiation for a new City Council map.

Downtown San Antonio has been in District 1 for decades. But a new City Council map scheduled for approval this month split the area between District 1 and District 5 on the West Side.

Included in the draft map released in April, the change met no resistance from a redistricting committee appointed by members of the City Council. The citizens committee has been meeting regularly to redraw City Council district boundaries based on new U.S. Census numbers released last year.

But Richard Perez, president of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and former District 4 councilman, asked the committee Tuesday night to unify the central business district.

“The central business district’s continued viability is important to the overall economic recovery and success of our community,” Perez said. “We believe now is not the time to begin to slice off sections of the central business district and risk diminishing this important economic engine.”

It’s important for downtown to have one voice, Perez later said. With one council person managing downtown’s needs, they can give full attention to the area.

[kingkirbythe....]

Saved from demolition: Hughes home in San Antonio’s Tobin Hill purchased by chef Weissman, investor Chu

https://saheron.com/hughes-home-tobin-hill-purchased/

The circa-1913 Hughes home in Tobin Hill, which was once on the path toward demolition, has been purchased by chef Andrew Weissman and a preservationist named May Chu, who plan to convert the first floor into a wine-and-cheese bar sometime this year.

[Kumdogmillionaire]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

Saved from demolition: Hughes home in San Antonio’s Tobin Hill purchased by chef Weissman, investor Chu

https://saheron.com/hughes-home-tobin-hill-purchased/

The circa-1913 Hughes home in Tobin Hill, which was once on the path toward demolition, has been purchased by chef Andrew Weissman and a preservationist named May Chu, who plan to convert the first floor into a wine-and-cheese bar sometime this year.

I remember seeing this pop up and thinking how affordable the property was as listed. Not shocked it was able to be saved and very happy that people with the capital were able to put together the finances

[SAhometown]

Wow!

https://www.expressnews.com/business...n-17241209.php

[jkill34]

Originally Posted by SAhometown

Wow!

https://www.expressnews.com/business...n-17241209.php

Yeah kinda big. I appreciate at least their initiative to try and build a tower. But 300,000 sq ft wont be that tall, I dont think. But could be a catalyst for more.

[kingkirbythe....]

Body pulled from water along San Antonio Riverwalk downtown

https://www.expressnews.com/news/art...k-17253067.php

First responders pulled a body out of the San Antonio River early Monday morning along South St. Mary's Street near E. Commerce Street, according to a report from NEWS4.

A man told police that he saw the body in the river and immediately called authorities.

There is no information about the circumstances surrounding the death at this time.

[kingkirbythe....]

Hemisfair's Institute of Texan Cultures considers relocation in community survey

The museum is asking San Antonio to weigh in on relocation plans

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...P-CP-Spotlight

It is well documented that the struggling and dated outpost that is UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures, securely planted in Hemisfair Park since 1968, is in the throes of an existential crises. Currently, the task force they've recruited for their sweeping Centennial 2068: Community Stakeholder Visioning agenda is turning the wheels to figure out how to salvage the ship-like museum and finally sail it into the 21st century.

This week, they released a first draft of the strategic plan, and are calling on the public for feedback from now until July 12. Here are the main takeaways:

Option 1: Move it out of Hemisfair

Option 2: Move it within Hemisfair

Option 3: Stay put

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio Lights: Port San Antonio CEO has his eye on the future

https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyl...s-17259737.php

Port San Antonio president and CEO Jim Perschbach loves to look up and ahead.

The up part comes from his love of all things aviation and practically growing up on airplanes. As for looking ahead, credit that to his childhood hero, Walt Disney.

“I have always since I was 5 years old and first went to Disneyland (been) absolutely fascinated by the parks,” said Perschbach, 51. “And the first thing is the storytelling. If you go to EPCOT, especially in the ’80s and the ’90s, the ability to go through one of those pavilions and actually understand some reasonably complex topics, just because you spent five or six minutes going through one on an Omnimover, I thought was truly impressive.”

These days, Perschbach is practically San Antonio’s chief imagineer.

Since taking over Port San Antonio in 2018, he has transformed the former Kelly Air Force Base of yesterday into a sprawling technological world of tomorrow, all with the goal of making San Antonio a tech hub of the present while still honoring its past.

[kingkirbythe....]

Public invited to Alazan Courts design workshop

https://saheron.com/public-invited-t...sign-workshop/

The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) is hosting a design workshop for the Alazan Courts redevelopment on the near West Side, San Antonio’s oldest public housing community that could be demolished and rebuilt, or refurnished—depending on the outcome of a months-long public engagement process.

Reimagine Alazan Community Design Workshop

» When: 1-3 p.m. Saturday, June 25
» Where: Tafolla Middle School (gymnasium), 1303 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.
» RSVP: Call or text (210) 390-6212, or visit register here.
» Info: Food and refreshments provided

Able City, a Texas-based planning and community engagement firm SAHA hired for the Alazan Courts project, is leading the outreach effort, which began Feb. 1. Alamo Architects and national consultant Economic & Planning Systems (EPS) have also been hired.

So far, the firm has held four meetings with residents of the Alazan Courts, three meetings with other members of the community, and an open house.

[kingkirbythe....]

Historic Steves Homestead in King William sold by Conservation Society, apparently for residence

https://www.expressnews.com/business...d-17263803.php

The Conservation Society of San Antonio has sold the Steves Homestead, a stately Victorian mansion along the San Antonio River in the King William neighborhood.

The historic three-story home at 509 King William St. was built in the mid-1870s for Edward Steves, a lumber entrepreneur and German immigrant who moved from Comfort with his wife, Johanna, and three sons.

The J.W. Plumfield Family Living Trust acquired it in early June.

[kingkirbythe....]

80-year-old New Braunfels Brauntex Theatre receives $1.2M renovations

https://www.mysanantonio.com/enterta...s-17274117.php

The final upgrades aren't completed yet, but guests in New Braunfels are already experiencing the perks of its renovated theater. The City of New Braunfels and the New Braunfels Economic Development Corporation gave a $1.2 million check for the renovation of the Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre on Tuesday evening, June 28.

"As a person who was born and raised here, I spent many Saturdays right here in this building, watching cartoons running up and down the streets with my bicycle and my friends. And it would just be a horrendous shame if we did not keep this as one of the jewels in our crown," said Kathy Meurin, chair of the New Braunfels Economic Development Corporation. "This is really great for us in New Braunfels."

Meurin said the Brauntex Theatre, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary, was a hub of entertainment and cultural activities until it closed in 1998. The theatre reopened in April 2000 with help from the Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre Association. It has a National Register of Historic Places designation.

During the presentation, they showed a video that showed off the capabilities that the theater didn't have before the completed renovations. A booming sound system played during the video and the new lighting shined on stage.

The $1.2 million will help with phase four of the renovation project and will provide video, lighting, stage equipment, a video display wall, LED lighting, new public announcement system, and sound equipment upgrades. Completed phases involved expanding the lobby, box office, backstage areas, parking lot, and installing a new roof and ceiling, according to a release.

The project began in August 2020. Campaign Coordinator Delia Saucedo-Milam said they are finishing funding on the 20-by-20-foot LED video wall, which costs $400,000. She added that ideally the renovation will be completed by December 2023.

[kingkirbythe....]

Nirenberg, Wolff: San Antonio business leaders interested in buying Missions

https://saheron.com/nirenberg-wolff-...ying-missions/

Several local business leaders are interested in buying stakes in the San Antonio Missions minor-league baseball team, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff said in separate interviews, while declining to say who the leaders were.

They both stated that having the Missions under local ownership would be key for creating a public-private partnership to build a new baseball stadium for the team, as the development firm Weston Urban seeks to buy land for a stadium near the northern end of San Pedro Creek Culture Park.

[kingkirbythe....]

The San Antonio area had the nation's 10th-highest jump in average rents over the past year

https://www.sacurrent.com/news/the-s...-year-29355378

The average rent in the San Antonio metro area has jumped 24.3% since last June, landing the Alamo City among the U.S. metros with the fastest-rising rents, according to a new report.

The average rent in San Antonio hit $1,501 in June, meaning it had the tenth-fastest growth among major U.S. markets, according to an analysis by online real estate broker Redfin.

Cincinnati, Ohio, was the city with the fastest growth in average rent, posting a 39% increase over the past 12 months. Seattle (up 33%) and Austin (up 32%) ranked as the No. 2 and No. 3 cities, respectively.

Even though the rise in San Antonio-area rents outpaced the national average of 14.1%, the local average is still about $500 lower than that of the U.S. as a whole. What's more, at an average price of $1,501, a family in San Antonio earning $53,420 — the median household for families here in 2020 — is only spending about a third of their income on rent.

In Austin, a family making around $75,000 — the median family income in the state capital — wouldn't even qualify for many rentals since landlords often require a family to earn at least three times the yearly rent. According to Redfin, the average rent there is $2,505.

[kingkirbythe....]

H-E-B rolls out first Home by H-E-B Department in San Antonio near the Northside

https://www.mysanantonio.com/busines...P-CP-Spotlight

H-E-B has been furnishing Texans' kitchens for years, now it's aiming to spruce up their homes with a new department. On Thursday, July 14, San Antonio opened its first Home by H-E-B Department at the Highway 281 and Evans Road H-E-B plus! store, according to a news release.

"At H-E-B, we’re always looking for ways to offer an unique, quality shopping experience, and Home by H-E-B is another way we’re able to better meet the needs of Texans," said Sabina Israelian-Garcia, H-E-B Group Vice President of General Merchandise, Drug Store and Beauty in the release.

Haven + Key and Texas Proud, two of H-E-B's newest product lines, will be housed in the Home by H-E-B department. The collection is now available at five locations in Brownsville, Burleson, Corpus Christi, New Braunfels, and San Antonio. Stores that are being renovated will have the Home by H-E-B Department, including the two new stores in the the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to the release.

The department is over 2,500 square-feet and has over 500 home decor items that include cowhides, rugs, leather chairs, pillows, and blankets. The Home by H-E-B Department is expected to be in 25 stores by the end of the year, according to the release.

The H-E-B in New Braunfels was the first location to open the new home department in April. Customers can see the items for sale on H-E-B's website by selecting a location with the Home Department. According to the release, the launch of the department will allow H-E-B to keep giving Texans the high-quality products they've come to expect from the company.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio's oldest skate park reopens after major renovations

The Northwest San Antonio skate park is just one of 40 facilities Play SA plans to revamp in the near future.

https://www.sacurrent.com/arts/san-a...tions-29392344

San Antonio's Spring Time Skate Plaza officially reopened Saturday after undergoing major renovations that including painting the park's nine structures Spurs- and Fiesta-themed colors, according to MySA.

First opened in 2003, the skate park is part of Play SA, a program sponsored by the city's Parks & Recreation Department and the San Antonio Spurs to create safe play spaces.

The Northwest San Antonio skate park is just one of 40 facilities Play SA plans to revamp in the near future, MySA reports. Even so, upgrades to Spring Time Skate Plaza was by far the program's most extensive refurbishment.

The park at 6571 Spring Time Drive has everything a skateboarder could ever need, including a vert ramp, a bank and grind boxes. It's open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio is working to preserve African American heritage, but it needs help from the community

https://www.expressnews.com/news/loc...n-17327345.php

Pieces of San Antonio’s African American heritage have disappeared over the years.

Many of the hotels, gas stations and other San Antonio businesses listed in a 1930s “green book” as safe places for Black travelers to visit no longer exist. The original foundation of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the oldest Black churches in Texas, was discovered near San Pedro Creek only two years ago.

But the city is launching a three-year effort to identify, preserve and protect cultural resources tied to local Black history. It will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Little Carver Theatre, 226 N. Hackberry St., to give residents a chance to share their own thoughts and experiences and provide guidance on the project. Three university scholars also will discuss “identity and nomenclature” dating to the Spanish colonial period.

An online survey available through Aug. 15 also allows the community to submit information on people, places, stories and events that should be recognized. Photos can be uploaded on the online survey form.

Shanon Shea Miller, director of the city’s Office of Historic Preservation, said her office has begun gathering stories, photos, videos and family reunion books at community meetings. Seventy people scheduled appointments to give oral histories.

[kingkirbythe....]

Bexar County is a spitting image of this state. Here's why.

https://www.expressnews.com/news/loc...s-17322877.php

To identify which states are most similar to Bexar County and Texas’ 253 other counties, we created z-scores based on 14 attributes, covering qualities from annual household income and voter turnout to racial and ethnic makeup.

The z-score is a statistical tool that enables us to see how comparable a county statistic is to a state value. The closer a z-score is to 0, the more similar the two numbers are. After calculating these scores, we add them all up to create a single “deviation score.” The lower that deviation score, the more closely a state resembles a county.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio named among top U.S. cities people are moving to

https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifesty...s-17327094.php

Even as a number of Texas residents voice their thoughts about leaving the state, it seems that two cities in the Lone Star State are getting more and more transplants as of late. Yes, one of those cities is San Antonio.

A recent report from Redfin found that U.S. residents are moving to cities across the nation in hopes of finding less expensive places to live, which is by no means a new concept given that housing costs have risen in recent years and have only gotten worse.

As more Americans look to move to different cities, it means more people are relocating to the Alamo City. To be more frank about it, Redfin’s report says that Americans still moving in the current housing market, one plagued by climbing mortgage rates and house prices, inflation, and an unstable economy, are those “who can still afford to buy.”

Ain’t that the truth.

Although local residents may not be able to afford a mortgage or rent in their own city, San Antonio is considered “relatively affordable” across U.S. cities, which is why folks are flocking to the Alamo City at “unprecedented levels.” Redfin’s report determined San Antonio as No. 9 among cities with a large inflow of new residents. Dallas followed closely at No. 10 on the list.

There’s more to the story. Within Texas, most of San Antonio’s new residents flock from Austin, while most out-of-state transplants come from Los Angeles.

“Someone who would have to stretch beyond their budget in Los Angeles may be able to comfortably afford a home in Phoenix or San Antonio,” said Redfin’s deputy chief economist Taylor Marr.

In addition to more affordable housing, the report’s findings determined that warm metro areas within America’s Sun Belt were favorites for those wanting to find a new home. So, if you meet more people who don’t know what you mean by “inside the loop,” don’t be surprised.