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  #201  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 8:08 AM
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Originally Posted by kornbread View Post
While some of the details of the park look nice, the site plan shows what looks like too much space occupied by buildings along South Alamo and Market streets.

I thought the whole purpose of shifting park space to that corner was to open it up and make it more inviting to everyone. Right now it looks like the access points are squeezed, and the parcel next to the river is paved.

I know there are no proposed buildings at this time, but does this essentially show "footprints" of what they are allowing for buildings near the corner?

From the Rivard Report

What you're seeing is just the Civic Park. There will also be the Yanaguana Garden at the southwest corner of Hemisfair and then Tower Park near the the Tower of the Americas.

The Great Lawn in Civic Park will be two acres of open green space and also hold a capacity of nearly 8,000 people. That's just the lawn itself, same as Discovery Green's lawn in downtown Houston.

I personally am a fan of the midrises/highrises on the edges.
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  #202  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 8:22 AM
trillhippy_210 trillhippy_210 is offline
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Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam View Post
What you're seeing is just the Civic Park. There will also be the Yanaguana Garden at the southwest corner of Hemisfair and then Tower Park near the the Tower of the Americas.

The Great Lawn in Civic Park will be two acres of open green space and also hold a capacity of nearly 8,000 people. That's just the lawn itself, same as Discovery Green's lawn in downtown Houston.

I personally am a fan of the midrises/highrises on the edges.
Same, itll be nice to have shops & restaurants around the edges of the park, possibly even condos. It'd be prime real estate.
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  #203  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 8:38 AM
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Originally Posted by trillhippy_210 View Post
Same, itll be nice to have shops & restaurants around the edges of the park, possibly even condos. It'd be prime real estate.
Yeah, the tallest building in the Civic Park area will likely be a boutique or upscale hotel with potential residential depending on the developer. Hemisfair is aiming for all buildings to be mixed-used. The buildings I am referring to are the 9 or so white structures with shadows seen in this site plan.
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  #204  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 8:41 AM
trillhippy_210 trillhippy_210 is offline
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Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam View Post
Yeah, the tallest building in the Civic Park area will likely be a boutique or upscale hotel with potential residential depending on the developer. Hemisfair is aiming for all buildings to be mixed-used. The buildings I am referring to are the 9 or so white structures with shadows seen in this site plan.
So its for sure they're going to build them? We won't have to wait years until someone decides to build in these lots? A W hotel would be kinda cool. They always build with interesting architecture.
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  #205  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 10:01 AM
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Originally Posted by trillhippy_210 View Post
So its for sure they're going to build them? We won't have to wait years until someone decides to build in these lots? A W hotel would be kinda cool. They always build with interesting architecture.
They will allow for P3 bids for all the developments in Hemisfair. Right now, HPark plans to select the winning bid next month for the Water St. mixed-use development in Yanaguana Garden.

Then they will select a bid for the 300 South Alamo mixed-use development after that.

That's just for Yanaguana Garden.

I'm not sure when they'll open up bids for the Civic Park parcels.
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  #206  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 10:47 AM
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OFFICIAL RENDERINGS OF HEMISFAIR'S CIVIC PARK











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  #207  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 5:58 PM
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Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam View Post
What you're seeing is just the Civic Park. There will also be the Yanaguana Garden at the southwest corner of Hemisfair and then Tower Park near the the Tower of the Americas.

The Great Lawn in Civic Park will be two acres of open green space and also hold a capacity of nearly 8,000 people. That's just the lawn itself, same as Discovery Green's lawn in downtown Houston.

I personally am a fan of the midrises/highrises on the edges.
I think it would be nicer in the end if they were scaled back, or at least configured smarter.

On Market, if that is to be a boutique hotel, then something like Hotel Eilan might be nice (except the first floor under the opening would be also be open).

For the buildings on Alamo, they should be thinner and be situated to have courtyards (that can used as seating by restaurants). There doesn't need to be residential there; build that up off Cesar Chavez.

And they should extend green space to the river in the other corner.
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  #208  
Old Posted Dec 17, 2014, 8:55 PM
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Originally Posted by kornbread View Post
I think it would be nicer in the end if they were scaled back, or at least configured smarter.

On Market, if that is to be a boutique hotel, then something like Hotel Eilan might be nice (except the first floor under the opening would be also be open).

For the buildings on Alamo, they should be thinner and be situated to have courtyards (that can used as seating by restaurants). There doesn't need to be residential there; build that up off Cesar Chavez.

And they should extend green space to the river in the other corner.
I the buildings in the renderings are put in place to show what those parcels are reserved for. Size and mass is not finalized and just used as an example. How the real buildings look and interact with the part is stio undecided.

I do know balconies will be a must for residential and hotel.
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  #209  
Old Posted Dec 18, 2014, 5:03 PM
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Holy bird crap! That's a lot of trees! I hope they'll have a large bird abatement budget.
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  #210  
Old Posted Dec 19, 2014, 4:24 AM
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I think it's a great plan. I was at the presentation and there were a lot of subtleties to the design and thinking that isn't readily apparent in the renderings (not that the renderings aren't great on their own).

I think of it this way: there are plenty of open green parks that are under-utilized because of lack of density, lack of activity nearby and lack of eyes on the street. Loading the streets with density, transparency, and activity gives the abundant green space in this plan life.

It is an ambitious undertaking. In the meeting they gave figures of 2,000 dwelling units and 3,000 parking spaces with continuous retail & restaurants on the ground floor. My worry is if the market can bear such a burden. It would be a sizable bump in square footage for the area. I would probably prefer a more measured organic growth scenario, as i would hate to see vacant storefronts around here or even if they move here in other areas downtown.
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  #211  
Old Posted Feb 11, 2015, 9:59 PM
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Future NW corner of Hemisfair Park.
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  #212  
Old Posted Feb 18, 2015, 5:58 PM
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Hemisfair Arch Coming Down

Read today that the Hemisfair Arch is coming down to make room for development in the area. It was erected in 1988, so not a historical icon. I was never really a fan of the arch, so I'm excited to see the new development in the area and the whole Hemisfair Park transformation!
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  #213  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2015, 7:36 PM
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  #214  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2015, 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted by AwesomeSAView View Post
Read today that the Hemisfair Arch is coming down to make room for development in the area. It was erected in 1988, so not a historical icon. I was never really a fan of the arch, so I'm excited to see the new development in the area and the whole Hemisfair Park transformation!
Are they moving it somewhere else? I like that arch
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  #215  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2015, 9:23 PM
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And if the Pearl is any indication of how a new destination can change a neighborhood, Gonzalez is right. Already, HemisFair Park officials are in talks with a local multifamily developer to begin construction on a 160-unit, mixed-income multifamily complex, which will also include 3,200 square feet of commercial space, 6,500 square feet of live/work, and a parking garage for more than 400 vehicles
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantoni...-antonios.html
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  #216  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 11:46 AM
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The Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment team released some bold new renderings Wednesday that represent what mixed-used buildings could look like in the urban park as part of a request for qualifications from area real estate developers. Hemisfair is seeking partners to enter into a public-private agreement to construct a mixed-use development totaling 500-750,000 sq. ft. in the park’s northwest quadrant.

The project will include more than 800 parking spaces to accommodate park visitors and others utilizing future residential, office, hotel, retail and restaurant facilities. This development will be adjacent to the Civic Park, “the largest and most iconic of the three parks being built,” stated a press release.

Quote:
Also on Wednesday, Hemisfair CEO Andrés Andujar briefed City Council during B Session on the transformative progress being made on the original site of the 1968 World’s Fair in the city’s core. The presentation included a first look at Hemisfair’s new tagline, “Where San Antonio Meets,” and a new logo, designed by local design firm Heavy Heavy of #KeepSAreal fame.

Quote:
Andujar hopes to achieve several goals via public private partnerships: achieve a balance between parkland and developed parcels; separate and protect green spaces; and use lease revenues from new mixed-use development to pay for maintenance and operation.

One proposed mixed-use development for Water Street is in the negotiation phase. This development would boast more than 160 mixed income residential units; a structured parking garage with 418 spaces, including more than 250 public parking spaces; a 3,200-sq. ft. neighborhood commercial space; and 6,500 sq. ft. of work-live space.

The iconic Hemisfair Park archway on South Alamo Street came down in February to make way for improvements. The removal sparked an uproar, although many were unaware the archway was not original to HemisFair ’68, and actually was installed in 1988 and thus was not eligible for historic designation.

“The archway had to be deconstructed to make way for the development of the streets project, which seeks to restore historic context to the district with beautiful park streets that are safe for biking, walking and with greatly reduced vehicular speeds for safety,” Andujar said last month. “Hemisfair recognizes that the archway holds fond memories for many in San Antonio and so our current plan is to dismantle and store the archway until we can agree on a new place for it at Hemisfair. The arch isn’t going away for good – it’s being removed and relocated to make way for an important part of the Hemisfair redevelopment.”
YANAGUANA, CIVIC, AND TOWER PARK TIMELINES


COMPLETION YEARS FOR YANAGUANA, CIVIC AND TOWER PARKS IN HEMISFAIR

Quote:
HPRC is a nonprofit overseeing the redesign and redevelopment of the downtown park, which Andujar said will be central to achieving the city’s objective of placemaking – a multifaceted approach at managing public spaces around the urban core. The project is designed to leverage public funds, committed so far from the city’s voter-approved 2012 bond, and private money in the way of new development.

Yanaguana Garden, an educational playscape for all ages marking the first phase of redevelopment of Hemisfair Park, could be open to the public as early as July, city officials said Wednesday.

YANAGUANA PARK RENDERING

Quote:
The city envisions Yanaguana Garden as a colorful, landscaped, vibrant place for adults and children of all ages and abilities, who will get to enjoy and learn through a variety of games, outdoor amenities and other interactive recreational activities, he said.

“This is truly something for all San Antonians,” Andujar said. “It’ll do a good job to attract locals as well as visitors. We believe this will have a community-wide impact.”

Local art, culture, history, as well as energy- and water-efficient features will be part of the park, which is being developed at the corner of South Alamo Street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

“When the park opens, you’ll be able to see six or seven public art works throughout the park, from murals to installations,” Andujar said.

Two other parks are slated to be completed by 2020. Civic Park, a working title, should open in 2018, just in time for San Antonio’s tricentennial and the 50th anniversary of the World’s Fair. Civic Park will be located at the corner of Market and South Alamo streets, north of Yanaguana Garden. It will also be the biggest in the new Hemisfair, featuring more than eight football fields worth of open public space for both large-scale gatherings and casual visits.

Quote:
Construction of Civic Park will involve demolition of the northwest corner of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, scheduled for next year.

“As we go forward and bring in the private sector to make investments, we want their developments to be well suited for the Civic Park’s design,” Andujar said.

A third park, called Tower Park, will encompass the Tower of the Americas in the center of the redevelopment. It’s scheduled to open in 2020.

The conversion of existing streets in and around a redeveloped Hemisfair, meant to incorporate a historical context, is a crucial component in the overall project. According to Andujar, the objective here is to protect and restore any historic properties while acting as a catalyst for future public and private development.

Another goal, Andujar said, is to have a new Hemisfair serve as a physical and symbolic link to La Villita and downtown and adjacent neighborhoods such as Southtown, Lavaca, and the near Eastside, including St. Paul Square.
DRIVING THROUGH HEMISFAIR

Quote:
The streets inside and surrounding the new Hemisfair will have sidewalks compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, storm water capture elements, and low-impact development (LID) design and technologies. The streets running through Hemisfair’s interior also will feature very low-speed limits to increase pedestrian safety and accommodate a complete street design. The first phase of roadwork here affects East Nueva Street from South Alamo through Water Street. East, Nueva, Water and South Alamo streets surround Yanaguana Garden.

Quote:
“When this street opens in 2016, you’ll be able to drive around the entire block,” Andujar said, adding that Hemisfair studied other large communities with streets stretching through their major urban parks.

Another aspect of Hemisfair’s redevelopment efforts is philanthropy. Last year the Hemisfair Conservancy was launched as a separate nonprofit to help raise private investments and endowment dollars. The money raised will go toward park improvements and maintenance. Donor recognition is key for raising capital, Andujar said. The goal for the conservancy is to raise $2 million this year and tens of millions of dollars in the following years. The objective is for Hemisfair to be self-sustaining and free of public funding by 2021. Andujar said achieving the fundraising goals has been a challenge.

“It’s hard work ahead from a philanthropic perspective. It’ll take all that we have,” he said. “We’re looking to successful completed projects such as the Tobin (Center for the Performing Arts) as a model.”

Council members were impressed with the confidence that Andujar has for the success of the overall project.

“This will be a transformational project for our city,” said Mayor Ivy Taylor.

District 2 Councilman Alan Warrick II asked whether the new Hemisfair would somehow make it easier to attract pedestrians and bicyclists from the near Eastside and other neighborhoods that border Hemisfair and the downtown sector.

Andujar said Hemisfair is working with the city on a signage and “way-finding” master plan, so that it will be easy and alluring for locals and visitors from all points to find Hemisfair, and guide themselves with relative easy upon arrival.

“We want to incorporate a strategy for way-finding from all directions,” he added.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF HEMISFAIR







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  #217  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 12:10 PM
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sirkingwilliam sirkingwilliam is offline
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The push for downtown development continues, and this time, it will look a lot like the Pearl.

I was able to hear details about the Hemisfair Park Redevelopment plan at the CCIM luncheon I attended earlier today, where Omar Gonzalez, the director of planning, operations and development for the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corp., spoke about some of the plans and goals for the project. And they're big.

If and when this plan shapes up to be what many are hoping, the plan's impact on the rest of San Antonio's downtown environment will be enormous.

Here are just a few of the project's components:
  • 19 acres of usable dedicated park land
  • 2,000 residents in multifamily structures
  • 3,000 parking spaces
  • Concert venue
  • Plazas, courtyards, art, cafes, restaurants, and shops
Gonzalez said the mantra for Hemisfair will be "no big names - no Chilis and definitely no Starbucks." But the ultimate goal for the site will be to create an everything-for-everyone-at-anytime environment.

"It's seven at night and this is where you'll come," Gonzalez said. "This will really help activate this area."

And if the Pearl is any indication of how a new destination can change a neighborhood, Gonzalez is right. Already, HemisFair Park officials are in talks with a local multifamily developer to begin construction on a 160-unit, mixed-income multifamily complex, which will also include 3,200 square feet of commercial space, 6,500 square feet of live/work, and a parking garage for more than 400 vehicles.

Gonzalez said the entire project was designed to be multi-use, appealing to everyone from kids to seniors, but mainly to millennials. The biggest question leading the project, Gonzalez said, has been this: "How do we attract San Antonians to Hemisfair, and how do we get them to stay here?"

The redevelopment corporation also is looking at bringing in a microbrewery, coffee, juice bar, among other tenants that could help answer that question. But with $400 million in public investment, Hemisfair is going to need more than a green juice to propel the area forward.

The first phase of the redevelopment — the Yanaguana Garden — will open this July, and Gonzalez said that once people see what it will bring to the city, "it will make the project more real."

"Once the gardens open and people are able to experience it, that will only add to (the project's momentum," Gonzalez said.

With the amount of potential this project has for changing San Antonio's downtown dynamic, here's to hoping he's right.
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  #218  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 12:27 PM
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sirkingwilliam sirkingwilliam is offline
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A tasty little nugget from Ben Olivo's latest column.

Quote:
I’m not sure people realize the magnitude of changes coming to HemisFair Park.

Park designers are not putting lipstick on a pig. Instead, they’re making a new pig.

By far the most ambitious aspect of the multimillion-dollar project is the construction of new buildings by private developers, mostly near the intersection of Alamo and Market streets. They’re talking about six new midrise structures being added to downtown in the coming years.
He's just speaking to the northwest quadrant talked about in the Rivard Report article.


There are multiple other mid-rise buildings planned for Hemisfair. Including the 160-unit residential project planned for Yanaguana Park talked about in the previous column comparing Hemisfair as the next Pearl.
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  #219  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 3:13 PM
kornbread kornbread is offline
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Making a new pig? He either doesn't understand what "lipstick on a pig" means, or he thinks the new design is a mistake. I'm betting it's the former.
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  #220  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2015, 5:13 PM
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sirkingwilliam sirkingwilliam is offline
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Making a new pig? He either doesn't understand what "lipstick on a pig" means, or he thinks the new design is a mistake. I'm betting it's the former.
It's definitely the former.
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