Yet another batch of business operators in central San Antonio are feeling the pains of prolonged construction projects. This time, it’s in the heart of downtown.
Portions of Alamo Plaza and its surrounding promenades will be construction zones for at least two more years as the more than $510 million preservation and redevelopment project is underway.
“We hate it,” Stefani Sanchez, a supervisor at Mengerita Tacos, said of the construction Wednesday as she re-stocked small containers of green salsa and sterilized tables in anticipation of closing time.
The shop, located on the ground floor of the Menger Hotel, opened in 2021 and saw “good business” when the portion of East Crockett Street in front of the shop was fully reopened to pedestrian traffic last year.
Now, as phase two of construction continues in Alamo Plaza, in front of the Alamo church, and Plaza de Valero, west of the Menger Hotel, fences have been erected to limit pedestrian and vehicle traffic. As a result, the restaurant has seen a dramatic decrease in business, Sanchez said.
“We’re completely cut off” from the rest of the plaza, she said. “Customers get lost, they don’t know where to go. We can’t give them detour [instructions] because one week, one street closes and the next week it’s another.”
Plaza de Valero is slated for completion by July 4, 2024, said Kate Rogers, executive director of Alamo Trust Inc., the nonprofit overseeing the project in partnership with the city and Texas General Land Office.
Other work around the broader Alamo District, including street closures and landscaping, will continue through 2027.
“As more completion dates are solidified, we will promptly communicate the construction dates and details to stakeholders and make them accessible to the general public,” Rogers said in an email.
West across the plaza, LiberT Tshirts and Souvenirs worker Johnny Sauceda said he has also seen a decrease in customers since he started working there eight months ago.
The vape shop in the back of the store was especially affected, now that the street is closed to vehicles, Sauceda said. “Nobody can stop and park right here [and] come inside real quick.”
LiberT is open until 11 p.m. most nights to cater to the late-night bar crowds, but those have thinned, too.
“It used to be crowded with people walking around,” he said. “Now there’s not so much of that.”
Several workers at shops and restaurants that dot the plaza, however, seemed resigned to construction and fences, the first phase of which went up in 2019.
“It’s just part of doing business here,” said one retail clerk who declined to provide their name.
The Menger Hotel’s front yard, essentially Plaza de Valero, leads to its main entrance, which has a wide sidewalk but vehicle access is restricted. A chain link fence encircles temporary tents, construction workers and heavy machinery.
“The scope of the exciting Alamo Plaza project does involve some disruptions and challenges, however … our working relationship with the Alamo Trust and the City [of San Antonio] is excellent,” Garvin O’Neil, general manager of the Menger Hotel, said in an email.
In fact, O’Neil has meetings with the Alamo Trust, San Antonio Visitor Alliance and other business operators this week to discuss the current phase of construction, which “will be the most challenging” for the Menger.
One hotel worker said some mobile map applications still direct guests traveling by car to the main entrance on the closed portion of Alamo Plaza Street, when valet parking is now located on East Crockett Street.
The Menger dedicates a page on its website to inform guests about the vision of the Alamo restoration and redevelopment plan as well as detour information.
On Wednesday, a confused driver was forced to make a U-turn as he drove over the pedestrian walkway and encountered bollards.
Mitigating frustration
During a City Council meeting earlier this month, Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) said several businesses had asked for more warning ahead of changes to construction schedules.
“We all are so excited to see the finished product, but we have to think about the businesses that are being affected on a day-to-day basis,” Kaur said. Business owners are asking the city and Alamo Trust for “as much foreshadowing” of construction changes as they can provide, she added.
The issue is especially sensitive for the District 1 councilwoman, who has recently encountered similar construction and traffic woes from businesses on the St. Mary’s Strip and in Southtown.
“I feel like I’m just gonna wear a hard hat everywhere I go,” Kaur joked.
The Alamo Trust partners with the city to host quarterly stakeholder meetings, biweekly conference calls and send out weekly email updates to keep area businesses updated, CEO Kate Rogers said.
“Those are open for any stakeholder who wants to know what’s coming,” Rogers said. The organization’s website also regularly posts work maps.
If there is a specific complaint or concern, she said, “we try to meet with them individually.”
The Trust is also rolling out better signage to direct visitors to local businesses, Rogers said.
“While the construction is going on, there will be some short-term pain for some of the business owners and we really want to do everything we can to help mitigate that,” she said.
Grading, paving and other construction on Alamo Plaza and Plaza de Valero will continue through next year and additional work will begin to close portions of Houston Street, a portion of East Crockett Street on the west side of the plaza, and the last portions of Alamo Plaza Street to East Commerce Street.
“We understand the temporary inconveniences that might arise during the project’s duration,” Rogers told the San Antonio Report via email. “Our promise is to ensure utmost transparency, working through the short-term challenges with an eye on the long-term benefits that the overall project will bring to San Antonio.”
The Ralston Family Collections Center, the first new building on the grounds of the Alamo since the 1950s, opened in March. Construction on the new Education Center, formerly known as Alamo Hall, began last week.
Once the Visitor Center and Museum opens in 2027, the gift shop will then be converted into an events center. The gardens and acequia behind the Alamo mission as well as the upper and lower paseos, which connect Alamo Plaza to the San Antonio River, will also be fully renovated as part of the Alamo Plan.
“The water feature that is there today is beautiful, but unfortunately, it’s not functioning,” Rogers told city council. “Our goal there is to … put in something a bit more sustainable, a bit more contemporary and a little more natural feeling — but still with a focus on the importance of water to the Alamo story. It’s what first drew life to this area.”
The project as a whole is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027.
Ultimately, the construction will pay dividends for businesses, residents and visitors, Rogers said.
“The economic return for the project … looking at the first [few] years of construction plus the first five years of operations, is in excess of $11.3 billion,” she told council. “That’s including all forms of taxes, sales tax, hotel-motel tax — it also includes job creation.”
While a colleague swept the floor inside Mengerita Tacos, Sanchez said she hopes that the plaza improvements will also improve business.
“Tell them to hurry up,” she said.
This story has been updated to correct Kate Rogers’ title to executive director of Alamo Trust Inc.
The Alamo Trust is a financial supporter of the San Antonio Report. For a full list of business members, click here.
