Preliminary designs for a 220-unit luxury apartment complex on the Museum Reach were approved by the Historic and Design Review Commission on Wednesday afternoon, the latest of several projects to add to the housing stock and activation of a relatively abandoned part of town just south of the San Antonio Museum of Art and west of Broadway. Local developers – and increasingly those from out of town – are buzzing about the real estate market surrounding the Central Business District.
“It doesn’t take a genius – it’s on the River Walk it’s a 10 minute walk to the Pearl,” said Mike Klein, director of development for Indianapolis-based SC Bodner Company Inc. “The City has done a wonderful job on the River Walk getting it where it is and assisting developers in (producing) the residential component.”
The development company has partnered with Texan engineering and consulting firm Big Red Dog, Indianapolis-based architecture firm Studio M, and local landscape engineering firm TBG for the project at 120 9th St.
“I’ve been in the market for about a year looking for a good site (in San Antonio),” Klein said.
If all goes as planned, more specific design plans will be presented to HDRC within a month and, if approved, they’ll break ground in late summer/early fall. Each unit will have a balcony and/or a small, private yard. Other amenities will include, well, being on the Museum Reach, a swimming pool, dog park, outdoor fire pit and a possible mini-bowling alley.
About nine bowling lanes have remained relatively intact from the Turner Club bowling group, which built the clubhouse in 1940. Rising property values – and therefore taxes – as a result of the Museum Reach opening in 2009, forced the club to sell the property, start leasing the space, and then eventually move. The project includes demolition of the existing structure, which is not listed as an historic landmark.
“We think it’s really important when moving into a community to respect the history of things so we have our design team incorporating in the plans (elements) that pay homage to the Turner Club,” he said. “There is some neat old stuff that we’ll try to incorporate into the building.”
These will be luxury apartments, Klein said, but “we’re looking at (mixed-income) options with the CCDO (Center City Development and Operations Department) – maybe holding a certain percentage of first-year rents down.”
Depending on final design schematics, the project will likely qualify for Center City Housing Incentive Policy (CCHIP) for City and water impact fee waivers, property tax rebates, and low-interest loans.
Across 9th Street, literally a stone’s throw away, a 305-unit apartment is planned. The HDRC approved preliminary designs for 815 Avenue B in April. The project is a partnership that includes David Adelman of AREA Real Estate, developer Ed Cross, and architect David Lake of Lake/Flato Architects. Construction is expected to begin before year’s end and be completed in approximately 18 months.
*Featured/top image: Sketch of a street view of the 220-unit luxury apartment complex proposed for 120 9th St. Artist: Risden McElroy.
Related Stories:
Could Lone Star Brewery Become ‘Pearl South’?
GrayStreet Makes Major Downtown Real Estate Play
City Green Lights Landmark Weston Urban/Frost Bank Deal
If the city is going to allow outside developers to come in with these projects, I wish they would require local architects and engineers to create them.
Not sure we should be giving incentives such as water impact fee waivers, property tax rebates, and low-interest loans for properties that are now clearly prime real estate and would most likely get developed anyway. Reminds me of all those tax breaks hotels were getting to build tourist hotels on an already established riverwalk.
ditto
Lindsey – the Civil Engineer, MEP Engineer and Landscape Architect for the project are all local.
Thumbs down on most of what’s been built so far in the Pearl / SA Museum area so far from a design standpoint for me.
A plague of apartments.
Lovely……another bunch of concrete box apartments like everything else that’s gone up in The Pearl area. Just a notch above hideous Soviet era housing.
I agree. I wish they would use more hill country limestone or D’Hanis brick to create a better sense of place for San Antonio. These look exactly like all the other boxy concrete apartments going up in redeveloped urban areas all over the country.
People Always have to Bitch!! We’re the 7th Largest City in the USA , this is called Progress!! Your not living there . Have you all not visited Major U.S. Metropolitans ??
Johnny use metro populations not city populations. we aren’t a large city
It’d be nice if some were condos for sale instead of a plethora of apartments.
There’s a reason the old Turner Club building isn’t on the Historic Preservation list. It was a plain, square dump in the 80’s when I bowled there. And 30 years later, it never saw any improvements. “Paying homage” and “neat old stuff” is just lip service, pure and simple.
Wonderful! A new place for trustfunders to live.
Hope the City requires some workforce/affordable housing in the project before extending incentives for more luxury apartments. At least it’s not another hotel!
Developers in SA = Broke. What a failure of an idea. Again.
Fail. Plenty developers in SA. Scenery surrounding the trail will never be the same.
While I’m sure lots of people are nostalgic about the Turner Club, it certainly isn’t the highest/best use of that property. I just wish there was something being built in the area that had some design features. There are plenty of concrete box apartments in the area already.
“depending on final schematics, the project will qualify for Center City Housing Incentive Policy ($$$???), for City and water impact fee waivers, property tax rebates and low interest loans”— The Rivard Report
all this available for “luxury apartments” but not for low and medium income residents whose tax $ pays for all these subsidies and the Museum Reach improvements that this “luxury” is piggy-backing on???? are they at least gonna pay off the bonds or are we left holding that bag as well?
This song seems oddly appropriate in light of the comments.
More Buchenwald esque design… The Pearl and nearly all of these new developments are pedestrian and ugly
Oh my gosh, Midtown, the pearl are awesome! Sure it’s pricey, it’s urban. I was a pioneer in the area, moving here 17 years ago
Except for taxes….another story..it’s not suburban where land is cheaper