When the Air Force moved out of Brooks 16 years ago, private industry, schools, restaurants, apartments, and a hotel moved in. Soon, the decommissioned military base will also have a neighborhood of new single-family homes for sale.
Terramark Urban Homes and Brooks announced Tuesday the San Antonio-based homebuilder has purchased five acres of land on the campus and will break ground on a community of 60 residences during 2021.
Southlake will be the first housing development in Brooks history with homes for sale. Residential options at Brooks consist of four multi-family housing developments – beginning with The Landings built in 2012 – and the 1960s-era rental homes and duplexes previously used for housing service members and their families. All are rented at market rates.
Brooks officials said the development will be aimed at providing Southside residents and first-time homebuyers the opportunity to remain in that part of town and attract new residents to the region. The homes are expected to be priced from the high $200,000s to the mid-$400,000s.
“Addressing the need for quality, market-rate housing in this region is a top priority,” said Leo Gomez, president and CEO at Brooks. “Partnering with Terramark allows us to better meet the growing demand for housing options on campus and further our evolution to becoming a walkable, urban district.”
At 1,200 acres, Brooks is the largest area in San Antonio with four overlapping designations that make it attractive to developers – a federal Opportunity Zone, a city-initiated Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, a Smart SA Innovation zone, and an SA Tomorrow regional center.
The campus is home to major employers, including Nissei Plastic Machinery America, OKIN BPS, and Cuisine Solutions and supports 3,200 jobs, with more than 2,000 anticipated over the next five years, according to a statement from Brooks.
Construction on a 350,000-square-foot Amazon facility is expected to be complete this summer, bringing another 500 employees to Brooks.
“Brooks has all the key elements needed to deliver on the live-work-play model today’s buyers demand,” said Charles Turner, CEO of Terramark Urban Homes, which has developed more than 150 homes in 17 San Antonio communities between downtown and the near East Side. “We are excited to be part of their vision and pioneer for-sale housing at Brooks.”
Residents in the new neighborhood will have direct access to the Greenline linear park, which by fall 2021 is scheduled to connect to the San Antonio Mission Reach and continue through downtown San Antonio all the way to Brackenridge Park.
A groundbreaking for Southlake is scheduled for early this year.
