When Sara Villareal and Ryan Reed bought property on the corner of Ashby Place and North Flores Street in the Alta Vista neighborhood in April 2025, their first thought was how their vision would mesh with the neighborhood.
“We really responded to the existing environment and celebrated what’s there,” Villareal said.
Villareal and Reed decided to build 16 apartment units and turn a 1920s Gulf Oil filling station into a small restaurant. The development is called Ashby Place and they plan to complete it by early summer.
They wanted to build a new kind of infill development in the neighborhoods near downtown, they said, and prioritize its accessibility and fit with the community.
“From my perspective, it was very thoughtful. They want to amplify what’s good about the neighborhood,” said Asia Ciaravino, president and CEO of the San Pedro Playhouse, which sits across the street from the new development.
The San Pedro Playhouse sold the land for Ashby Place to Reed and Villareal after they pitched their concept, Ciaravino said. The land had been vacant for a decade, Ciaravino said, and there had been issues with vandalism and lighting with the empty filling station building.
Someone needed to activate the property, she said, and she looks forward to seeing housing and a business that are embedded into the neighborhood.
“That will be cool, to have something that isn’t corporate, that fits in the neighborhood,” Ciaravino said.
Ashby Place will be near bus lines plus San Pedro Playhouse and San Pedro Springs Park, a historic green space with a pool, library and tennis courts.
This is Villareal and Reed’s first development project. They met through San Antonio’s Urban Land Institute. Both had an interest in adaptive reuse and wanted to focus on development adjacent to downtown. Their new partnership, VillaReed Partners LLC, will continue that work. Villareal works in commercial real estate and Reed is a designer.
‘Gentle density’
The Ashby Place site was attractive for a combination of reasons, they said. Development from Pearl is slowly moving west and additions like VIA’s Rapid Green Line dedicated bus lane on San Pedro will make the site more attractive.
Some experts and city officials have advocated for more development near public transportation. In 2024, the city passed new zoning rules supporting transit-oriented development.
A recent UT San Antonio study identified underutilized land around proposed transit corridors and noted that developers could prioritize infill development — building on vacant parcels in urbanized areas.
Villareal and Reed wanted the new apartments across the street from the park to fit into the existing, primarily single-family home neighborhood while bringing in new multi-family housing.
“It’s called gentle density, we’re in a neighborhood, after all,” Villareal said. “We wanted something that would celebrate that design and aesthetic.”
“It’s not just dropping a block in the middle [of the neighborhood] that you can see anywhere else in the country,” Reed added.
The pair spoke with the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association and worked with the San Pedro Playhouse to build something that fit with the existing environment.
All 16 units are one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments. They’re 560 square feet with in-unit washers and dryers, walk-in closets and walk-in showers. Reed and Villareal said the apartments will be rented at the market rate, which is lower than in neighborhoods to the east, like Pearl.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a one-bedroom apartment in the zip code surrounding San Pedro Springs Park has a market rate of $1,160 per month. A one-bedroom apartment around Pearl has a market rate rent of $1,720, according to NLIHC.
For the former gas station space, Reed and Villareal want a restaurant tenant that is accessible to the neighborhood, both physically and financially, and is open at weekday meal times.
“The relationship between this space and our residents is really important,” Villareal said.
They don’t have a tenant yet, they said, and are prioritizing a restaurateur that fits with their vision. Renovations to the former gas station will start in the coming weeks.
Ciaravino said the playhouse is excited by that possibility. There aren’t many food and beverage options around San Pedro Springs Park, and a cafe or restaurant across the street will be good for customers and staff.
“We really will be working together with that restaurant, hand in hand,” she said. “There’s such a desire and need for it to be that close, not only for patrons, but for artists.”
Changes at San Pedro Springs Park
Ashby Place isn’t the only change in the local landscape.
Villareal and Reed noted that development from Pearl is slowly moving west through Tobin Hill. On San Pedro Avenue, VIA has started working on its new rapid transit Green Line, which could start service in 2028.
Ciaravino said the playhouse, a century-old, city-owned theater, is considering an expansion, possibly in 2029, to add performance, rehearsal and education spaces. That includes expanding audience capacity and adding dedicated classrooms.
There is a growing demand for arts education programs, she said, and the playhouse is looking at constructing another building. Ciaravino added that the San Pedro Playhouse was planning to conduct a feasibility study for expansion efforts.
San Pedro Springs Park is the oldest in the city, according to the City of San Antonio’s website, and now a group of community members are organizing a conservancy to support and advocate for the park. The Spanish government set aside the park for public use in the 18th century and the City Council officially created a reserve around the springs in 1852.
Doug McMurry, the conservancy’s director, said the conservancy is brand new — 2026 will be its first full year in operation.
“The park has such historical significance. It needs a little TLC,” McMurry said.
The new conservancy wants to work with the city on improvements, support events at the park and fundraise to build resources for those efforts. Villa and Reed are both involved on the conservancy’s board. McMurry said he was looking forward to Ashby Place adding more food and beverage options around the park.
Luis Miguel Martinez is leading the conservancy’s design committee. He and McMurry did not lay out a timeline for any updates, but said they were focused on long-term improvements, not one particular project. Martinez said the conservancy is focused on small improvements to landscaping, lighting, pedestrian accessibility and historical preservation.
“The goal is to be a collaborative partner to the city — helping raise resources, align stakeholders, and ensure that any improvements are additive and durable rather than disruptive,” he wrote in an email.
