This story has been updated.
A city panel approved design plans Wednesday for another new section to be developed at Hemisfair.
With the green light from the Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC), construction on the second and final phase of Civic Park would start in October.
Work on the nearly 7-acre northwest quadrant of the urban green space at Hemisfair started in late 2021, six years after the first section of the redeveloped fairgrounds, known as Yanaguana Garden, wrapped up.
The first phase of Civic Park opens to the public when the San Antonio Parks Foundation’s 40th annual Jazz’SAlive Festival kicks off Sept. 29.
The 5-acre park features a great lawn, tree-lined promenade, a restroom building and a water feature known as The Springs.
Because the $28 million Civic Park was turned into a two-phase project about three years ago, work on the final third of the park, almost 2 acres situated closest to East Market and South Alamo Streets, was delayed until now.
The plans by Seattle-based landscape architects GGN show a plaza near the downtown intersection, a water feature, trees and other plants.
The exposed Acequia Madre de Valero, an archaeological site and designated National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, will be preserved and incorporated into the park’s design.
Hemisfair officials and planners have simplified the initial designs for the area in the park named Source Plaza in a nod to the region’s natural rock formations and water sources.
Located at the corner of Alamo and Market streets, the paved plaza and walkway sits across from the Torch of Friendship sculpture and is positioned between planned hotel and apartment buildings.
“Hemisfair is all about building connections to the amazing regional landscape, the unique fabric of surrounding neighborhoods, and most of all to the lives of San Antonians,” said David Malda, design principal at GGN, in a press release from Hemisfair. “This park is a key piece of the larger urban transformation of a former World’s Fair site into a more livable and welcoming community.”
A planned water fountain in Source Plaza has been replaced with more pavers and seating areas.
The plaza is a large space at one of the busiest intersections in downtown San Antonio, said Meredith Balzen, spokeswoman for the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation.
“We wanted to make sure that we could activate it how we needed to, so we took out the fountain that was supposed to be there, and we added some trees and we added a lot more connectivity between Source Plaza and the actual green lawn area,” she said.
As one example, an artist’s rendering shows a configuration of the park set up for a market. Removing the fountain from the plans was also a cost-saving measure, Balzen added.
Also downsized are the plans made by Post Lake Capital Partners of Austin and Trube Land Development for a structure adjacent to the Henry B. González Convention Center, the Lila Cockrell Theater and Civic Park.
At an HDRC hearing in June, architects presented renderings for a three-story retail building and a 10-story mixed-use structure and parking garage in lieu of the earlier proposed 29-story, 360-unit residential tower and garage.
A hotel development planned for the corner of Civic Park also has not met expectations laid out by Hemisfair and City officials.
After years of delays and renegotiated agreements with the City, San Antonio developer Zachry will start work on the 200-room hotel after a groundbreaking planned for this fall, Balzen said.
But completion of the Hilton Curio Collection-branded hotel is not expected until late 2025, well beyond the date anticipated for the Men’s NCAA Final Four on April 5-7, 2025.
Completion of phase two of the Civic Park project is scheduled for 2024.
