In a community clubhouse Monday evening, a block from the decrepit and hulking Lone Star brewery, neighborhood residents used stacks of neon sticky notes to tell developers what they think should, and shouldn’t, happen there.
New Braunfels-based Southstar, the latest group with sights on redeveloping the 73-acre industrial site, said they had come to listen — not show off architectural renderings.
“I’ve got a lot of things in my head, but that’s a pretty boring project that is just in my head,” said Thad Rutherford, president and CEO of Southstar. “We want to know what you all are thinking. We want to know what you all are worried about. All of those things are on the table and important for this process.”
Southstar, under the limited liability company name of Assembly at Lone Star, closed on the purchase of 31 acres south of Lone Star Boulevard in January, Rutherford said, and is under contract with CPS Energy for another 15 acres between Steves Avenue and Mission Road.
The developer also is in talks with the owners of the adjacent Newell recycling plant property along Probandt Street, he said.
The developer of single-family neighborhoods on the far South Side has so far been mum about its plans for Lone Star.
In an exercise meant to solicit redevelopment ideas, a group facilitator asked the dozens of people who attended the meeting, some with their pets and children in tow, to write down what the development should be and what it should not be.
Within minutes, a blackboard was plastered in 3-inch squares in hues not unlike the bold graffiti covering the white walls and smokestacks of the century-old plant.
Public meeting rooms and green spaces were a frequent response, as were playgrounds, performing arts spaces and marketplaces. Others described connections to the San Antonio River and cycling paths.
One note mentioned adding an H-E-B and another a variety of residential spaces, including affordable housing.
What it is, according to another, “is a vibe.”
What it should not be, said residents, also filled the board: a boring mall, a concrete jungle with big-box stores, a gated community with luxury housing, or suburban and cookie-cutter.
“Not the Pearl,” said one note, in reference to the Pearl brewery site redeveloped by Silver Ventures CEO Christopher “Kit” Goldsbury.
Lone Star neighborhood resident Julie Grace said she wants more green spaces that encourage activity, like pickleball, and restaurants that are creative and accessible.
Matthew Rose, a 25-year resident of the neighborhood, said he would like to see the former brewery site become something more like Zilker Park in Austin, and a place that connects the surrounding neighborhoods.
Petra Del Sol Eubanks, an Eastside art gallery owner who is building a home in the Lone Star neighborhood, suggested a retirement community and markets that promote San Antonio culture and the arts.
Downtown resident Cynthia Gibbs also described a place with a variety of cultural things to do such as evening jam sessions and local artists, quaint coffee shops. Unlike the Pearl, she said, parking should be free. She envisioned something like the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.
One district
Peter French, who is working independently as a consultant for Southstar, said during the meeting that the developers want to approach the project as one district in terms of planning and infrastructure. French formerly worked with GrayStreet as director of development.
The primary 32-acre parcel, previously owned by GrayStreet, is valued at just over $18.5 million, according to the Bexar County Appraisal District.
GrayStreet and Houston developer Midway acquired the dilapidated industrial site in April 2020 through a bankruptcy sale for $14.45 million.
In 2021, GrayStreet revealed plans for a mixed-use development known as the Lone Star District. It would include retail, hotel, office, restaurants and multi-family residential spaces, and area infrastructure improvements.
The total project was estimated to cost $709 million and would be built in phases over a 10-year period.
That project never got off the ground despite an incentive agreement with the City of San Antonio to reimburse the developers up to $24 million in infrastructure improvement costs over 15 years.
In early 2022, Houston-based developer Midway said it was looking to sell all or part of the former brewery — the latest twist in a long saga for Lone Star and neighborhood residents who have been anticipating redevelopment for a decade.
Plans by a partnership between San Marcos-based Aqualand Development and Tennessee-based CBL & Associates Properties fell through in 2018 when a dispute between the two groups brought the project to a standstill.
In addition to an online survey Southstar is fielding for input on the project, the developer also said this week’s open forum was the first of more to come. Sign up for updates via the survey.
