Developers agreed to compromise with neighborhood groups, for now, on the zoning appropriate for a planned multi-story office building on Broadway Street north of downtown San Antonio.
Stream Realty Partners agreed to remove a portion of its proposed zoning change request that would have allowed for an 11-story building at 2100 Broadway, company representatives told reporters after the Zoning Commission unanimously approved its amended request Tuesday. City Council likely will consider the change next month.
The Dallas-based development firm will continue to pursue a taller office building, Managing Director Ryan Harrison said, but not at 11 stories.
“We’re working with the community right now through that,” Harrison said.
If approved by City Council, the property will still be included in the River Improvement Overlay (RIO) District that limits buildings to five stories (60 feet) and in a “development node” that allows for additional height of 90 feet or 7.5 stories. The company will be asking the Board of Adjustment for a variance to that rule to go higher, said James Griffin, a local land-use attorney representing Stream Realty.
It’s unclear how tall the building would need to be to be economically viable, Griffin said. “That’s what we’re working on.”
In June, the City’s Historic and Design Review Commission, which typically reviews design but also has purview over changes in RIO districts, ruled against the request to change this property from RIO-1 to RIO-2.
The HDRC recently granted conceptual approvals to more high-density developments along Broadway, including two office buildings planned for the Pearl that are six and 10 stories tall and a 20-story building at 1603 Broadway St. that will feature retail, office, and hotel space.
Stream Realty is under contract to purchase the property, a small portion of which was owned by Councilman Roberto Treviño (D1), who had renovated a tiny office there.
“We’re just excited to be a part of the Broadway redevelopment,” Harrison said. “This is an exciting area. This is an exciting time for San Antonio. The product we want to build is what we think the community needs.”
Through the City’s 2017 $850 million bond program, Broadway is slated to receive more than $50 million for bicycle amenities, curbs, sidewalks, driveway approaches, lighting, and drainage improvements from the intersection at East Houston Street north to Hildebrand Avenue.
