The University of Texas System Board of Regents on Thursday OK’d plans for the next phase of UTSA’s downtown expansion, a $124 million building dedicated to interdisciplinary and collaborative programs in business, engineering and sciences.
The building, to be known as San Pedro II, will be 180,000 square feet, with a price tag of $124 million. About $52.4 million of that will come from Texas Tuition Revenue Bonds proceeds, with the remainder, $72 million coming from UT System Permanent University Fund bond proceeds.
San Pedro I, which is now complete and will welcome students in January, includes the School of Data Science and the National Security Collaboration Center.
The projects are so named for their location on either side of San Pedro Creek, which is being revitalized as San Pedro Creek Culture Park. The first phase of that project was recently celebrated with a grand opening.
Overland, an architecture and design firm headquartered in San Antonio, and Gensler, a global architecture, design and planning firm with an office in San Antonio, have been chosen to design the building, with plans to break ground in the summer of 2023. Overland designed the San Pedro I project.
The buildings will connect indoor classrooms and meeting spaces with the outdoor venues and public art of the park, “creating an ecosystem that supports students and the community as they look toward the future of San Antonio,” the announcement stated.
“UTSA is laser-focused on preparing our students for their careers and bold futures. This expansion of our downtown footprint reflects our intentionality in situating our academic offerings and learning experiences in the heart of our city’s business community,” said Kimberly Andrews Espy, UTSA provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
“With this new building, we can expand career-focused internships, externships, other hands-on experiences and collaborative projects with our business partners. Employers directly benefit, as well, through first access to talented students, creating mutual opportunities for economic prosperity,” Andrews Espy said.
Veronica Salazar, UTSA chief financial officer and senior vice president for business affairs, said the new building will bring new vibrancy to downtown San Antonio.
“San Pedro II represents significant growth in downtown development, with Dolorosa Street serving as an important connection between the UTSA downtown campus and the new UTSA southwest campus,” she said.
An ad hoc planning committee has been charged with consulting with college deans, program directors and the Space and Planning Advisory Committee to develop detailed programming of the building.
“I am grateful for the support provided by the Legislature during its 87th session and to The University of Texas Board of Regents and University of Texas System for providing the funds for this project,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.
“This investment of over $124 million extends our efforts, launched in 2018, to support national security, cybersecurity and data sciences here in San Antonio. We continue to drive workforce development and job creation in this ecosystem.”
