Developers have cut by more than half the size of two structures planned for Hemisfair.
On Wednesday, architects working for Post Lake Capital Partners of Austin and Trube Land Development went before the Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC) with a proposal notably diminished in size from concepts presented last fall.
Documents show a three-story retail building adjacent to the San Antonio River Walk and a 10-story, mixed-use structure and parking garage in the northwest quadrant of Hemisfair.
The plans are a scaled-down version of the design concepts approved by commissioners last October that called for a 10-story retail building and a 29-story, 360-unit residential tower with a parking garage on 2 acres facing East Market Street.
At that time, a handful of downtown residents and others, including a representative of the Conservation Society of San Antonio, spoke against those plans, saying the design and height of the building was not appropriate for the site.
Commissioner Monica Savino had also suggested adding a stipulation to the commission’s approval that would have required the applicant to consider ways to reduce the height of the building. Her motion did not pass and the panel went on to unanimously approve the request.
The project is one of several pending developments bordering Civic Park, the $28 million, 9-acre urban park with an event lawn and water features that is expected to be completed late this summer.
A Hemisfair spokeswoman said the first phase of the park will open in conjunction with Jazz’SAlive on Sept. 29.
Other development projects bordering Civic Park, in the works for at least six years, have met with delays, however.
A 17-story hotel and apartment building planned by Zachry Hospitality through an agreement with Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation (HPARC) is behind schedule.
Construction was meant to start in 2018 with a completion date in time for the NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball tournament in 2025. But those plans changed with Zachry citing the COVID pandemic and worsened market conditions as the reasons.
In an effort to move the project forward, City Council voted more than a year ago to approve a revised agreement between Zachry Hospitality and HPARC which reduced Zachry’s lease payments and turned the expense of building a parking garage over to the developer.
Then, in September, the commission granted conceptual approval for the proposed hotel facing South Alamo Street.
A Zachry spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for updates on the project and Post Lake and Trube could not be reached.
The project presented to HDRC Wednesday was altered considerably in the seven months since it was first presented to the commission for conceptual approval last year.
Renderings by FitzGerald, an architecture firm with offices in Chicago and Denver, show a masonry façade with recessed and projecting balconies. The tower connects to a three-story structure that sits adjacent to the River Walk and the Henry B. González Convention Center, with the retail presence open to Civic Park.
“We would like to explore the heritage of masonry craftsmanship that is very significant in San Antonio, and explore how to use that in various detailing,” said Mike Breclaw, a principal and design director in the firm. But, “it is a modern building … we’re trying to play with that material.”
The Conservation Society’s Kathy Krnavek, first vice president and assistant to the president, again voiced the group’s concerns regarding the new designs.
“The project misses the opportunity to relate to the new Civic Park,” Krnavek said. In addition, “the Conservation Society of San Antonio believes the building’s bland and institutional design reflects poorly on the city’s culture and downtown streetscape. The design does not reflect the rich architectural and cultural legacy of downtown San Antonio.”
Commissioners, who were concerned about the heavy, bulky appearance of the building in previous plans, said Wednesday that the developer and architect had satisfied many of their previous concerns about the structure.
City staff recommended approval of the new concepts with a stipulation that curb cuts exceeding 25 feet in width feature additional design elements to ensure pedestrian safety.
Commissioners unanimously approved the plans after Savino added another stipulation that the development team return for a design review meeting prior to submitting final plans to HDRC.
Following the hearing, Hemisfair officials released a statement saying the development represents a significant step toward reinstating the neighborhood’s density, “reminiscent of the Hemisfair District before the 1968 World’s Fair,” said Hemisfair CEO Andres Andujar.
“We’ve experienced the benefits of a mixed-use residential building [The ‘68] being adjacent to a thriving community park at Yanaguana Garden, and we are looking forward to Civic Park having the same advantage,” he said.
