River North - New Downtown District (San Antonio, Austin: lofts, buy, high school)

[Hyun-Soo]

So what's going to happen? Are they going to renovate some old buildings?

[Insomniac]

Originally Posted by Hyun-Soo

So what's going to happen? Are they going to renovate some old buildings?

There will be renovation of buildings in River North but a majority of the development will be new construction.

[Hyun-Soo]

Ohh, Sounds good!

[urbsan]

when will they start renovating the buildings and start building new buildings in the area?

[CelesteDF]

If you're interested in getting a history of the River North project, a good overview is at the skyscraper forum (similar to city-data, but mainly developers and building aficionados). The River North thread is River North- San Antonio - SkyscraperPage Forum.

Mike Greenberg of the SA Ex-News did several columns on River North as well but they're no longer available on his columnist page - you have to log in to MySA.com: San Antonio's Homepage From The Express-News and KENS 5 and search the archives (free) for these columns.

I attended the River North design charrette in late September (as I'm sure several other posters in this thread did) and was both impressed with the quality of work being proposed, as well as disappointed (but not surprised) that the political jockeying is already well underway.

Key takeaways I got from this week-long series of design sessions and public meetings:

• The economists hired for analysis during the master planning process made it clear that many - if not most - of the factors that have made other urban redevelopment projects successful (Portland's Pearl District, etc.) do not exist here in San Antonio. We don't have the economic pressures of limitations on suburban growth or horribly dense traffic (except for Stone Oak, our traffic is not too bad) to give people significant economic incentives to live, work and play in the city center.
  
  The economist stated plainly that River North success is not a given and certainly won’t be easy. Instead of relying on market forces, River North success will require the consistently strong will of political leadership, civic-minded investors and an engaged community to make this work.

• The lead consultant organized the design charrette differently than they're typically done... a broad range of local architectural firms were invited to participate in designing suggested streetscapes, traffic plans, development plans, etc. While there are a lot of details that have to be worked out in terms of design parameters that will need to be codified in CoSA regulations (form-based code), it seemed clear to me that the general desire is for both refurbished buildings and new construction to retain the historic personality of the downtown area.
  
  To see the master plan design charrette and background yourself, download the "River North Presentation to TSA" document at Virtual Tours. This document contains both 3DI's initial rationale/proposal for implementing a tax increment reinvestment zone (which passed earlier this year) plus photos and drawings from the charrette.

• Most disappointing to me was that it seemed the powers-that-be have already decided that lobbying for an in-ground streetcar system is the only way to go. It was claimed that the rubber-tire trolleys we have right now won't attract private investment because the routes can always be moved, thereby reducing the value of traffic to new developments in River North. Never mind that routes can't change significantly anyway because the river is not going to move! Expect to see much lobbying for a $30 million+ streetcar system in the coming year or two.

Having recently moved back to SA from a dense, urban, historic city I am really excited about the prospect of the revitalization of the River North area. According to all involved, this will be at least a ten-year process. And while small projects are already being built, the first real hurdle is getting site approval and construction/rehab funding for the performing arts center which will anchor the south end of the River North area. You can read all about that at http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/citycouncil/stories/MYSA110607.05B.PACenterOption.345d65c.html (broken link) and http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/columnists/mgreenberg/stories/MYSA111107.04J.Greenberg.221d11e.html (broken link) . When it comes to development I'm just a layman, but I would urge all residents to be active, informed citizens who engage in how development happens in your area. It's all about quality of life - now and 50 years from now.

[Insomniac]

I personally think the streetcar is the best way to go and 30-45 million to build it is something you can not pass up on.

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by Insomniac

I personally think the streetcar is the best way to go and 30-45 million to build it is something you can not pass up on.

Could you please explain why? All the explanations I've heard from both the consultant hired by Downtown Alliance and local developers center on the notion that if a route can be moved then investors won't invest in a specific location. However, River North development will follow the river from downtown up to the Pearl development, extending a few blocks on either side. Since the river isn't going anywhere, you couldn't possibly change a route significantly enough to cripple pedestrian/transit traffic to any point within the RN area. In fact, the consultant who managed Little Rock's streetcar project made a presentation during the charrette and said he did not think a streetcar was feasible (cost/infrastructure) in San Antonio.

If you have other knowledge or data that could help explain why a streetcar should be supported, please share it so we can make educated decisions. Thanks!

[denizendiaz]

Streetcars - Did you know that the San Francisco streetcars are the only US national monument which are mobile?

I'm not sure if it would be a good fit for what the River North area is shaping up to be - especially at that price-tag. There's nothing wrong with the busses that look like street-cars, and they will be a lot more adaptable to re-routing during all the construction. Aren't there a lot bigger priorities in this development plan? Environmental impact?

[CelesteDF]

As posted in today's E-N. Hope to meet some fellow C-D'ers who are interested in the progress on River North:

The Downtown Alliance San Antonio is scheduled to hold a second public meeting Tuesday, January 8 to discuss plans for River North, the mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood along the San Antonio River immediately north of downtown.

A master plan for the project has been revised and updated based on comments received at an earlier public meeting.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. at Providence High School, 1215 N. St. Mary's.

The Downtown Alliance asks that people who plan to attend R.S.V.P. by calling (210) 225-3862.

[irnag]

Awesome idea and concept. I had always wished SA would take more advantage of the Riverwalk. A theater district would be awesome. SA has so much culture, I think it would be a huge boon to the city. It would be cool to use the river as a people mover, using the barges to get around town. You could live in River North, get snookered at NIOSA and then float back home.