The Mosaic, a new multi-level, multi-use building near downtown, has received its official welcome from the city of San Antonio.
Mayor Julian Castro cut the ribbon Monday morning on the new structure, located in the 1900 block of Broadway Street.
"Having these 120 units of student housing plus market-rate housing is great for the urban core of the city," Castro said.
The 120-unit high-rise actually opened quietly to residents in November and is currently about 70 percent full, he said.
The ceremony at the Mosaic, though, was a chance for Castro to highlight a bigger picture.
"This is the decade of downtown," he said. "We want an urban core that is lively, that is exciting and vibrant and has something for everyone."
Under a plan adopted several years ago known as SA2020, the entire area from midtown Brackenridge to Southtown is being revamped.
Since 2011, more than 2,400 new residences have either been built, are under construction now, or in the planning phase, Castro said.
Most the work has been done with private investments -- about $449 million, he said.
The public sector, by contrast, has contributed about $37 million, he said, toward the construction.
The Mosaic is just the latest of several new buildings erected in the area along Broadway near the Pearl Brewery.
It eventually will include not only residences, but some commercial spaces, such as restaurants, according to its developer.
"A place where you can live free of traffic congestion, a place where you can drive a short drive to work, and a place where you can walk to entertainment venues," said George Mauze, president of Broadway Development.
The building's fifth-floor pool is one of several amenities designed to attract people.
However, Mauze said it also was constructed with the environment in mind.
He said the Mosaic features extra insulation to conserve electricity, as well as recycled water that is used for landscaping.
While the project is part of the city's plan for the future, Castro said the idea is to bring back a bit of the past.
"Decades ago, this area of Broadway, of Houston Street -- this whole urban core -- this was the place to be," Castro said. "It's where people would shop; it's where they lived. And we want that to be the case again."
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