The University of the Incarnate Word signed an agreement Monday afternoon with Brooks City Base to bring a school of osteopathic medicine to the Brooks campus on the South Side.
The move will bring jobs, education and economic growth to an area already experiencing a boom, said City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, who represents the area and called the agreement transformative.
"We're so proud to have this here in our area," Viagran said. "We're so proud to see that what once was a bad thing -- (Base Realignment and Closure), bases shutting down -- we've turned it into something that's going to revolutionize the city."
Dr. Lou Agnese, UIW president, said the school, which will open in 2016, is just the beginning of the university's growth at Brooks.
"We then will relocate two years from then the upper division of the school of nursing and our doctoral programs in nursing," Agnese said. "We're taking a tremendous amount of square footage here, because we're also going to develop, by 2018 January, a diabetes center here -- the largest in the country."
A physician assistant school, school of physical therapy and eventually an engineering school will be built in seven buildings the school will be using.
He said these may not be on the UIW campus but Brooks has many things going for it.
"Eventually all the pieces came here and so I just think it's wonderful," Agnese said. "It's still part of SAISD school district. We're very happy about that. It's still 10 minutes from downtown. We're very happy about that. And this is the formation of a new medical complex for the city of San Antonio."
It's a big boost for a site that's seen its share of growth since the Air Force moved out.
"Three thousand-plus jobs have been created here and we've got a lot more jobs to be building," said Leo Gomez, Brooks City Base president and CEO. "This is giving us a shot in the arm to continue on the path to build jobs out here at Brooks City Base."
When President John F. Kennedy visited San Antonio in the 1960s, Brooks City Base served as the site of an Air Force medical school.
"It takes an historical building and an historical campus and gives it good, new life well into the future," Gomez said.
City leaders are happy education is returning.
"We have (San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro's) Pre-K 4 SA (program) just down the street and now to have an additional medical school, but on the southern part of San Antonio, it is phenomenal," Viagran said.
She said even five years ago, people were not envisioning this kind of development on this side of town.
Despite the buildings originally having a medical purpose, that was 50 years ago and it will take a lot of refurbishing before they open up for students.
Osteopathic medicine is the treatment of patients with the philosophy of treating the body, mind and spirit.
For a list of recent stories Brian Mylar has done, click here.