SAN ANTONIO – Hemisfair in downtown San Antonio is undergoing a major renovation and despite ongoing construction and big plans for the future of the historic district, there have been some delays to parts of the full project.
“The three developable parcels outside of Civic Park saw a few delays due to some financial market trouble and some labor shortages, supply shortages,” said Meredith Balzen, director of External Relations at Hemisfair.
Those sections along Market and South Alamo streets include plans for mixed-used developments and apartments, but does not include Civic Park, which broke ground in January 2021.
“There have been no delays in the construction of Civic Park and making sure that we’re bringing this top-notch quality park to San Antonio,” Balzen said. “We’re really excited to be delivering it to people who truly deserve a place like this to come and enjoy greenery, to come and enjoy being outside and water.”
There have been concerns about Civic Park’s availability for the fall and future events like the NCAA Men’s Final Four, but Balzen said the park is on track to be completed by the end of September.
“We have the springs being finalized. We have the promenade, concrete is being poured. We’re getting ready with the dirt in the great lawn to start planting some of the grass. We’re also planting some of the beautiful trees, so timeline is looking great for an opening in September,” Balzen said. “Will still be the host to the NCAA Final Four party that you saw here back when it was hosted before.”
However, people in the Hemisfair area will still have to contend with traffic troubles.
“It’s going to get a little bit more messy before it gets better. But in the long run, South Alamo is really going to open up the downtown sphere of traveling between La Villita and Hemisfair, and making sure that when people come downtown, they feel like this place is walkable with the trees and with the shade,” Balzen said.
Balzen added that by the end of July, Hemisfair officials expect an update from developers on the next step for the mixed-used areas, and it will not cost taxpayers any more money.
“All three of the developers are looking at their design and financing right now. The end of due diligence is the end of July,” Balzen said. “We’re working very closely with the city of San Antonio as well as the three developers to make sure that we’re on target for an acceptable delivery date.”
Hemisfair has not undergone a renovation like this since the late 1960s.
“We had quite a few years between the World’s Fair ‘68 and us really bringing the revitalization here. So a few more years and making sure that we’re really getting it right for the city as our top priority,” Balzen said. “Civic Park is going to be San Antonio’s Central Park, and it’s going to be an amazing transformation, not just for downtown, for the entire state and county.”