SAN ANTONIO – A Thursday vote could bring a new Northeast Side park and community center one step closer to reality.
The San Antonio Housing Trust and City of San Antonio have plans to turn an 8.6-acre vacant lot at the corner of Midcrown Drive and Eisenhauer Road into a combination of affordable housing for seniors, a multi-generational community center and park space.
The Inner City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) board will vote whether to provide up to $2 million in TIRZ funds for the design of the latter two projects. If approved by the board, the funding would still need approval from the San Antonio City Council.
The housing trust has already tapped up to $2.9 million from the same pot of money to buy the land and cover community engagement, design and environment review costs.
Further funding to actually build each of the projects still needs to be determined, though further TIRZ funds, city bonds or federal tax credits could be involved.
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) represents the area, which he says has become “increasingly industrial,” while lacking green space, recreational opportunities and city facilities.
“The opportunity to provide green space, I think, is one that is sorely wanted and desired by the community and I’m excited that we’re taking this step forward,” he said.
McKee-Rodriguez sits on the SAHT board and pushed for the property’s purchase. The councilman said he had always wanted a community center and park as part of the development.
“(I) knew that there would have to be an affordable housing component,” he said, “which was very similar to what we’re doing at Copernicus Park with senior center, renovation to the park and the creation of affordable housing for seniors. So I wanted essentially sister projects.”
After a months-long planning and engagement process last year that included a survey and community meetings, led by a consultant, SAHT posted a conceptual site plan to its website, showing more than half of the property taken up by green space and a 16,000 square-foot community center.
SAHT plans to give that portion of the land back to the city to develop, while it hangs on to the northern edge of the property to build out a roughly 80-unit affordable housing facility for seniors.
Walking with his wife and dog along the site on Tuesday, the possibility of a park excited James Franco, who lives nearby.
“There’s just so much residential in this area that ... it kind of is a little crazy that we don’t already have something like this here,” he said.
In a neighborhood north of the site, Christine Vargas said she’s “not happy on more houses” in the area, though she was fine with the park portion “as long as there’s some security in there.”
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