SAN ANTONIO – Know it or not, you're living in the "decade of downtown."
That's a phrase the City of San Antonio coined to highlight new housing developments meant to revitalize once-rundown areas.
It means that, for some people, downtown is no longer just a place to visit but a place to call home.
Mary Stolarski is one of those people. With her kids grown and gone, she and her husband started a new chapter. They moved to a new neighborhood and into a new home, downsizing from a five-bedroom house to a two-bedroom apartment.
"It's liberating to get rid of a lot of things. We had to decide what's important (and ask) 'What do (we) really need?'" said Stolarski.
Her new phase in life coincides with a new phase in downtown development.
Stolarski moved into the 1221 Broadway apartments. The area used to be a rundown eyesore, but now its been transformed into a modern apartment complex with clean, wide streets, easy river access and a dog park.
The Broadway complex is one of 10 new housing developments in and around downtown San Antonio, thanks to a nearly $350 million investment. It's part of a city initiative to breathe new life into downtown.
"The downtown that people walk through and see today is going to be enlivened many times over," said Mayor Julian Castro.
"We want to have a great city, a vibrant city. And people are willing to bet on the future here," adds Dan Markson, senior vice president of the NRP Group, which helped develop the complexes.
Stolarski says she's already cashed in on that bet by taking advantage of all her new neighborhood has to offer.
"I take art classes at the museum, walk to shops and restaurants," she said. "Can you not see how people are just vibrating and coming alive down here?"
The housing developments will be complete within the next 18 months adding 2,363 units downtown. The projects were made possible through the adoption of the Inner City Reinvestment Infill Policy.
For more info on the apartment complexes, visit this website.
For a list of recent stories Myra Arthur has done, click here.