San Antonio is Roomiest Downtown Area
San Antonio has 42.4 development-ready acres of land in its central business district alone, with only a little shy of 500,000 square feet of space built since 2013, according to a study by CommercialCafe.
SAN ANTONIO—In a recent study of 25 US cities with the highest urban infill development potential, CommercialCafe identified metros based on total developable vacant land available in each city’s central business district. San Antonio made the list due to its vast expanse of available land.
Indeed, San Antonio is one of the roomiest downtown areas on the top 25 list, with 42.4 development-ready acres in its central business district alone, and a mere 500,000 square feet of space built since 2013. Construction in the city is bound to push up not only inventory numbers up but also density, with 580,000 square feet of office and 634 residential units reaching completion in the near future. In the downtown district, development has already yielded more than 6,500 residential units since 2010, comprised of luxury apartments and condos in city-incentivized projects, which drove lower-income residents out of the city center.
San Antonio’s citizens certainly think it has room for more, especially when it comes to housing, homeless shelters, parks and medical facilities. Affordable housing is of the utmost necessity throughout the country, with 82% of all respondents choosing housing and homeless shelters as the most needed development projects, while 77% choosing affordable housing and parks as most desired additions to the city.
“Earlier this year, mayor Ron Nirenberg decided to pause the incentives program for a re-evaluation that shifts the focus of policies toward affordable housing,” Ioana Ginsac of CommercialCafe tells GlobeSt.com. “Furthermore, San Antonio city representatives voted back in February to sell roughly 10 acres of vacant land located in the Arena District just east of downtown San Antonio, for a new mixed-use project—the biggest project on this side of town since the AT&T Center opened nearby in 2002.”
Backed by state representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins’ long-time efforts to develop city-owned vacant land on the East Side, the $65 million Echo East project would add some 500 residential units and 25,000 square feet of retail to the neighborhood. Furthermore, it is hoped it will attract more development to the economically depressed area.