Opinion

Houston St. projects can transform

A man walks across Houston St. at Alamo St., as the early morning sun warms the city. The historic Houston St. may be experiencing some significant changes that could truly revive downtown. A man walks across Houston St. at Alamo St., as the early morning sun warms the city. The historic Houston St. may be experiencing some significant changes that could truly revive downtown. Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston St. projects can transform 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Along with Alamo Plaza, historic Houston Street downtown has too long shouted out neglect — and potential. News last week of major transformational redevelopment on Houston could mean San Antonio and partner developers are finally set to tap into the potential.

The Houston Street development does not occur in a vacuum. There’s new master planning for the Alamo Plaza, a planned San Pedro Creek project, Mission Reach, the transformation of HemisFair, an effort to revitalize La Villita, Museum Reach, renovation at the Maverick apartment building, a completed Tobin Center, housing planned near the University of Texas at San Antonio and elsewhere in the near West Side and East Side and ongoing changes in and near the Pearl Brewery.

These actions, properly nurtured, can have an effect on downtown San Antonio unequaled in metamorphic scope since HemisFair and, before that, the River Walk.

Embodied in the Houston Street happenings alone, what’s now possible is a lively downtown strip anchored on the east by an Alamo developed to its full potential as a world-class attraction and, on the western end, by an already lively El Mercado.

Linking these could be a Houston Street teeming with workers, residents and businesses that can bring renewed vitality and commerce to the area.

The deals on Houston Street will result in downtown’s first skyscraper in 25 years. This will house a new Frost headquarters. City workers will be centralized in the existing Frost Brothers Building. Perhaps more than 265 new residential units will be built. And the sale of nine buildings to GrayStreet Partners means presently underutilized Houston Street properties can reach their potential.

The deal involves land swaps and purchases between Weston Urban, Frost Bank and the city. More office and retail space will be created.

The city will buy Frost’s old headquarters and parking for $51 million — spending $30 million more for upgrades, asbestos removal and remodeling. But the city promises a net positive of $1 million yearly over 30 years because of savings on paying leases and income from leasing space.

Downtown is on the cusp of something grand if all goes as planned. But a lot of “ifs” intrude. The right balance of residential, retail and other business will be necessary. The right business climate, too.

The city must execute an Alamo Plaza transformation equal to the history that occurred there. Key to this is removing those carnival-like business on Alamo Street that mar the respect due the site. Restoring the site to its 1836 footprint should be a priority.

All this, in other words, must be part of a continuous unified strategy that recognizes that failure in one part — in Alamo Plaza, for instance — can mar progress elsewhere.

Expectations have been raised before — particularly for Houston Street — and not been met.

The Downtown TriParty Transportation Improvements Project in the 1990s was to have beautified Houston Street with an eye toward attracting investment and development. That didn’t really take off. Folks talked of decay — or more charitably, of Houston Street in a holding pattern.

City economic development leaders — and developers — deserve praise for not allowing the status quo to take root too deeply on Houston Street and in downtown generally.

Before suburban growth exploded and the center of the San Antonio universe shifted, Houston and Commerce streets were the shopping destinations for city residents. Those days are likely never coming back, but if residential living downtown reaches the proper tipping point, downtown will be more than a place where mostly tourists play and shop and folks come to work and then go home elsewhere.

In 2007, there was $10 million for downtown improvements in a bond measure; $90 million in 2012. More has to be included in a 2017 bond measure, including for vast improvements at Alamo Plaza.

The decade of downtown has been promised. The confluence of all these events means it might actually be happening. It’s vital that it does because San Antonio will never be a world-class city unless downtown becomes a vibrant core for commerce, entertainment and living. That can happen with the proper focus.