As Alamo Heights residents continue to debate a proposed $30 million, four-story apartment building at Broadway and Austin Highway by local developer Broadway Ellwood, a second developer has entered the ring with another proposal.

Glenn Huddleston wants to convert a triangular patch of land at the intersection, along with an abutting piece, into a park. Much of the intersection lies in a flood plain and Huddleston, an Alamo Heights commercial developer, worries that the apartments will push water toward the old Mobil gas station he owns across the street at 5424 Broadway.

“If you build on this, you move the creek sideways and you have a narrower channel, which increases the velocity and elevation of the the water and moves it south,” said Huddleston, who said he’s not against the development itself. “I’m a real estate developer. God bless (Broadway Ellwood), I want (them) to develop.”

The absence of Huddleston’s proposal from the agenda for Monday night’s City Council meeting had some Alamo Heights residents, already upset about the Broadway Ellwood plan, even more indignant.

Richard Peacock Jr., a partner with Broadway Ellwood, said his team has hired Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc., a San Antonio firm with national prestige, to address that and other concerns of neighboring property owners.

“I sat down with Glenn last fall,” Peacock said. “I wanted him to be assured that we were aware of the flooding issue, (and) we were absolutely committed to ensuring that whatever it is we proposed would do no harm to him and anyone else.”

In the proposal, Broadway Ellwood, which is partnering with Argyle Residential of Austin, would purchase the triangular patch (the ownership of which remains in question), Ausway Lane (a small street between the patch and the firm’s property just north), a tiny portion of Ellwood Street (between Broadway and Fenimore Avenue) and a handful of other small properties in the vicinity.

Broadway Ellwood would incorporate the patch, it says, to make a kind of “front lawn” of the apartment building.

The proposal also calls for 5,000 square feet of retail space on the floor level facing Broadway and two levels of underground parking under the four-story building.

At the Alamo Heights City Council meeting Monday night, most of the 20 residents who spoke were vehemently against Broadway Ellwood’s proposal. Most of them were ready to pounce on council members for not including Huddleston’s recommendation on the agenda, but Mayor Louis Cooper assured residents that a public hearing would be held to discuss the second proposal.

They railed anyway. Though a handful showed ambivalence toward the Broadway Ellwood plan, the residents criticized everything from the proposed building’s height to the sale of rights-of-way.

Lisa Noble Price, who works at King Realtors just to the north of the site, told council members she’s not against development, but the Broadway Ellwood building is just too large.

“A lot of us live in this area because we wanted to be insulated from the magnitude of growth that’s going on in Stone Oak and I-10 and (Loop) 1604 areas, and y’all are bringing it to our front door.”

Ron Teitz, an Alamo Heights resident of nearly 40 years, suggested a smaller development, too.

“I’m not against development, but surely they can make a profit by scaling it down and build on the land they own,” Teitz said. “You don’t need to sell any property, close any streets. I’m sorry, they can put two-story condos and they’ll still make a profit.”

About a year ago, Broadway Ellwood was prepared to sell its property to Alamo Manhattan, but the Dallas developer ended up backing out, saying restrictions imposed by the city — including on its size — failed to make the project profitable.

City Manager Mark Browne said Broadway Ellwood’s proposal still faces reviews by the city’s architecture review board and the planning and zoning commission — before the City Council ultimately votes on the proposal in February.

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