Note: This issue centers around early meaningful public input, compliance with community plan, and design (intensity), not density and affordability.
Read: – —Maria Anglin’s column, “Gentrification Fears are Very Real” about the Alazan project. -The SA Heron’s article on development and gentrification on the Westside and “SAHA board gives nod to build St. Mary’s Tower with Dallas developer JMJ” which explains the Alazan project and SAHA’s partnership with market rate developers
Dear Mayor Nirenberg,
Please be advised that on Monday, July 29, 2019, the Historic Westside Resident Association met with representatives from the NRP Group, San Antonio Housing Authority, Brown and Ortiz Associates, and District 5 to discuss the Alazan Loft development.
The following neighborhood associations were in attendance as well: Westside Preservation Alliance, Tier One Neighborhood Coalition, Westside Neighborhood Association Coalition and the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the proposed site plan for Alazan Loft. We want to make clear that the Historic Westside Resident Association supports the development of affordable housing in our historic Westside community. However, the proposed site plan submitted by the NRP Group does not meet with the Guadalupe Westside Community Plan requirements.
- The Alazan Loft site plan must be revised to meet the guidelines of the Guadalupe Westside Community Plan.
- All buildings on all lots should be a maximum of two (2) stories with 20’ setbacks from sidewalks to adhere to the Guadalupe Westside Community Plan and neighborhood character.
- Reduce parking spaces to accommodate the revised site plan for two -story structures.
- Add heat sinks such as landscape islands on parking lots.
- Introduce green space which would include buffer landscape and street scape to adhere to the neighborhood character.
- Elevation drawings (black and white) for the two story structures for the revised site plan.
The following issues were presented, discussed and requested from the development side:
We are also very concerned about our neighborhood residents being uprooted and displaced during and after this major construction process.
Please note that SAHA spokesman, Michael Reyes, expressed in the Rivard Report (July 26, 2019) the importance of gathering “feedback from all neighborhood associations and community leaders to make sure we are building something that reflects the neighborhood”.
Of major concern is the fact that our Historic Westside Resident Association and the organizations listed were informed of only two, not 17, community meetings sponsored by SAHA and the NRP Group. These two meetings in 1st Quarter 2019 offered the associations very limited time for community engagement.
There were no additional notifications or discussions until the Historic Westside Resident Association was informed on July 8, 2019 via U.S. mail of the Zoning Commission hearing scheduled for July 16th, 2019. The hearing was for the NRP Group request in zoning change from MF-33 to IDZ 3.
In summary, we have requested that the NRP Group submit a revised site plan to meet the above listed points under IDZ-3 with conditions. We will meet again on Friday, August 2, 2019, at 4:00pm with the goal of receiving a revised site plan that adheres to the Guadalupe Westside Community Plan and reflective of the character of the neighborhood. We hope for an agreed upon revised site plan before City Council review on August 22, 2019.
Mayor Nirenberg, as you review the needs of the residents of the Westside neighborhoods, please remember your commitment to the Housing Policy Task Force as well as the protection of our historic San Antonio neighborhoods.
Respectfully Submitted,
Amelia Valdez
Chairperson of Historic Westside Resident Association