$70 million development unveiled for South Side

[BuddyHolly]

$70 mil. development is unveiled for S. Side

Tricia Lynn Silva

Los Angeles-based Holly Hills Development has released details of the master development plan for a 522-acre tract located on the South Side that is directly across the street from the planned Toyota plant.

The project, dubbed South Port, will include a mix of hotels, restaurants, medical, retail and industrial properties -- all built within several pedestrian-friendly community villages that will feature public plazas and parks.

The design of the project echoes many of the community-centered development goals called for in the South Side Initiative, according to Jim Suggs, a senior architect with the Central/South Texas Group of 3D/International Inc.

3D/I has been hired to create the master plan for South Port, which is located at Applewhite and Watson roads.

Phase 1 of South Port will be broken up into two parts, explains Dan Bailey, president of Holly Hills. At build out, Phase 1 alone is expected to include upward of 1.6 million square feet of space, adds John Greg Turcotte, director of industrial services at REOC Partners Ltd., which is representing Holly Hills on the project.

Development costs for Phase 1 of South Port are expected to exceed $70 million, according to officials. Bailey says the project will be privately financed; however, he says Holly Hills plans to approach the city and county about tax incentives for the project.

As part of Phase 1 of South Port, a 27-acre tract located at the northwest corner of Applewhite and Watson roads will be the site of the first of several mixed-use villages, says Bailey. At build-out, he adds, this tract could accommodate about 300,000 square feet of building space.

Plans call for about 55,000 square feet of speculative commercial space -- including 34,000 square feet of in-line retail and about 20,000 square feet of medical-office space, according to Bailey.

The 27-acre site also will include at least two day-care centers -- both expected to be about 10,000 square feet each -- and a free-standing medical clinic of about 7,500 square feet, Bailey adds.

Unlike today's retail strip centers that target rooftops, South Port will be targeting the several thousands of people that will be working at the new Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc. plant, explains Turcotte.

Retail tenants being sought include service-oriented type businesses -- such as dry cleaners and banks -- which can serve the needs of plant workers and employees of other businesses that are expected to also take root in the area in the future.

Holly Hills expects to have these retail, medical and day-care properties in place by mid-2006 -- about the time that the Toyota plant is slated to be up and running.

More immediate plans for the 27-acre site include the development of several pad sites. A pair of hotels have been earmarked for two of the pads, says Turcotte, adding that Holly Hills is looking at about 100 rooms for each project.

Several other pads will be used to develop sit-down and fast-food restaurants. Finally, there are plans for a couple of large-scale convenience stores.

"We're working as fast as we can," says Bailey, who adds that negotiations are already pending with several tenants.

For the city

Also part of Phase 1 is a 110-acre industrial building park, says Turcotte, adding that the land set aside for this development could accommodate up to 1.3 million square feet of industrial building space.

While Turcotte and Bailey expect to market this project to manufacturing and distribution businesses related to Toyota, Turcotte adds that South Port is not a project "that will live and breathe by Toyota."

The industrial park within South Port also will target companies needing a distribution center for products being manufactured in Mexico.

Also under consideration are some energy-efficient cold storage buildings -- a product currently in demand in San Antonio, Bailey says.

He adds: "This is going to be a state-of-the-art industrial park that will be able to compete with anything in San Antonio."

Community centered

The layout of South Port will be unique as well, Turcotte and Bailey stress. In keeping with the concept of the South Side Initiative, South Port will consist of clusters of buildings that are syncopated by spaces for outdoor dining, public plazas and green spaces.

It is going to be a master plan that truly blends in with its environment, Bailey adds.

That environment includes the new Medina River Park that is currently under development by the city of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. In fact, Holly Hills will be donating approximately 100 acres located on South Port's flood-plain to extend the Medina Park into South Port itself.

Phase II of South Port is slated to include more industrial buildings -- although the exact scope of this part of the project has not yet been determined. In addition, as the industrial space at South Port is absorbed, later phases of the development will likely include more commercial projects to serve the expanding employee base in the area, Turcotte adds.

"We're used to seeing the bigger vision," says Bailey. "We know that it makes for a better project."

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sa...26/story1.html

[ZStomp]

Wow. That's great.

[BuddyHolly]

For reference, this (red star) is where it will be built. Finally some growth on the far south side.

[BuddyHolly]

bump

[jcrod21]

Originally Posted by ZStomp

Wow. That's great.

I bet you're happy.

[obijon80]

I'd rather see a more local architectural firm designing the development. I think 3D-International is too big...spread out all over the world....they should have gotten Lake-Flato or Overland Partners to do it. They're local and more in tune to this area's design needs.

[BuddyHolly]

Lake-Flato and Overland would be great choices as well.

But what about Alamo Architects?

Some of their work:


St. Mary's Street Parking Garage (Downtown San Antonio)





San Antonio Humane Society





Stone Oak Plaza (Off North Loop 1604)





Buck's Landing (Off North Loop 1604)

[hawk2051]

With Toyota coming the south side will be revitalized.

[BuddyHolly]

Yep.