Second Downtown (San Antonio, San Marcos, Vidor: condos, earthquakes, floors)

[Cookiemeister]

Downtown SA is the bread and butter of our existence... this town was built on tourism for better or worse.

[Bo]

I read somewhere that North Star Mall is the population center of San Antonio. Maybe the 410/281 interchange could be the heart of a second downtown?

[Cookiemeister]

Originally Posted by Bowie

I read somewhere that North Star Mall is the population center of San Antonio. Maybe the 410/281 interchange could be the heart of a second downtown?

It there is ever going to be a second downtown that would be the spot but I hope they keep downtown, downtown where it belongs. It would add some new life and vibrancy to our downtown area if new big businesses moved in. I think it is just easier to find a blank space of land and build there rather than putting alot of effort, time and money into building in the DT area. There should be some incentives for big business to move DT. It would be neat to see all those old buildings revitalized with new small businesses and some big new one's plopped down smack dab in the middle. I guess parking would be a problem but then everybody that worked DT could live DT and walk to work... kinda like NYC... ok, maybe not that cool.

[the411]

For those who live in this area or thereabouts, another tower is coming soon. Well another hotel actually. This one is another Drury Inn brand at 12 stories right to the current 8 story facility at Sigma/1604 intersection. Construction on the 196-room hotel should start soon(not sure of any site work beginning already) and may resemble the Drury hotel already underway at 1604/10 interchange which also will become 12 stories. Source: This weeks San antonio Business Journal edition.

Not sure of this area of the city becoming another "downtown" but with all recent growth such as the new Tesero headquarters and Methodist hospital etc., this would seem a logical area. Factor in planned expansions of 1604 and 281 corridors for easier access(or lack thereof actually),
only more vertical development will come this way.

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

Originally Posted by maxus40

...the San Pedro/410 area. It is geographically the center ... of the city.

OMG
I am
SOOOO
HAPPY
that someone else knows this other than me!!!!!!!!!

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

Originally Posted by SweethomeSanAntonio

San Antonio does have many areas with clusters of high rise office buildlings , giving it more than one skyline.But a new legitimate downtown, isn't Cibolo,Tx building one?

"Downtown" for a town like Cibolo is a completely different thing than a central business district kind of downtown that major cities have. Cibolo is planing a "downtown" but it's more like the Cibolo's little town center... "town square" if you will with shopping and parks and such.




But onto the topic of San Antonio having another business district, I think it's very possible, if it hasn't happened already. (I know Houston has like an "uptown" which is a business district with skyscrapers and such just west of their "downtown").

Medical Center is definately a major winner on this topic. Story time- I used to be a ride operator at Fiesta Texas and one of the rides I had worked was the Tempest (before they removed it). If anyone remembers the Tempest, it was basically two sets of chairs that would spin you 160ft in the air like a windmill (point is it was really high). Well when you would load one side, the people on the other side were just sitting at the top enjoying the view. Most of the people from out-of-town, and even some people from SA, would come back down and start talking about how they could see downtown and such, but the fact is, they saw Medical Center, and thought it was downtown.
It's a major hub (for lack of a better word) with all of it's tall buildings, lots of jobs, lots of food stops, and lots of traffic and transportation.


Now if SA wants to build something completely new from the ground up and separate, I think the East side would be a good place. That side of town is very under-developed and needs a boost, and you could put it right out side of the 35/410/10 interchanges. This would provide easy access trasportation wise, because you have I-35, I-410, and I-10 all close by and could feed into the CBD. Again, undeveloped part of town- there's plenty of land available to start planing and start building. Your also not far away from Downtown itself, Ft. Sam, Randolf AFB, Brooks City Base, AT&T Center, and many other places.... (Splashtown??.......)

[tgannaway89]

You can see to Tower of the Americas from the top of The Scream at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Considering the theme park is in a big quarry (hole) that is impressive.

Medical Center, 10/1604, and 281/1604 will become home to lots of mid-to-high rise buildings over the next several years.

[scuba steve]

Originally Posted by the411

For those who live in this area or thereabouts, another tower is coming soon. Well another hotel actually. This one is another Drury Inn brand at 12 stories right to the current 8 story facility at Sigma/1604 intersection...

Since when did 12 stories become a tower?

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

Originally Posted by tgannaway89

You can see to Tower of the Americas from the top of The Scream at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Considering the theme park is in a big quarry (hole) that is impressive.

Oh no you're absolutely right you can, I don't disprove that, but that's the only part of downtown you can see, and you have to r e a l l y look for it, because it's faint and all you can see is the observation deck/ restaurant part of it

[the411]

Originally Posted by scuba steve

Since when did 12 stories become a tower?

Well....would hi-rise suffice?