Downtown baseball stadium to move forward over concerns about razed housing
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Renters whose apartments will be razed to make way for development surrounding a new downtown minor league baseball stadium will receive extra relocation help after pushback from the community, but many still worry the deal was rushed.
Why it matters: The 381-unit Soap Factory Apartments, slated for demolition, are not income restricted but offer a rare market-rate affordable housing option downtown. They're home to many downtown workers and people who can't afford other housing.
The latest: The City Council voted 9-2 on Thursday to approve an agreement for funding the new ballpark and providing $2,500 in relocation assistance to some tenants, among other measures.
The big picture: When developers and city officials revealed the long-held stadium plan for the San Antonio Missions last month, council members praised it as a great deal that paid for itself.
- But in the weeks that followed, organizations such as COPS/Metro and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center raised concerns that the project was being rushed without enough consideration for the people whose homes would be demolished.
By the numbers: Rent for a 360-square-foot studio at Soap Factory is advertised as starting around $714. A one-bedroom unit could rent for around $900.
- The median apartment rent in San Antonio is $1,155, per Zillow.
What they're saying: Organizers with COPS/Metro, an interfaith group, said Thursday they supported a new stadium but wanted a seat at the table and more help for tenants, among other demands.
- "The hallmarks of what will make San Antonio great — it will not be in buildings, it will not be in high rises," the Rev. Jimmy Drennan with COPS/Metro said. "It will be in how we treat our people."
Tenant Brooklyn Ramos told the City Council that residents were presented with the relocation plan just one day before the vote.
- "Please include us at the table when negotiating plans that directly have to do with us," Ramos said. "We are humans, not a business deal."
The other side: Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the relocation help and the city's other work to boost affordable housing means the ballpark and downtown improvements will be for everyone.
- He said that "it's a very strong proposal that improves areas of downtown that we've been talking about for a long time, but also does so in a conscious way to make sure that no residents are left behind in the process."
Catch up quick: The new west downtown ballpark for the Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres currently playing on the West Side, would open by April 2028.
- Separate private development, to include market-rate apartments, could be completed in four phases in 2027, 2029, 2030 and 2031.
- The tax revenue from that development will help contribute about $126 million toward the $160 million stadium. The Missions team is contributing the other $34 million.
- Major League Baseball has asked the Missions to obtain a stronger commitment for an improved ballpark by Oct. 15.
The $2,500 relocation package for tenants is only available to those who move by September 2025.
- Those packages are funded by $250,000 each from the city and Weston Urban, the downtown developer that's part of the Missions ownership group and is spearheading development around the stadium.
- The nonprofit Building Brighter Communities is helping tenants find other options in the downtown area with comparable rents.
What's next: Soap Factory contains three buildings. Demolition of the first property could begin in October 2025.
- The last property could be demolished in September 2029.