SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio City Council on Thursday is expected to consider the sale of two properties for more than $7.3 million, as part of an agreement between the city and UTSA for the university's downtown campus expansion.
The 10-year plan announced in September will include several downtown properties.
District 1 Councilman Robert Trevino said the sale is an investment for the city.
"A mix of students and people living and working in downtown, this is what we've always wanted," he said.
The area on Dolorosa between Santa Rosa and Flores has been dormant for some time with several vacant buildings. The properties will be the future sites of the new National Security Collaboration Center, New School of Data Science and the relocation of the College of Business.
"It feels like a no-mans land, but we feel this is truly going to be a transformative gesture and incredible project that is going to see many other projects spin off of it," Trevino said.
UTSA student Ricardo Hernandez said the expansion will provide more options for students and it will give student culture a big boost.
"This building is going to add to that community," Hernandez said. "I don't know. We're going to be a pretty big university. We already are. It's going to be neat."
Bao Griffin has a 13-minute walk between her office and where she parks.
Griffin thinks the expansion will bring life to the part of town she travels daily, but she worries about the already-limited parking.
"My first thought was the parking situation, because as it is right now, our parking is very limited. So now, with more students coming down here, it makes me a little more worried," she said.
City officials said parking and downtown mobility are part of the ongoing discussions on how to make downtown better.
More information on the various projects are listed below:
Cattleman's Square by David Ibanez on Scribd
College of Business by David Ibanez on Scribd
Continental Hotel Residences by David Ibanez on Scribd
DTC Ten-Year Vision by David Ibanez on Scribd
National Security Collaboration Center by David Ibanez on Scribd
School of Data Science by David Ibanez on Scribd