SAN ANTONIO – Downtown San Antonio is striving to thrive and lead by example, City Councilman Roberto Trevino said Tuesday during the sixth annual State of the Center City address in front of local business and city leaders.
Trevino represents District 1, which encompasses downtown.
“We are a very special and unique city that I think the rest of the United States will be following soon,” Trevino said.
During his speech, Trevino pointed to the revitalization of Hemisfair, the reinvigoration of business and residential areas along the Broadway corridor and the reimagination of San Pedro Creek as reasons why all of downtown, not just the River Walk, is alive again.
Arts and culture, he said, are key to center city development and investment.
“Downtown is seeing more investment than it ever has in the history of our city,” Trevino said. “The bond has brought almost $200 million just to downtown and that just the public sector improvements. The private sector is following.”
For years now, the city of San Antonio has been pushing to attract more locals downtown and reinvent the city’s core that has long been considered an attraction for mostly tourists.
Ramiro Cavazos, CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which partnered with Centro San Antonio to organize Tuesday’s luncheon, said projects such as Hemisfair and the city’s La Zona Cultural may be located downtown but will help spur locals to explore the heart of the city.
“So it's not just enjoyed by people visiting San Antonio, but really for local people that are San Antonians, born and raised, to know that downtown is truly theirs and it's getting better,” Cavazos said.
Trevino said the influence of arts and culture downtown won’t be lost on those who don’t consider themselves art enthusiasts.
“The architecture that creates the buildings that go up, the thoughtful master planning for our new lighting plan for our city has to be thoughtful and considerate and artistic,” he said. “I think what we're saying is that everyone can appreciate the arts in some way or another.”
“It’s why we choose to live in San Antonio,” Cavazos said. “It’s what keeps things moving. It’s our special sauce. It’s our DNA.”