SAN ANTONIO – Plans to redevelop the Alamo Plaza must move forward with a new design and leadership team, according to an announcement by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
Nirenberg said he needed a leader that is on board with changes to the project and announced the removal of District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino as the lead person in the committee.
“The position that Councilman Trevino has taken, which is that the Cenotaph can’t move -- then the Alamo Plan is dead, is not tenable. It’s not gonna move,” Nirenberg said.
Last September, the Texas Historical Commission voted to deny the Cenotaph’s relocation, which the Alamo Trust said was necessary to make way for a museum.
The cenotaph’s relocation, along with several street closures and the demolition of several historic buildings, have all been sticking points for negotiations for years.
Trevino issued a statement on his resignation from the role on Monday:
“Now that the masterplan has disintegrated, my focus was to pick up the pieces in the most responsible way possible -both financially and in terms of our responsibility to our community and to move forward,” Trevino said. “We have lost a tremendous opportunity with the unraveling of this project. In the meantime, we cannot abdicate our principles and responsibility to the community we serve to pursue a project that no longer serves our best interest, but the best interest of the State.”
Nirenberg appointed Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran as the project’s lead.
Viagran said it was a tremendous honor and responsibility to bring dignity and preserve one of the most historic sites in the nation and the world. According to Viagran, her family lineage goes back to the Alamo with a member among the defenders.
“I think what it’s going to take, number one, is recalibrating our relationships that we have with all of our different entities, as well as really engaging and having clear communication with our Alamo Community Advisory Committee,” Viagran said.
Nirenberg said the preservation of two historic buildings and the public accessibility and openness to the Plaza must remain a part of the new plan.
Viagran says members will begin meeting right away and hope to have news to share in April.
Any changes must be approved by the city council and the Alamo Trust and the General Land Office of the state.
You can read Trevnio’s statement in full below:
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