SAN ANTONIO – After a temporary shutdown ordered by the City of San Antonio last month, the Twin Sisters Cantina bar on the East Side must be demolished.
On January 27, a judge issued a temporary restraining order that closed the doors of Twin Sisters Cantina bar. The following day, city workers boarded up and fenced the property to block entry.
“We haven’t really heard anything (since). You know, it’s been much more calm,” Jasmine Trinidad said.
Trinidad has a 2-year-old daughter. They, along with other neighbors, hope a family-friendly business takes over the corner lot.
“I just pray and I hope that, you know, we can see more successful businesses prosper, specifically people from this neighborhood,” Trinidad said.
On February 10, the Building Standards Board got an inside look at the problematic property that had hundreds of service calls and dozens of shootings.
Ramiro Guerra, a dangerous premise officer with the city’s Development Services Department, presented pictures to the board that showed holes in the wall, blood on the ground, trash, poor construction and other evidence of dangerous conditions.
“You can see the type of destruction that would go on,” Guerra said. “This wasn’t an establishment that cared for the building.
The citizen board determined the structure should be demolished.
In a statement to KSAT 12, the deputy city attorney at the Prosecution Division, Joe Niño, said in part, “Upon a hearing, the Board found the location to be a public nuisance and ordered the location demolished. The owner does not dispute the finding and will look to demolish the structure in the near future.”
Although the owner, Daren Hensley, is on board with the decision, no contact has been possible with the tenant -- Israel Castro. KSAT 12 reached out to Castro, who has refused to provide a statement.
“We have been in the middle of an eviction process against the tenant,” said Todd Taylor, Hensley’s representative, to the Building Standards Board. “We want him off, and we want a court hearing, and we’re currently setting it for appeal. We have the property under contract to sell to someone that owns a bakery in the neighborhood.”
According to Taylor, bids to sell the property are currently under review and determine when the building is demolished.