Plans to turn the old Scobey Warehouse on the city’s West Side into a transportation hub are on hold after VIA Transit and developer DreamOn agreed to end their partnership.
The two sides signed an agreement earlier this year to redevelop the abandoned building next to the Centro Plaza hub. The agreement outlined a plan that the transit agency said would attract jobs, spur investment and improve safety. In a statement to KSAT, VIA Transit named negative market pressures as one of the reasons the partnership ended.
“We appreciate our staff and partners on this project and all the effort the group put forth to realize our vision of delivering a new and needed space offering resources and amenities adjacent to our busiest transit hub – Centro Plaza,” VIA President/CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt said in a statement. “Drastic changes to market conditions affecting such projects do not change the deep need for these community and infrastructure investments on the near-West Side, as for VIA customers and the traveling public.”
“When we embarked on the Scobey Complex Redevelopment Project with VIA, we were excited by the prospect of resurrecting a space that lies between Downtown and the West Side to help revitalize our historic and beloved community,” DreamOn President and Co-Founder Julissa Carielo said in a statement. “The vision created for Scobey provided hope and opportunity for many. We are proud of the work our Dream Team created and feel blessed to collaborate with such great local and regional partners, along with the great staff at VIA. Although we were not able to make this project happen, we will continue to look for opportunities to work together.”
In its statement, VIA said there remains a consensus that there is still potential with the Scobey warehouse project. The agency said it expects to revisit the idea once the market gets better.
Related Story from September: VIA Transit hears community feedback on future of Scobey building