SAN ANTONIO – A project to provide permanent housing and support services for chronically homeless people got a timely nod from Bexar County Commissioners.
The five member court voted 3-0 Tuesday, with Commissioners Tommy Calvert and Grant Moody abstaining, to provide $3.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to the Commons at Acequia Trails project.
San Antonio Metropolitan Ministry (SAMMinistries) wants to build a 200-unit, apartment-style permanent supportive housing facility on South Presa Street and Old Corpus Christi Road. The group will use seven of the 55 acres owned by Brooks, though the city recently approved rezoning for 12 acres.
“This investment provides a permanent solution for some of our community’s most vulnerable, and it will help save the lives of mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, seniors, veterans, and friends,” said SAMMinistries President & CEO Nikisha Baker
Though the county is providing a small portion of the $43 million project, which also received money from the City of San Antonio, its supporters said the timelines for other funding and tax credits made it necessary to pass Tuesday.
Brady Alexander from the Hot Wells Mission Reach Neighborhood Association said there had not been enough community engagement and repeatedly referred to the project as “segratory (sic) housing.”
“You cannot continue to support and not reintegrate those into society to have a meaningful place. It is just kicking the can down the road and a permanent version of Haven for Hope,” Alexander said.
Baker acknowledged her group could have reached out to neighbors earlier but also said their engagement efforts since November have been “thoughtful and consistent.”
Commissioner Calvert (P4), who represents the project area, tried to delay a vote on the funding, but none of his colleagues supported the idea. He also tried to wring some guarantees out of Brooks President and CEO Leo Gomez, asking if Brooks would commit to using at least one-third of the remaining property for market-rate development.
Gomez told Calvert he had been clear in a previous meeting that he “could not support one-third” but that Brooks plans to follow the SA Tomorrow plan and generally develop the property in a way that includes mixed-income housing and retail.
“Let me tell you, the better the mix, the better it’s going to be,” Gomez said. “I cannot commit to an arbitrary number of 33%. It may be 50%, it may be 32%. But our commitment is to make sure we have a healthy, vibrant, mixed-use community that helps create prosperity in this corner of San Antonio.”
Calvert abstained from the vote over what he said were his concerns with the process - though he said that was not the fault of SAMMinistries or the neighborhood association.
Moody abstained because he was concerned about the terms of the funding, which county staff said would be provided as a loan.
Tuesday’s vote allows outside counsel to develop the funding terms, which County Judge Peter Sakai would execute.
Even so, Sakai said he plans to bring the issue back up at the Mar. 26 commissioners court meeting for discussion.
