SAN ANTONIO – A 2.3-acre piece of land on Camaron Street near San Pedro Creek Park and West Martin Street is just one point of contention for neighbors as the San Antonio Missions downtown baseball stadium debate continues.
The San Antonio Independent School District said as of Oct. 7, it has yet to decide whether to sell the property to the downtown development group Weston Urban. Weston Urban, along with the San Antonio Missions’ ownership group, Designated Bidders, is hoping to construct a new baseball stadium for the team downtown.
SAISD held a town hall Monday night for neighbors to express support or concerns about a potential sale of the district’s property on Camaron St. However, neighbors quickly shifted focus to the potential displacement some would face with this move. That’s because Weston Urban would have to purchase several pieces of land to build the stadium downtown, “Weston Urban owns the majority of downtown property already,” one neighbor said.
“We deserve to be a part of a district that’s going to stand up for them and their family against developers and wealthy individuals,” another downtown resident said. “Have some compassion and think of the people that they’re displacing,” neighbor Megan Navarro said.
“A lot of the people they’re displacing are the most vulnerable in society,” one neighbor said.
However, a handful of neighbors support the stadium’s move downtown.
“The potential may be of internships and design opportunities of community festivals,” one neighbor mentioned in support of the Missions’ move to downtown. “[Fox Tech is] a landlocked high school, so this is the potential of somewhere to run that’s safe for our cross-country team that’s doing really well.” “My neighbors and I do support the stadium,” another resident said in support. “We don’t need any more social-based nonprofits. They just come in and take from our community and then leave.”
However, several people are worried about the homes that are near where the stadium could end up.
“It’s going to create traffic issues. It’s going to affect our taxes, our property taxes,” Araceli Herrera said. Herrera voiced her concerns in Spanish and a translator with the district translated for her.
“Is it bad enough that we do not make enough money based on what we get paid for us to be able to make a living? And now adding back this kind of insult to injury, it’s just not okay,” Herrera said.
SAISD has not yet agreed to a memorandum of understanding, also known as an MOU, or any contract to sell the Camaron Street property at this time.
The city has approved a formal, non-binding agreement outlining tentative financing, development, construction, and operations. On Oct. 8, the county will consider an MOU similar to the city’s.