SAN ANTONIO – The final piece of the property puzzle for a downtown baseball stadium could carry a big price tag for the San Antonio Missions and its partners.
But the alternatives could be worse.
Cash-strapped San Antonio ISD published a list of five conditions Wednesday for selling off a 2.3-acre parking lot on Camaron Street that sits in the proposed footprint of a $160 million minor-league baseball stadium. Those terms could include funding the construction of a new $45 million school building, the construction of a new parking garage, annual payments to the district and the guaranteed creation of affordable housing within its boundaries.
If the team and its partners balk at the terms, the district appears ready to squeeze them with less appealing alternatives.
If a negotiated sale doesn’t go through, staff said the district could open up the sale to everyone, meaning someone besides the team could snatch up the property with a higher bid.
A second alternative involves SAISD using its power of eminent domain to buy nearby property owned by downtown development group Weston Urban to be used for a new school building.
Weston Urban’s co-founders, Randy Smith and Graham Weston, are also members of the Missions ownership group, Designated Bidders. The developer is also responsible for developing the surrounding area to help fund the stadium with new tax dollars.
The board is scheduled to discuss the possible sale or exchange of the property during a board meeting next Monday.
“As the November 18 Board meeting approaches, the District looks forward to discussing potential paths forward that align with its commitment to quality education, community well-being, and strategic growth,” SAISD Board President Christina Martinez said in a news release.
District staff said representatives for the Missions ownership group approached the district in April in hopes of buying the property for market value. They also offered use of the stadium for playoff games and graduations, internships for SAISD students, fundraising opportunities, and use of the stadium for educational purposes.
In a Wednesday news release, the district said it was not originally interested in selling the Camaron Street property because it needs land in the area. However, SAISD administration and trustees “explored the sale of the Camaron Street property in exchange for acquiring land and parking facilities closer to Fox Tech and the central office.”
The district said a sale would have to include replacement parking for at least 250 vehicles. Additionally, for a negotiated sale to work, the city or county would likely have to be involved to get around a requirement to open up the sale to everyone through a sealed bid process.
Though the city and county have both signed memorandums of understanding on the broad outlines of a funding plan for the stadium. SAISD has not signed any agreements regarding the stadium project.
TERMS
Trustees have already discussed staff’s proposals during a closed-door session on Monday, but the Nov. 18 consideration will be out in the open. Staff have recommended the board set five conditions for the sale.
- SAISD superintendent appointed to seat on Houston Street TIRZ: The Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone channels back new tax revenue into further development projects in the area. The Houston Street TIRZ has both city and county-appointed board members, but SAISD wants a seat at the table, too.
- Fund new construction of a building for the Advanced Learning Academy (ALA): The district wants to consolidate its Advanced Learning Academy into a single building for Pre-K through 5th-grade students, but the plans for a stadium clash with the district’s plans for an expansion in the area. It suggests using TIRZ funds to help with the estimated $45 million price tag at a yet-to-be-determined location.
- Provide necessary parking with safe passage to the Fox Tech campus: The district proposes Bexar County build a new parking garage at Kingsbury and Flores Streets. The county would also build a pedestrian skyway to the Fox Tech campus across the street.
- Provide $400,000 per year to compensate for the loss of interest that could have been earned by SAISD if SAISD was to have sold the property through a sealed bid process: By going through a negotiated sale process, the district could be missing out on getting a higher sales price through a sealed-bid process. It suggests payments should continue until the new parking garage is owned by the district.
- Guarantee affordable housing in SAISD attendance zones: The ballpark project relies on surrounding development, which includes plans to demolish the 381-unit, low-cost Soap Factory Apartments. The district is already struggling with attendance rates and said the reduction of affordable housing contributes to fewer children in the urban core, working against the district’s interests. Its proposal includes a minimum of 1,250 affordable housing units developed within its attendance zones.
ALTERNATIVES
District staff laid out two possible alternatives if the team and its partners don’t like the terms.
- Pursue a sealed bid process to sell District property: The competitive “sealed bid” process is how the district said state law generally requires it to sell property. By putting the Camaron Street parking lot out for bid, it could bring in a higher price. Weston Urban and the Missions could still participate in the process, but so could others. The district could accept a bid or rejects all bids.
- Pursue eminent domain for Advanced Learning Academy expansion: SAISD said the proposed baseball stadium interferes with its own plans for expansion of the Advanced Learning Academy. If it can’t get the terms it wants for the 2.3-acre lot, the district could go in a completely different direction and try to snatch up other Weston Urban-owned property in the area using eminent domain to make room for a new Pre-K to 5th-grade building.
NO COMMENT
SAISD did not make anyone available for an on-camera interview on the proposed terms.
A spokesman for the Missions said the team had no comment on the unveiling of SAISD’s terms. Weston Urban CEO Randy Smith did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
A Bexar County spokesman said the county could not speak on behalf of the district about the status of the property sale.
A spokesman for the City of San Antonio did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
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