Several residents are furious at the city, and they aren't backing down. East-side residents say views and property values near the Hays Street Bridge will all be ruined if a new development goes in.
On Friday, City Manager Sheryl Sculley signed off on the plan to build a five-story apartment complex north of the bridge. But in the letter to the builder, she added 11 stipulations in an effort to address the concerns of the citizens. But they still say: "Keep private hands off public land."
Darryl Steadman has a personal connection to this fight. His father, for several years, helped restore and protect it. "One of the things he made me promise him was that I would continue the fight to save the bridge land," he said.
Steadman said for his late father, the Hays Street Bridge was a labor of love. He and a group of citizens are fighting with the city because a developer wants to build a five-story apartment complex in this vacant lot. They say this empty lot was originally donated to build a park, not for that kind of development.
Former San Antonio City Councilman Mario Salas said it is more than just a bridge, it is about bridging sides. "To obstruct people's views, and in effort that looks to me to be pure gentrification if nothing else, it just doesn't rub me well at all," he said. "Especially since we fought real hard to get to this point."
The citizens said they aren't buying into the city manager's stipulations to the developer. In part, she asks to reduce the overall building height or changing the massing to incorporate a greater setback from Cherry and Lamar Streets.
"If it was a stipulation she would have said it can't be a five-story building," Steadman said. "Do you see a five-story building? It will dwarf these historic homes in this area."
Now, the developer has 60 days to consider this new plan with these add-ons to the city's Design Review Committee. Meanwhile, the residents say this fight has just started, and they hope City Council will intervene.