SAN ANTONIO — Having secured go-aheads from the City of San Antonio and Bexar County leaders, the group planning a downtown baseball stadium for the Missions was only waiting on San Antonio ISD to serve up a pitch it can knock out of the proverbial park.
Turns out the wind-up is taking longer than expected, and the pitch will be that much tougher to hit. Trustees with the city's third-biggest district met Monday night expecting to decide which of five potential sets of terms a vital piece of land owned by SAISD is worth, only to say they want all or nothing.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as hard-ball," said Deputy Superintendent Patti Salzmann. "It’s to help us meet the needs of our students’ families and communities. Just as that property is very significant to them, our student community is very significant to them.”
Developer Weston Urban and the Missions ownership group are trying to buy a parcel of land on Camaron Street currently used for SAISD offices and its Fox Tech campus—land that represents the final hurdle to clear for planning on the $160 million stadium to reach full throttle.
But rather than vote on how to respond to their request for the land – specifically, what to ask for in return – SAISD trustees said Weston Urban must accept all of their terms, including building more than 1,000 new affordable housing units, if they want the land along Camaron. If some aren't met, the land won't be sold.
Those terms include appointing SAISD's superintendent to a seat on the board of the Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), which will primarily fund the ballpark and surrounding development; using TIRZ funds to build a new Advanced Learning Academy; building a new parking garage to more safely access Fox Tech; paying $400,000 a year to "compensate for a loss of interest" SAISD would have earned; and providing at least 1,250 affordable housing within SAISD zones.
SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino called it a "fair counter-offer."
"We believe this is the right thing to do," he said. "(It) aligns to our values of promoting our educational vision, supporting our students’ families and promoting affordable housing that is the lifeblood of a district that’s facing declining enrollment.”
The decision, which was unanimous, effectively puts the ball back in Weston Urban's court with a deadline of Dec. 9. SAISD trustees next meet on Dec. 16.
The board's vote was preceded by hours of public comments that saw a majority of speakers voice opposition to the development of a stadium, including some of the Soap Factory apartments complex that stands to be razed to make way for it.
Alejandra Lopez, president of the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, commended the board for asking what they thought the district deserved in a transaction centered on the potential stadium.
"If you are going to sell this land, it should be in the best interest of the SAISD community," Lopez said. "If Weston Urban and the Missions owners are truly invested in supporting SAISD the way they claim they are, then that support should include investment that can be leveraged toward infrastructure throughout our district.”
The group behind the double-A Minor League Baseball venue hope to have it build by spring of 2028. Planners have said would have the capacity to seat 4,500 while accommodating up to 8,000.
Should those involved with the stadium planning effort not agree with the package of terms, San Antonio ISD will either pursue selling the land through sealed bids or pursuing eminent domain against Weston Urban in order to build its Advanced Learning Academy.
