Betty Gerlach’s favorite thing to do is relax on her porch swing and look out at the sky.
The 80-year-old’s home on Arcadia Place in Alamo Heights was built in 1897 and sits on its original pier-and-beam foundation. She’s been there since 2009, when she moved to San Antonio from Houston with her husband, Otto.
But Gerlach’s view is in jeopardy.
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Local developer Embrey Partners has proposed building a five-story apartment complex with 300 units directly across the street, in place of the 106-unit Treehouse Apartments on Arcadia Place and the nearby St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church school, which is now closed.
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“I’ve got so many friends that have sat on my front porch, watching the fireworks at the country club nearby,” Gerlach said. “It’s just a wonderful place, and I’m not against progress, but I hope it’s something we can all live with.”
Gerlach, like her neighbors, isn’t opposed to the project as a whole, but simply the height and scale of it. Several homeowners in the area have put up signs in their yards to bring attention to the concern. “Height(s) Matters. Stick to the Code,” the signs read.
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In Alamo Heights, multifamily building heights generally are restricted to a maximum of 35 feet or three stories.
A rendering shows the proposed 300-unit apartment complex in Alamo Heights.
Rendering courtesy of Embrey Partners
Embrey applied for a specific use permit to build higher than the code allows, spurring Alamo Heights residents to attend recent city meetings in an attempt to keep the permit from being approved.
‘Need to go up’
Despite the opposition, the Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 3 recommended approving the plan, with conditions. The maximum allowed height has been set at 65 feet. The final decision will be made by the City Council, which is scheduled to take it up at its Sept. 14 meeting.
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Brad Knolle, executive vice president of development at Embrey, said the development won’t be feasible without all five stories.
“There’s a deed restriction on the property causing us to need to go up as opposed to building out to the street,” Knolle said. “We understand the concerns, and we’re using some design characteristics of the building to help minimize those concerns, but the reality is, we need the height to get the density to make the deal work.”
MORE ALAMO HEIGHTS NEWS: Alamo Heights projects cooking up new dining options, office space along Broadway
The apartment complex will feature upscale units, a swimming pool, a fitness center, a clubhouse and exterior courtyards. The complex will wrap around a six-story parking garage, designed so it will not be seen from the street. The company is considering adding on-street parking within the existing right-of-way to help accommodate adjacent retail along Broadway and improve the flow of traffic on the surrounding streets.
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San Antonio-based Lake Flato is the architect behind the project.
“Alamo Heights has very few Class A multifamily developments within the city,” Knolle said. “There’s plenty of development by the Pearl and on the Broadway corridor, so the city of Alamo Heights is losing that renter base to the city of San Antonio.”
Knolle said the company is working with the surrounding community to address their concerns.
Embrey Partners has proposed replacing Treehouse Apartments on Arcadia Place, shown here, with a five-story, 300-unit apartment complex.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
The company completed a traffic study, which revealed minimal impact during peak traffic hours. It also plans to purchase additional water capacity for the city to handle the additional residents.
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“We respect the neighbors’ opinions, and there’s a lot of ongoing daily communication with them, both in meetings and in writing,” Knolle said. “We have made concessions to the neighborhood to alleviate some of their concerns, not all of them, but some.
RELATED:‘With great sadness’: St. Peter Prince of the Apostles elementary school in Alamo Heights to close
Roots in Alamo Heights
“The Embrey family grew up in Alamo Heights, and we want to make sure it’s something the city can be proud of,” he added.
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Walter Embrey Jr. founded Embrey in 1974. The prominent real estate developer has served on the board of directors for the Alamo and held leadership roles at the Witte Museum and the University of Texas at Austin.
The firm specializes in multifamily and commercial projects and has, with partners, developed more than 6 million square feet of commercial property and 50,000 multifamily units in 11 states. San Antonio developments include Quarry Village/Artessa, Trinity Plaza I and II, Dwell at Legacy, the Brackenridge at Midtown, Tri County 35 Business Park I and II, the city of San Antonio Business and Development Services Center, Walzem Plaza, Titan Centre, Terrell Plaza and Research Business Park I and II.
“A lot of our employees live in the area and go to school there, so we’re very excited about the opportunity and hope we can continue to move it forward,” Knolle said.
Local real estate firm Ridgemont Properties owns the property, but Embrey is in control of it while under contract to purchase the buildings. Knolle said Embrey plans to begin demolition immediately after closing on the deal, set to occur by the first quarter of 2027, and complete construction by 2029.
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Natalie Vasquez Smith, who also lives on Arcadia Place, is among the coalition of neighbors who have reached out to Embrey to express their concerns.
“We support thoughtful redevelopment of this site and want a project that benefits the neighborhood,” she said. “Our concern has never been whether redevelopment should happen, but how it takes shape.”
A sign outside Betty Gerlach’s Alamo Heights home opposes a planned five-story, 300-unit apartment complex.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Neighbors seek compromise as project advances
Neighbors are hoping that as the project moves forward, the developers will keep their community in mind and reduce the “height and mass along the historic residential edge so the project complements the neighborhood rather than overshadows it,” she said.
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“This decision will set expectations for future development,” Smith said. “On behalf of our neighbors and the coalition, we continue to work with the developer to preserve the integrity, history and charm of Alamo Heights, and to shape this project, not stop it.”
Gerlach sees her historic home as the “poster child” for the neighborhood’s fight to secure a compromise.
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“My home’s been here a long time, and I hope it’ll be here a long time more,” she said.
As she leans back on her porch swing and looks out at the sky, she now spends an extra moment to take it all in while she can.
Betty Gerlach opens the interior shutters in her home office on Thursday, revealing an expansive view of her Alamo Heights neighborhood.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News