Brooks Development Authority leaders are eyeing sites within a 3-mile radius of the former Air Force base.
San Antonio Express-News file photo
In an effort to draw more employers to San Antonio’s Southeast Side, the Brooks Development Authority is taking control of a big piece of land outside the boundaries of the former Air Force Base it is redeveloping.
The San Antonio River Authority is giving 243 vacant acres south of Loop 410 along Southton Road to the development authority, which will spearhead platting and installing utilities and roads on the property.
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The two organizations’ leaders and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai described the transaction as part of a broader plan to prepare large swaths of land in San Antonio for companies searching for locations for major facilities. They said the size of the Southton property and its proximity to highways, railroad tracks and a proposed east-west freeway known as the South Texas Parkway could make it appealing to employers.
Brooks CEO Leo Gomez said the deal could serve as a pilot program for what the development authority could do with other large pieces of land.
“If we can do it with this property, we can do it with others,” he said.
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The transaction marks a major expansion for the development authority, which was created in 2002 to turn the de-commissioned, 1,308-acre Brooks base into a business park.
The base has attracted a mix of apartments, single-family houses, restaurants, stores, schools, trails, a hospital, a hotel and manufacturing facilities — an island of sorts on the city’s South Side, which has historically struggled to lure business investment and public amenities.
The development authority has landed companies in part because its land is exempt from property taxes, it is designated as a federal opportunity zone and it has a tax increment reinvestment zone. More than 1,400 people live at Brooks and over 3,000 people work there, with thousands more projected to arrive after future housing and facilities open. Property values in the area have soared.
About 300 acres of the original footprint is undeveloped, Gomez said. The development authority’s leaders started eyeing projects outside the boundaries several years ago to position it as a bigger force for development in the area, Gomez said. They consider sites within 3 miles of Brooks as their focus.
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The organization acquired 55 acres near San Antonio State Hospital in 2019. On a portion of the land, SAMMinistries is developing affordable housing and supportive services for chronically homeless people.
Brooks also has partnered with developer NRP Group on two deals to build tax-exempt, mixed-income apartments.
About three years ago, the development authority purchased 158 acres of a shuttered golf course and is leasing the land to Arboretum San Antonio, which plans to turn it into a public space showcasing a variety of trees and plants.
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Gomez said the deal with the river authority stemmed from conversations with Sakai about having sites ready to go for companies wanting to build major facilities, which could give San Antonio a boost in competing with other cities for projects. They dubbed the effort “Project Oso,” which is “bear” in Spanish, because Gomez originally thought the Southton property was owned by the county.
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The river authority acquired the property in 2007 with funds from the county, said general manager Derek Boese. The organization used it to store dirt it removed while building the Mission Reach section of the River Walk, which was completed in 2013. The river authority plans to use it for the same purpose for its initiative restoring West Side creeks and has permission from Brooks, Boese said.
The land must remain under public ownership, and both the river and development authorities are government entities.
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“This property represents an opportunity to think strategically about the long-term economic future of South San Antonio,” Boese said in a statement.
Gomez said the development authority will put some of its own dollars into upgrading the site but will also likely seek financial assistance. He didn’t specify who Brooks would ask for funding, but it would likely be the city or county.
“Brooks is not stopping at its boundaries. This region is hungry for development,” he said. “Brooks is a tool our community can use to continue what has happened on the former base in the region, and that’s what we intend to do.”
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