SAN ANTONIO – The Brooks Development Authority is taking control of 243 acres on San Antonio’s South Side with plans to make the property shovel-ready for large employers as part of an initiative called Project Oso.
The project is a partnership involving Brooks, Bexar County and the San Antonio River Authority. No major tenant has been announced yet, but Brooks says the property is being prepared so it can compete when that opportunity comes.
Leo Gomez, CEO of Brooks, said the site could support significant job growth.
“Easily another 2,000-3,000 people working for an employer on that piece of property if not more,” he said.
The site sits about 1.7 miles south of the Brooks campus. Gomez pointed to what has already happened at the former air force base as evidence of what is possible on the South Side.
“The South Side is on fire. It’s hot. We have major employers who have selected the South Side for many good reasons,” Gomez said.
Brooks also recently announced a $200 million advanced manufacturing project expected to create up to 3,000 jobs. Gomez said the authority plans to use the same financial model at the new site that it uses on the Brooks campus.
“We operate on lease revenue and sales revenue. That’s the model we’ve used on the Brooks campus and that’s the same model we’ll use here,” he said.
Joe Lutton, who lives near the Project Oso site, said he welcomes the growth but has concerns about the area’s roads.
“I’d be really concerned about the streets and roads. It’s real small and it’s dangerous right now. They’d have to do some work on the roadway over here. Other than that, jobs are jobs and you need those,” Lutton said.
Lutton said he moved back to the South Side a couple of years ago after living in other parts of the country and was struck by how much the area had already changed.
“I was shocked when I moved back at how much it’s grown here. Brooks, all that area, all the retail and everything they grew there. All the subdivisions they’re adding here. I see where the growth is coming,” he said.
Brooks says it will take 3-5 years until the site is “shovel-ready” for an employer to build on.
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