{"id":121200,"date":"2026-01-13T12:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T12:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/121200\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T12:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T12:05:14","slug":"developers-near-san-pedro-springs-park-prioritize-neighborhood-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/121200\/","title":{"rendered":"Developers near San Pedro Springs Park prioritize neighborhood fit"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Sara Villareal and Ryan Reed bought property on the corner of Ashby Place and North Flores Street in the Alta Vista neighborhood in April 2025, their first thought was how their vision would mesh with the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really responded to the existing environment and celebrated what\u2019s there,\u201d Villareal said.<\/p>\n

Villareal and Reed decided to build 16 apartment units and turn a 1920s Gulf Oil filling station into a small restaurant. The development is called Ashby Place and they plan to complete it by early summer.<\/p>\n

They wanted to build a new kind of infill development in the neighborhoods near downtown, they said, and prioritize its accessibility and fit with the community.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ashby Place developers Ryan Reed and Sara Villarreal at the construction site on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The development will feature 16 apartment units and an on-site restaurant. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my perspective, it was very thoughtful. They want to amplify what\u2019s good about the neighborhood,\u201d said Asia Ciaravino, president and CEO of the San Pedro Playhouse, which sits across the street from the new development.<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Playhouse sold the land for Ashby Place to Reed and Villareal after they pitched their concept, Ciaravino said. The land had been vacant for a decade, Ciaravino said, and there had been issues with vandalism and lighting with the empty filling station building.<\/p>\n

Someone needed to activate the property, she said, and she looks forward to seeing housing and a business that are embedded into the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat will be cool, to have something that isn\u2019t corporate, that fits in the neighborhood,\u201d Ciaravino said.<\/p>\n

Ashby Place will be near bus lines plus San Pedro Playhouse and San Pedro Springs Park, a historic green space with a pool, library and tennis courts.<\/p>\n

This is Villareal and Reed\u2019s first development project. They met through San Antonio\u2019s Urban Land Institute. Both had an interest in adaptive reuse and wanted to focus on development adjacent to downtown. Their new partnership, VillaReed Partners LLC, will continue that work. Villareal works in commercial real estate and Reed is a designer.<\/p>\n

\u2018Gentle density\u2019<\/p>\n

The Ashby Place site was attractive for a combination of reasons, they said. Development from Pearl is slowly moving west and additions like VIA\u2019s Rapid Green Line dedicated bus lane on San Pedro will make the site more attractive.<\/p>\n

Some experts and city officials have advocated for more development near public transportation. In 2024, the city passed new zoning rules<\/a> supporting transit-oriented development.<\/p>\n

A recent UT San Antonio study<\/a> identified underutilized land around proposed transit corridors and noted that developers could prioritize infill development \u2014 building on vacant parcels in urbanized areas.<\/p>\n

Villareal and Reed wanted the new apartments across the street from the park to fit into the existing, primarily single-family home neighborhood while bringing in new multi-family housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s called gentle density, we\u2019re in a neighborhood, after all,\u201d Villareal said. \u201cWe wanted something that would celebrate that design and aesthetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The exterior of the old filling station being converted into a restaurant and cafe at Ashby Place on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just dropping a block in the middle [of the neighborhood] that you can see anywhere else in the country,\u201d Reed added.<\/p>\n

The pair spoke with the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association and worked with the San Pedro Playhouse to build something that fit with the existing environment.<\/p>\n

All 16 units are one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments. They\u2019re 560 square feet with in-unit washers and dryers, walk-in closets and walk-in showers. Reed and Villareal said the apartments will be rented at the market rate, which is lower than in neighborhoods to the east, like Pearl.<\/p>\n

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition<\/a>, a one-bedroom apartment in the zip code surrounding San Pedro Springs Park has a market rate of $1,160 per month. A one-bedroom apartment around Pearl has a market rate rent of $1,720, according to NLIHC.<\/p>\n

For the former gas station space, Reed and Villareal want a restaurant tenant that is accessible to the neighborhood, both physically and financially, and is open at weekday meal times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe relationship between this space and our residents is really important,\u201d Villareal said.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t have a tenant yet, they said, and are prioritizing a restaurateur that fits with their vision. Renovations to the former gas station will start in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Ciaravino said the playhouse is excited by that possibility. There aren\u2019t many food and beverage options around San Pedro Springs Park, and a cafe or restaurant across the street will be good for customers and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really will be working together with that restaurant, hand in hand,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s such a desire and need for it to be that close, not only for patrons, but for artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changes at San Pedro Springs Park<\/p>\n

Ashby Place isn\u2019t the only change in the local landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Villareal and Reed noted that development from Pearl is slowly moving west through Tobin Hill. On San Pedro Avenue, VIA has started working on its new rapid transit Green Line, which could start service in 2028<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"\"Developers Villarreal and Reed purchased the lot directly across the street from the San Pedro Springs Playhouse to build Ashby Place. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Ciaravino said the playhouse, a century-old, city-owned theater, is considering an expansion, possibly in 2029, to add performance, rehearsal and education spaces. That includes expanding audience capacity and adding dedicated classrooms.<\/p>\n

There is a growing demand for arts education programs, she said, and the playhouse is looking at constructing another building. Ciaravino added that the San Pedro Playhouse was planning to conduct a feasibility study for expansion efforts.<\/p>\n

San Pedro Springs Park is the oldest in the city, according to the City of San Antonio\u2019s website, and now a group of community members are organizing a conservancy to support and advocate for the park. The Spanish government set aside the park for public use in the 18th century and the City Council officially created a reserve around the springs in 1852.<\/p>\n

Doug McMurry, the conservancy\u2019s director, said the conservancy is brand new \u2014 2026 will be its first full year in operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe park has such historical significance. It needs a little TLC,\u201d McMurry said.<\/p>\n

The new conservancy wants to work with the city on improvements, support events at the park and fundraise to build resources for those efforts. Villa and Reed are both involved on the conservancy\u2019s board. McMurry said he was looking forward to Ashby Place adding more food and beverage options around the park.<\/p>\n

Luis Miguel Martinez is leading the conservancy\u2019s design committee. He and McMurry did not lay out a timeline for any updates, but said they were focused on long-term improvements, not one particular project. Martinez said the conservancy is focused on small improvements to landscaping, lighting, pedestrian accessibility and historical preservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to be a collaborative partner to the city \u2014 helping raise resources, align stakeholders, and ensure that any improvements are additive and durable rather than disruptive,\u201d he wrote in an email.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Sara Villareal and Ryan Reed bought property on the corner of Ashby Place and North Flores Street…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[52720,52721,52722,40980,52723,82,84,83,52724,5430,52725,52726,92,3028,52727,3440],"class_list":{"0":"post-121200","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-alta-vista","9":"tag-ashby-place","10":"tag-doug-mcmurry","11":"tag-green-line","12":"tag-ryan-reed","13":"tag-san-antonio","14":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","15":"tag-san-antonio-news","16":"tag-san-pedro-avenue","17":"tag-san-pedro-playhouse","18":"tag-san-pedro-springs-park","19":"tag-sara-villareal","20":"tag-top-story","21":"tag-typedaily","22":"tag-via-green-line","23":"tag-wc-1000-1500"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}