\u201cCities were doing this 60-70 years ago, and the attitude was that San Antonio was a low-wage city and it was [already] affordable to live here,\u201d Commissioner Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4) said. \u201c\u2026 But today, the court has signaled that [its members] understand that San Antonio and Bexar County have become too expensive for the average person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both the Missions\u2019 Minor League Baseball stadium<\/a> and proposed Spurs\u2019 NBA arena<\/a> are expected to add thousands of downtown housing units in sports and entertainment districts surrounding the respective projects.<\/p>\n But because the venues are partly funded by tax increment reinvestment zones<\/a> (or TIRZs), which collect property taxes from new development within a set geographic area, developers have said that new housing must be market rate to ensure there\u2019s enough money to repay stadium and arena bonds.<\/p>\n Despite plenty of concern from housing advocates who worry about the impact on the community\u2019s most vulnerable residents, no affordable units were planned as part of either project \u2014 until San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) negotiated a deal to sell one of the last parcels of land needed<\/a> to build the baseball stadium.<\/p>\n The district faces sinking enrollment that\u2019s forced it to close campuses<\/a> and lay off staff<\/a>, so in addition to payment for the land, SAISD asked for a plan to build affordable housing suitable for families of school-age children.<\/p>\n \u201cStudent enrollment directly impacts school funding, making the availability of affordable housing a vital factor in the district\u2019s financial health and mission to serve the community,\u201d then-SAISD Board President Christina Martinez said at the time, while rolling out asks that also included compensation for the land and a seat on the San Antonio Housing Trust board.<\/a><\/p>\n Now that the district\u2019s land sale is a go<\/a>, Bexar County Commissioners are trying to figure out how to make good on that promise \u2014 diving much deeper into an issue that\u2019s not a part of its traditional state-mandated responsibilities.<\/p>\n \u201cThis whole project is to help rebuild and revitalize the downtown, especially from a housing component,\u201d Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said of the baseball stadium deal. \u201cI think what\u2019s really significant for today is that \u2026 we\u2019re giving staff direction to create more affordable housing in the urban core.\u201d<\/p>\n The terms of the agreement<\/p>\n SAISD\u2019s agreement calls for the county to help facilitate housing that\u2019s \u201cfamily-oriented\u201d and affordable, within both the urban core and SAISD attendance zones.<\/p>\n The new housing must be available to those earning between 30% and 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI) levels<\/a>, meaning between about $32,000 and $77,000 for a family of four, and at least 500 of the units must be two- or three-bedroom.<\/p>\n So far the county\u2019s plan focuses on a 36-square mile zone<\/a> known as the Community Revitalization Action Group (CRAG) Area, which is centered on the San Fernando Cathedral, according to a presentation<\/a> at Commissioners Court on Tuesday.<\/p>\n It involves making some policy changes to help developers assemble the funding for such housing projects, including tax abatements, expanding the use of Public Facility Corporations to include more family-friendly properties, land banking and working to lower borrowing costs \u2014 ideas put forward in collaboration with those who would be pursuing project vouchers to build the new units.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a challenging, challenging goal, but it\u2019s a goal that\u2019s necessary in order for us to reverse years of people moving out of the urban core,\u201d said Walter Martinez, a consultant representing Prospera Housing Community Services at Tuesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n Overall, Bexar County leaders were excited about this shift in strategy, and voted 4-1 to move forward so developers can start proposing projects soon.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will build on the framework in the coming month with additional policy directives to reinforce these strategies,\u201d Sakai said. \u201cLet\u2019s get the job done. \u2026 Private sector, let\u2019s look at those projects.\u201d<\/p>\n Commissioner Grant Moody (Pct. 3), who cast the lone \u201cno\u201d vote on the framework, was skeptical about the \u201ccomplex\u201d and untested incentive strategy the county was setting into motion at the same time it\u2019s contributing to rising rents.<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t be able to hold back the market tide here downtown,\u201d said Moody, the court\u2019s lone Republican, who supported an affordable housing project for veterans just hours earlier in Tuesday\u2019s meeting. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are literally making downtown more and more expensive, the sports and entertainment district, and the billions of dollars that are going into downtown \u2014 then we\u2019re going to try to subsidize to continue to make housing more affordable at the same time we make it more expensive to go downtown,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Calvert, meanwhile, credited housing activists for a major county policy shift during the baseball stadium negotiations.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CommisionersCourt_Bexar_Budget_2025_09.09.2025_DiegoMedel-4-scaled-1.jpg\")
Bexar County commissioners shown meeting at the Bexar County Courthouse on Sept. 9. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Bria-Woods-Soap-Factory-displacement-baseball-field-Weston-Urban-downtown-Randy-Smith-TOP-9SEP2024-8.jpeg\")
Community members and housing advocates attend a forum outside of Soap Factory Apartments in September 2024. Credit: Bria Woods \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n