Betty Gerlach\u2019s favorite thing to do is relax on her porch swing and look out at the sky.<\/p>\n
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The 80-year-old\u2019s home on Arcadia Place in Alamo Heights was built in 1897 and sits on its original pier-and-beam foundation. She\u2019s been there since 2009, when she moved to San Antonio from Houston with her husband, Otto.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Gerlach\u2019s view is in jeopardy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Local developer Embrey Partners<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n RELATED: After 50 years in business, Embrey branches into build-to-rent, private equity<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got so many friends that have sat on my front porch, watching the fireworks at the country club nearby,\u201d Gerlach said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a wonderful place, and I\u2019m not against progress, but I hope it\u2019s something we can all live with.\u201d<\/p>\n Gerlach, like her neighbors, isn\u2019t 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. \u201cHeight(s) Matters. Stick to the Code,\u201d the signs read.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In Alamo Heights, multifamily building heights generally are restricted to a maximum of 35 feet or three stories.<\/p>\n A rendering shows the proposed 300-unit apartment complex in Alamo Heights.<\/p>\n Rendering courtesy of Embrey Partners<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Need to go up\u2019<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Brad Knolle<\/a>, executive vice president of development at Embrey, said the development won\u2019t be feasible without all five stories.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a deed restriction on the property causing us to need to go up as opposed to building out to the street,\u201d Knolle said. \u201cWe understand the concerns, and we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE ALAMO HEIGHTS NEWS:\u00a0Alamo Heights projects cooking up new dining options, office space along Broadway<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n San Antonio-based Lake Flato<\/a> is the architect behind the project.<\/p>\n \u201cAlamo Heights has very few Class A multifamily developments within the city,\u201d Knolle said. \u201cThere\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Knolle said the company is working with the surrounding community to address their concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Embrey Partners has proposed replacing\u00a0Treehouse Apartments on Arcadia Place, shown here, with a five-story, 300-unit apartment complex.<\/p>\n Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe respect the neighbors\u2019 opinions, and there\u2019s a lot of ongoing daily communication with them, both in meetings and in writing,\u201d Knolle said. \u201cWe have made concessions to the neighborhood to alleviate some of their concerns, not all of them, but some.<\/p>\n RELATED:\u2018With great sadness\u2019: St. Peter Prince of the Apostles elementary school in Alamo Heights to close<\/a><\/p>\n Roots in Alamo Heights<\/p>\n \u201cThe Embrey family grew up in Alamo Heights, and we want to make sure it\u2019s something the city can be proud of,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Walter Embrey Jr.<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of our employees live in the area and go to school there, so we\u2019re very excited about the opportunity and hope we can continue to move it forward,\u201d Knolle said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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