{"id":455741,"date":"2026-10-04T01:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T01:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/455741\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T01:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T01:18:10","slug":"ashby-place-adds-restaurant-symbolizes-missing-middle-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/455741\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashby Place adds restaurant, symbolizes ‘missing middle’ housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

What started as a vision for a 16-unit boutique apartment<\/a> complex is quickly growing on an entire intersection near downtown.<\/p>\n

Ryan Reed and Sara Villarreal are completing Ashby Place, a two-story multifamily project near San Pedro Springs Park, this fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of broader efforts to build infill development on vacant or underutilized lots and build medium-sized housing developments to bolster the local housing supply.<\/p>\n

Gabrielle Herrera, a City of San Antonio spokesperson for the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department called it \u201cmissing middle\u201d housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissing Middle Housing (MMH) includes a range of housing types that contain more than one housing unit but less than larger multi-family, such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and cottage courts,\u201d she said. \u201cProviding a range of housing types expands affordability and provides opportunities for residents to live closer to the resources and services they rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Villarreal and Reed, the team behind the new VillaReed Partners, have plans that go beyond one new housing development.<\/p>\n

A new sandwich shop \u2014 Iggy\u2019s Hot Corner \u2014 will move into the commercial space next to the new apartments on the corner of Flores Street and Ashby Place. Across the street, Villarreal and Reed are preparing another mixed-use project with multifamily housing and commercial space, transforming the intersection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really see it as the entire intersection being activated,\u201d Reed said. \u201cWe see this whole Ashby-Flores intersection as being part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new restaurant<\/p>\n

Sam Chiappone has been cooking for two decades, but the new bodega and Italian sandwich shop coming to the corner of Flores and Ashby will be his first solo venture.<\/p>\n

Chiappone, who has also worked with San Antonio chef Chris Cullum and at pizza joint Barbaro, is still honing in on the exact vibe; construction is still under way. But he plans to have a small retail space for other snacks and drinks. His menu will be inspired by his family and Italian heritage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chiappone knows there will be Chicago-style Italian beef and Philly-style roast pork sandwiches, along with a play on a muffaletta and something called a Bulldog, a grilled cheese with marinara and pepperoni that references his Midwestern roots. He\u2019s also working on a pescatarian sandwich.<\/p>\n

\u201cExpect a simple product put together well. Expect affordability. I\u2019m exhausted by the $12, $14, $16 sandwiches. They\u2019re not going to be footlongs, but they\u2019re going to be friendly to the pocket,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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

He plans to have televisions and an outdoor patio space. Chiappone loves the San Antonio Spurs and watching soccer \u2014 both sports will be shown.<\/p>\n

\u201cAesthetically, it\u2019ll be like Honky Tonk meets a man-cave. A Texas dive bar with TVs. Those are my two favorite things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Chiappone wants it to be unique in San Antonio, while also offering space for nearby residents to come spend time. He plans to sell wine and beer and open this fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith that apartment complex right there, I want it to be a hangout, not only for that apartment complex, but for the neighborhood,\u201d Chiappone said.<\/p>\n

Complimenting the neighborhood<\/p>\n

Villarreal said that vision is exactly what they wanted for the corner commercial building. It\u2019s what the developers are hoping to bring to the entire intersection.<\/p>\n

VillaReed isn\u2019t building large, monolithic apartment complexes. They want to create smaller-scale buildings that fit aesthetically with the local neighborhood.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re calling their first project on the northeast corner of Flores Street and Ashby Place Phase I. Phase II will go on the northwest corner of the intersection, where the owner of a small flower shop has decided to retire and sell Villarreal and Reed the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt won\u2019t be a mirror copy of what you see in Phase I, but it will be complimentary and it will be very respectful of what you see in Phase I,\u201d Villarreal said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ashby Place developers Ryan Reed and Sara Villarreal in the old filling station on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The filling station is being outfitted to house a restaurant at Ashby Place. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

There will be slightly more units in Phase II and more commercial space.<\/p>\n

Reed and Villarreal are hoping the entire neighborhood benefits from their development. They\u2019re in communication with the nearby San Pedro Playhouse and San Pedro Springs Park Conservancy to revitalize the park and better connect it to Ashby Place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis area was waiting for a catalyst to get it going,\u201d Reed said. \u201cWe really see this area continuing to lift, especially after these two projects are done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u2018missing middle\u2019<\/p>\n

San Antonio is set to add 600,000 new residents by 2050, according to University of Texas at San Antonio researchers in a project presented last year<\/a>. Those same researchers suggested building housing for those new residents within the urban core, close to existing infrastructure, and identified 7,000 acres of vacant or underutilized land for such projects.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a housing strategy city officials are taking note of as they try to encourage smaller and mid-sized multifamily units in those spaces. Herrera said there are challenges to building those projects, but the City of San Antonio is trying to help developers work around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissing Middle Housing opportunities are important in established, central neighborhoods where housing demand is high but land is scarce, and residents have greater access to public transportation, employment centers, schools and walkable amenities,\u201d Herrera said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough several strategies, staff is working with stakeholders to develop a MMH incentive program and will coordinate proposed UDC amendments for consideration to remove code related barriers to this type of development,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Ashby Place apartment building will feature 16 one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment units for lease in the Alta Vista neighborhood. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Ashby Place is financed by Broadway Bank. Andrew Ozuna, the bank\u2019s senior vice president, said there are several challenges to this kind of infill development, which are often at sites with old buildings or standing environmental issues.<\/p>\n

That requires bringing old buildings up to new codes and creative financing packages that make future rents affordable, as well as committed developers with vision and experience, like Reed and Villarreal.<\/p>\n

But successful infill projects are often attractive to residents and can create more opportunities in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s creating that catalyst, working on that one project that creates a catalyst for more development,\u201d Ozuna said. \u201cThese projects provide some of the amenities that people are looking for as they move into the downtown space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ozuna said Broadway Bank has invested in other developments along the Ashby Place corridor, for example. He sees Villarreal and Reed\u2019s project as a continuation of that trend. VillaReed had a strong vision, pairing a stable mid-sized housing development with a retail opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou create a stronger tax base. You increase population. That\u2019s more potential customers for Broadway Bank and a stronger community,\u201d Ozuna added.<\/p>\n

Discussing gentrification<\/p>\n

Villarreal and Reed both emphasized their desire to fit in with the neighborhood. Chiappone was committed to serving residents that live around Ashby Place with affordable food and a restaurant that will change to meet their needs. But catalyzing development does leave the door for further change.<\/p>\n

In UT San Antonio\u2019s 2025 Vacancy to Vitality project<\/a>, researchers mapped out neighborhoods that could be vulnerable to displacement and required support and affordable housing to remain affordable to longtime residents.<\/p>\n

Villarreal said she wants the Ashby Place project to add to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply committed to respecting the character and history of this area. Our entire approach is additive\u2014taking an underutilized property and bringing it back to life to serve the neighborhood,\u201d she said. \u201cAshby Place preserves the original 1920s commercial building while introducing gentle density at a scale that naturally belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gentrification is one of the big concerns Broadway Bank hears from residents as it works on infill development, Ozuna said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have an easy answer for that. The city needs to invest in itself,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do our part to invest in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What started as a vision for a 16-unit boutique apartment complex is quickly growing on an entire intersection…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455742,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12871,52721,17955,110,3222,156310,40982,60706,84162,67,52723,156311,82,84,83,52725,92,3028],"class_list":["post-455741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-apartment","tag-ashby-place","tag-culinary","tag-development","tag-housing","tag-iggys-hot-corner","tag-infill-development","tag-missing-middle-housing","tag-neighborhood-and-housing-services-department","tag-restaurant","tag-ryan-reed","tag-sam-chiappone","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-san-pedro-springs-park","tag-top-story","tag-typedaily"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455741","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=455741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}