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Interior of Blush on South Alamo Street.<\/p>\n
Polly Anna Rocha\/MySA<\/p>\n
April 2026 marked the end of a years-long construction project<\/a> that obstructed the intersection of South Alamo Street and Durango Boulevard, barricading Southtown off from the rest of downtown. Six months after the construction wrapped, it appears that the newly open streets haven’t led to significant gains for some neighborhood businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n The $59 million street project began in 2022 and was finally completed in April of this year, extending well beyond its projected 2024 completion date. In the time between, nearly a dozen businesses in the area<\/a> folded or left Southtown for greener pastures, including K\u00fcnstler Tap Haus, Cascabel and Barrio Dogg. The businesses that did stick around had to endure extended closures of two major streets that previously led to their businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The intersection of South Alamo Street and Durango Boulevard, which reopened in April 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Polly Anna Rocha\/MySA<\/p>\n In 2024, MySA spoke to a number of local business owners<\/a>, including chef Rene Fernandez, whose restaurants, Azuca Nuevo Latino and Hola!, were on the brink of closing as construction dragged on. We checked back with the chef six months after the roadways opened, and Fernandez told us that, despite the streets being cleared, foot traffic for Southtown businesses hasn’t improved much.<\/p>\n “We see a lot of local people on Fridays and Saturdays, but during the week we normally bank on the tourism and the conventions,” Fernandez said. “We don\u2019t see [tourism] bleeding into the restaurants over here.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Interior of Hola! in Southtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n Polly Anna Rocha\/MySA<\/p>\n Fernandez also noted the lack of readily available, affordable parking for customers, adding that more free and less expensive parking options could entice people, especially locals, to visit Southtown more often. The chef recently opened Park @ 510 Deli & Market<\/a> at the Pereida House in Hemisfair, which has access to on-site paid parking.<\/p>\n Blush Restaurant & Bakery<\/a> opened on South Alamo Street in March 2023, a few months after the street project broke ground. Owner Efren Moreno sat down with MySA at the restaurant on Thursday, October 15, to discuss the impact, or lack thereof, of the construction ending just a few blocks away. Like Fernandez, Moreno hasn’t seen much of an uptick in diners coming in from the convention center or other downtown attractions, aside from special events, which do play a part in bringing people out.<\/p>\n “You could definitely tell when there’s concert days or something like that. We’ll see a lot more foot traffic for sure,” Moreno said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Blush Restaurant & Bakery will soon be open for dinner service.<\/p>\n Polly Anna Rocha\/MySA<\/p>\n To stave off stagnation, Moreno said that Blush is adapting and finding new ways to serve customers, including extending hours at the brunch-forward restaurant to cater to dinner crowds, a change that will take effect by the end of the month. Later in the conversation, he commented on the incoming Project Marvel<\/a>, which is supposed to bring revitalization and more construction to nearby streets.<\/p>\n “I think every metropolitan city is looking for ways that they’re continuously evolving and bringing things that are attracting people from outside to enjoy, whether it’s locals or tourists,” Moreno said. “I think us as a city investing in the area just makes sense for progress. I know not everybody is for the way it’s going down, but I think it’s necessary to keep growing.”<\/p>\n Baristas working behind the bar at Stranded Coffee.\u00a0<\/p>\n Polly Anna Rocha\/MySA<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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