A set of design renderings and site plans for a reimagined Lone Star brewery made its debut last week before neighborhood residents eager to see what’s to come.
Though the plans represent a “vision” for the 32-acre site, and not the actual plans, say the developers, they signal a realistic and achievable reboot for the long-blighted Lone Star District.
And after 20 years of starts and stops that have frustrated neighbors and city leaders, residents remain skeptical but also inclined to embrace a project they’ve helped to guide since early this year.
But before any of the wide sidewalks, maker spaces and housing that the neighbors have said they want can be built, a roadway that runs along the north side of the brewery site needs an overhaul.
The two-lane Lone Star Boulevard, spanning from Probandt Street to Roosevelt Park, is less than half a mile of roadway, fenced on one side, that leads to the locked entry gate of Lone Star.
Slated for reconstruction in the 2017 bond, it was previously identified for $5 million in improvements, including widening, intersection improvements and pedestrian and bicycle facilities. By summer 2023, the project was put on hold and the funds reallocated as the brewery property was put back on the market.
‘Easy decision’
Now it’s the first task for Southstar, a single-family housing developer that acquired the property in January, and has since set about to remake it where others failed.
The developers kicked off a community input effort in March. One issue residents and stakeholders raised was the condition of Lone Star Boulevard.
“We have to do it, we want to do it,” Thad Rutherford, president and CEO of Southstar. “Usually, we don’t have a thing slapping us in the face that this is where you start. This is one that’s an easy decision for us.”
Improvements to Lone Star Boulevard would improve access to the site and neighborhood connectivity, he said, adding they want to do it now. “If it was up to us, we’d start tomorrow.”
With plans under review by the city, the work to reconstruct Lone Star Boulevard is likely to get going in early 2027, Rutherford said.
A rendering he presented to residents shows an improved roadway with fencing removed, landscaping, sidewalks and shade trees; but it’s more than a design concept, Rutherford said, like the kind often seen in a bond project.
“Ours is fully engineered,” he said. “It should get approval later this year.”
Improvement costs
Also, under review with the city is who will bear the cost of improving the public road, which is also undetermined. Rutherford said Southstar is committed to funding the project and is in discussions with the city on how it could be reimbursed.
San Antonio Report
“Everyone seems positive on agreeing that Lone Star Boulevard is a priority for this type of redeveloped project to get actually off the ground once and for all,” he said.
The developer said during the recent Lone Star Neighborhood Association meeting that he was reluctant to share any architectural renderings at this stage. Not only does it set expectations, he said, but through the design process, it could get better than what’s depicted.
“But if we don’t show these, there’s no soul, there’s no passion [pointing to] what is this going to feel like when it’s all said and done,” he said.
During the meeting, a Lone Star resident asked the developer for certainty that the old brewery would finally be made into something.
“I’ve seen about four of these kinds of presentations in the last 20 years,” said Juan Lopez, vice president of the neighborhood association. “It’s the same as all the other ones.”
Rutherford said he was “110%” confident.
Riverside icehouse
Another part of the overall project he sees as a priority is an icehouse-style restaurant, built along the river. “I think there’s a real opportunity for us to get this project started quickly and build over time that energy you all want to see every step of the way,” he said.
The developer also is in talks with the owners of the adjacent Newell recycling plant property along Probandt Street which would be incorporated into the overall Lone Star site plan.
As for the graffiti-covered brewhouse at the center of the site, the developer is seeking historic tax credits that could reduce the developer’s tax liability, and has made no definite plans yet. There’s more to come.
“This site so deserves to be something for the community,” Rutherford said. “Just putting up a fence and making it safe isn’t good enough.”
An online survey soliciting input on the project remains open to the public.
This story originally appeared in the San Antonio Report.