Trustees for the San Antonio Independent School District are expected to vote Monday, Nov. 18, on a proposal to sell district land to the owners of the Missions baseball team.
San Antonio ISD leaders posted their recommended terms for the land sale Wednesday. The proposed counteroffer includes a new building for the Advanced Learning Academy, a parking garage for the Fox Tech campus, $400,000 a year for 30 years, and a seat for the superintendent on the board of the tax zone that will finance the ballpark development.
SAISD’s proposal also asks for a guarantee that at least 1,250 units of affordable housing be built within the school district
“We believe affordable housing for families with school-aged children is the lifeblood of the school district,” SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino said Thursday on TPR’s The Source. “It also revitalizes our communities in the city and the county.”
The owners of the minor league team need to purchase 2.3 acres of SAISD land in order to build a new stadium downtown. City and county leaders have already signed agreements supporting the development.
SAISD’s proposal stipulates that more than 500 of the 1,250 affordable housing units should have at least two bedrooms, and that the price of the units should comply with federal guidelines, reserving some units for households earning up to 60% of San Antonio’s median income, some for households earning up to 50%, and some for very low-income households earning up to 30%.
It’s unclear who would guarantee the housing is built or how they would guarantee it. Those elements would likely be determined in negotiations after SAISD’s board votes on the proposal.
One of the more controversial aspects of the downtown stadium is that it would displace residents of the Soap Factory Apartments, a complex that is more affordable than most downtown apartments.
SAISD’s proposal said that “reducing affordable and appropriate housing for families in the urban core contributes to the reduction in the number of school aged children and works against SAISD’s interests.”
Aquino said Thursday that SAISD had no plans to sell the 2.3 acres needed for the ballpark stadium before the owners of the Missions asked to purchase it.
“This land was not a surplus property. Actually, currently, as we're sitting here, it is used for parking for our students and staff for the Fox campus—our high school,” Aquino said. “So, there was no intention of us selling it.”
Aquino said SAISD also planned to use the land to build a campus large enough for the Advanced Learning Academy, which is currently split between two campuses due to high demand for the choice school.
SAISD’s proposed terms include paying for the construction of a new $45 million Advanced Learning Academy building for Pre-K through 5th grade at a to-be-determined location using funds from the same tax zone that will fund the ballpark.
It also expects Bexar County to build a new parking garage for the Fox Tech campus to compensate for the loss of the current parking lot on Camaron Street.
Aquino said the district's request for $400,000 a year for the land sale is “exactly what we anticipate we will get if we were to sell that property right now in a sealed bid.”
The annual payment would conclude when ownership of the parking garage and the Quincy garage transfers to SAISD in 30 years.
“We do feel that though it seems like a lot, this is a reasonable term for us that align with our values,” Aquino said. “Making sure that there is an investment in our school district. Making sure that we can increase our enrollment by having the affordable housing. We need the parking for our staff and our students.”
SAISD trustees will vote to accept or amend Aquino’s proposed sale terms November 18. Once the terms have board approval, Aquino will take them to the parties involved with the stadium to negotiate.
According to the school district, Missions owners originally approached SAISD in April with an offer to purchase the land at market value.
