Different corners of downtown are already seeing updates, additions or overhauls. Is the River Walk next as it continues to bounce back from the pandemic?
SAN ANTONIO — The River Walk is synonymous with downtown San Antonio–its identity, culture and economic output.
Now, amid plans for a new Spurs arena, hotels, an expanded convention center and other components of an ongoing downtown transformation, the city may also be considering modernizing one of its most famous attractions.
City Council is slated to receive a briefing from City Manger Erik Walsh and Office of Historic Preservation Director Shanon Shea Miller on a “strategic plan” for the River Walk at Wednesday’s B-session meeting, according to agenda materials. Details of what will be discussed haven’t been shared, but agenda documents state “this broader effort will look beyond capital projects to include strategies related to business growth and attraction, amenities, wayfinding, technological improvements, as well as City Code and policy updates.”
Those same documents also cite the impact of the pandemic on businesses in the area and their struggles to recover lost customers, while referring to the River Walk as “an extremely critical component to the long-term success and growth of downtown and a model for other cities across the globe,” pointing to the millions of annual visitors and “roughly $3.5 billion in annual economic activity.”
Wednesday’s agenda item is just a briefing, meaning no votes will be taken by City Council.
According to a public Request for Proposal that closes Oct. 9, the city is soliciting ideas from vendors related to assessing current conditions at the River Walk, a public input campaign, a Code of Ordinance “diagnostic” and a strategic plan.
An era of transformation
The Wednesday council briefing comes in a point of evolution for the heart of the Alamo City. Anyone who hasn’t been to San Antonio in 10 or 15 years could hardly be at fault for not recognizing downtown, at least from the street level.
While plans are still in motion to construct a $1.3 billion Spurs arena in the site of the former Institute of Texan Cultures, recent years have seen the debuts of new luxury hotels, the grand opening of Civic Park and additions to the Alamo grounds.
That’s just the start. Work continues on a 100,000-square-foot Alamo Museum and luxury apartments at the historic Tower Life building, and just this month a local developer revealed plans for the River Walk’s first-ever food hall, situated at La Villita’s Assembly Hall.
Wednesday’s City Council meeting gets underway at 1 p.m.