The school board agreed to a “memorandum of understanding” for a deal to sell land near the proposed site of the team’s planned stadium.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio ISD board of trustees has tentatively agreed to sell the final piece of land needed to build a new Missions baseball stadium downtown.
The school board voted 5-1 Monday night to sign a “memorandum of understanding” for a deal to sell the land in exchange for some conditions.
“We have given direction to the superintendent to prepare and enter into a non-binding memorandum of understanding, and to use that as a basis to continue negotiations with the relevant parties in order to develop a final contract,” SAISD Board President Christina Martinez said in a news release.
The memorandum would be non-binding and would leave room for negotiations before the final contract. The district had previously said it would not sell the land to developer Weston Urban unless all five of their main demands were met.
They include giving the school district a seat on the San Antonio Housing Trust, funding for a new Advanced Learning Academy and a new parking garage for Fox Tech High School. The district also wanted $400,000 a year, which is the money the district would have had if they did not sell the land. And finally, a guarantee of 1,250 affordable housing units to be built within the district’s boundaries over the next five years.
The plan for a sports stadium in the northern part of downtown was already previously approved by the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. Planners hope to have it built by the spring of 2028, and it would have the capacity to seat 4,500 while accommodating up to 8,000.
Acquiring the parcel of land on Camaron Street owned by SAISD is the final step before they can begin the project. A presentation of Monday night’s school board agenda showed that some of the district’s conditions had been changed through negotiations.
One such change: Instead of getting a fully funded new Advanced Learning Academy campus, Weston Urban would donate land to develop the new building. Weston Urban also would consult on how to repurpose the Advanced Learning Academy Euclid campus into a revenue stream for the district.
In other areas, some costs that the district was demanding will be offset by bonds or granting the district use of facilities. You can take a look at the district’s presentation of the negotiated changes here.
The district released the following update on the status of their negotiations:
Original: Appoint the SAISD superintendent or designee to a seat on the Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). Status: This element was revised to propose the appointment of an SAISD Board-appointed designee to a seat on the San Antonio Housing Trust (SAHT) Board, where there is greater opportunity to have more impact on family affordable housing in the urban core.
Original: Fund new construction of a building for the Advanced Learning Academy (ALA). Status: The Developer has agreed to work with SAISD to evaluate opportunities closer to the Fox Tech campus and on/near the Euclid campus to accommodate PK-5 ALA. SAISD would be responsible for funding the construction of the new school. This proposal hinges on the developers’ success in completing a land purchase agreeable to SAISD.
Original: Provide necessary parking with safe passage to the Fox Tech campus. Status: Parking would be located on the same side of the street as the Fox Tech campus to avoid students, staff, and families having to cross S. Flores St. Temporary parking will be provided during the construction of the Fox Tech parking garage.
Original: Provide $400,000 per year to compensate for the loss of interest that could have been earned by SAISD if SAISD was to have sold the property through a sealed bid process. Status: This element was revised by the county’s agreement to waive parking garage fees (currently $432,000 per year) for SAISD’s use of the Quincy parking garage and to incur no fees for the use of the new Fox Tech garage in exchange for the 2.3-acre tract. The waiving of fees is equivalent to the lost earnings if SAISD was to have sold the property through a sealed bid process. SAISD would take care of the regular security, maintenance and operations of both garages, and the county retains public parking fees and major capital improvements. At the conclusion of the leases (about 30 years), SAISD would own both garages.
Original: Guarantee affordable housing in SAISD attendance zones. Status:This element was revised to propose that the city and county adopt five-year measurable housing goals with a focus on family affordable housing (2-3 bedrooms) in the urban core, including SAISD’s attendance zones. The district’s participation as a board member on the San Antonio Housing Trust will be especially impactful in increasing affordable and appropriate housing for its families.