The SAISD school board agreed to sell the parcel of district property needed for a downtown ballpark, finalizing plans for the proposed facility.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio ISD school board officially agreed to sell the final piece of land needed for a proposed multi-purpose civic facility and ballpark downtown.
The plan for a Missions baseball stadium in the northern part of downtown was already previously approved by the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. Acquiring the parcel of land owned by SAISD was the final step before the project could begin.
In December, the school board voted 5-1 to sign a “memorandum of understanding” for a deal to sell the land in exchange for some conditions, leaving 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.
At a Monday night meeting, the SAISD school board decided to sell the 2.29 acres on Camaron Street near Fox Tech High School.
The land will be used for the construction of a venue that will host the San Antonio Missions, college and high school baseball—as well as community events, festivals, conventions and more.
In return, the district will receive benefits aimed at helping students and schools. These include the following:
- SAISD will appoint someone to help oversee housing development efforts in the city via the San Antonio Housing Trust.
- Bexar County will commit to a five-year plan that includes affordable housing goals, made with SAISD’s input.
- SAISD will get land to expand its Advanced Learning Academy (ALA) program.
- SAISD gets land, use and eventual ownership of a new parking garage near Fox Tech.
- Changes to an existing lease will help SAISD save money on parking and have more say in how it’s run.
- SAISD students will be able to use the new civic and sports venue for events and educational purposes.