San Antonio Center City Strategic Framework Implementation Plan

HR&A worked with Centro San Antonio and the City of San Antonio in 2011 to create a Strategic Framework Plan to transform Downtown San Antonio from a convention-focused district into a thriving residential community. The plan was officially adopted by both organizations and has generated over 8,000 new housing units. Following the successful “Decade of Downtown”, HR&A was re-engaged in 2024 to update the plan for the next decade of growth and investment.

As of the early 2000s, San Antonio’s downtown had long been defined by convention and tourism uses, but city leaders recognized the need for a more diverse, vibrant urban core to achieve their ambitious SA2020 goals. HR&A developed a comprehensive approach that began with extensive community engagement, including workshop sessions for over 500 residents and stakeholder outreach with senior City staff, the Mayor, and Council. Through this process, we recommended a “housing first” strategy as the keystone for downtown revitalization. Working in collaboration with local planning and design firm Alamo Architects, we conducted rigorous market analysis and physical site assessments to develop targeted recommendations for residential development, priority infrastructure investments, and neighborhood-specific building typologies that respected existing community character.

The Strategic Framework Plan became the driving agenda for Centro and the City when adopted in 2012. The Council immediately implemented one of the plan’s key recommendations—a clear, consistent incentive policy for downtown housing—which directly enabled the development of over 8,000 new residential units. HR&A continued supporting implementation through multiple related efforts, including developing a downtown retail strategy and attracting HEB’s new downtown grocery store that opened in 2015. We also supported planning for fixed-rail streetcar service and Hemisfair Park revitalization, completed a five-year market update to refine incentive policies, and developed an economic development strategy for the historically distressed Eastside to ensure citywide growth benefits all communities.

The 2024-25 update of the Framework Plan for Centro, the City of San Antonio, and Visit San Antonio is reviewing the progress made Downtown in expanding housing options and devising strategies to improve the public realm, support catalytic projects, and grow authentic local retail.

Explore:

2012 Center City Strategic Framework Plan

Press:

Consultant recommends assisting development of affordable housing in downtown San Antonio draft plan — San Antonio Express-News

Affordable housing incentives recommended for downtown — The Real Deal

After Floodgate, developer hopes to dig deeper into downtown housing — San Antonio Business Journal

Council supports developing new center city plan: ‘Every decade can be the Decade of Downtown’ — San Antonio Report