After weeks of social media blowback, San Antonio restaurateur Lisa Wong was granted approval from the Historic and Design Review Commission to build a new location of Rosario's in Southtown on Tuesday, MySA reports.
Though the HDRC had previously given Wong conceptual approval in earlier meetings, neighboring restaurateur Peter Selig objected to the new design. Selig represented his team with Maverick Texas Brasserie in this week's meeting, calling to attention the new building's 20-foot wall that would sit 6 inches from Maverick's inset patio.
The owner of the brasserie said the structure would block airflow and natural light, rendering the spacious patio unusable. An online petition urged San Antonians to call and write in support of Maverick, hoping to ”save" their patio.
According to numbers provided to MySA by the HDRC, more than 2,000 signatures were collected, and a total of 600 calls were made regarding the new Rosario’s location. Of those calls, 375 were in support and 217 opposed.
In the end, the commission voted to approve Wong's design.
According to the news site, Commissioner Scott Carpenter had opinions about how the Maverick team approached the issue, saying, "This comment is coming way too late in the process for me to have a great deal of sympathy for it. [The project] has gone through a conceptual approval process ... There's plenty of examples of tight urban courtyards that can be delightful ... I don't think it's a reasonable request to make at this time.”
So many restaurants, so little time. Find out the latest San Antonio dining news with our Flavor Friday Newsletter.
Though the HDRC had previously given Wong conceptual approval in earlier meetings, neighboring restaurateur Peter Selig objected to the new design. Selig represented his team with Maverick Texas Brasserie in this week's meeting, calling to attention the new building's 20-foot wall that would sit 6 inches from Maverick's inset patio.
The owner of the brasserie said the structure would block airflow and natural light, rendering the spacious patio unusable. An online petition urged San Antonians to call and write in support of Maverick, hoping to ”save" their patio.
According to numbers provided to MySA by the HDRC, more than 2,000 signatures were collected, and a total of 600 calls were made regarding the new Rosario’s location. Of those calls, 375 were in support and 217 opposed.
In the end, the commission voted to approve Wong's design.
According to the news site, Commissioner Scott Carpenter had opinions about how the Maverick team approached the issue, saying, "This comment is coming way too late in the process for me to have a great deal of sympathy for it. [The project] has gone through a conceptual approval process ... There's plenty of examples of tight urban courtyards that can be delightful ... I don't think it's a reasonable request to make at this time.”
So many restaurants, so little time. Find out the latest San Antonio dining news with our Flavor Friday Newsletter.
