Opponents of the plan to sell SAISD land for the San Antonio Missions ballpark hold signs at the district’s public input meeting last month. Credit: Adam Doe

San Antonio ISD wants major concessions — including the construction of at least 1,250 affordable housing units — before it will sell the land a developer needs to build a $160 million stadium for the city’s minor league baseball team

The school district outlined its demands in a document sent Wednesday to city officials and real-estate developer Weston Urban, which is behind plans to develop the San Antonio Missions’ new stadium. Those demands also include construction of a new building for the district and annual payments to cover lost revenue.

If Weston Urban declines to play ball, it could be forced to scrap the project altogether. The 2.3-acre parcel on which the proposed ballpark would be built is currently used as parking for Fox Tech High School.

SAISD’s board is scheduled to discuss and vote on staff’s recommendations for conditions on the land sale during a Monday, Nov. 18 meeting. The public is invited to offer comments.

SAISD’s list of demands comes after weeks of silence on the potential deal. Weston Urban CEO and San Antonio Missions part-owner Randy Smith initially told City Council that MLB had given the the team until Oct. 15 to finalize the land sale or risk losing its league affiliation.

Neither the San Antonio Missions, Weston Urban nor the San Diego Padres — the Missions’ MLB affiliate — has responded to the Current’s request to clarify why the deadline has passed without the team losing its affiliation.

In exchange for the SAISD parcel that would house the 4,500-seat stadium, the district is demanding that affordable housing be built within its attendance zones as a means of mitigating its shrinking enrollment.

The additional housing also would replace low-cost units that would disappear once the Weston Urban-owned Soap Factory Apartments are demolished to make way for pricy condominiums as part of the Missions’ stadium district.

Specifically, SAISD wants a Weston Urban to develop 1,250 units that align with federal guidelines for affordable housing with set-asides for those making 60%, 50% and 30% of the average median income.

SAISD is also asking for a new $45 million building for its Advanced Learning Academy, which would be paid for by tax money slated for the ballpark development. The district also seeks $400,000 annually to compensate for lost revenue that could have been generated through an open bidding process.

To replace parking that would be lost to the stadium’s construction, SAISD requests that Bexar County build a new garage with a minimum of 250 slots. That structure would be built at the corner of Kingsbury and Flores streets on land currently owned by Weston Urban.

That land would be conveyed to SAISD, then leased to Bexar County under SAISD’s proposal.

Finally, the district requests that Superintendent Jaimie Aquino be granted a seat on the Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone commission, which would oversee use of tax dollars for the development.

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This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2024.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...