Tenants at the Robert E. Lee earn 60% or less of the area’s median income, making it one of downtown’s few low-income apartment buildings. Credit: Shutterstock / JustPixs

Tenants of downtown’s low-income Robert E. Lee apartments have won a battle against San Antonio developer Weston Urban after the nonprofit San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation said Wednesday it had reached a deal to buy the historic structure.

The San Antonio Housing Trust offered $3.27 million in cash to purchase the 72-unit building, and it also agreed to assume a $1.7 million city loan.

“Over the past year and a half, my team and I have worked closely with residents through serious challenges, so we know how much this acquisition means,” District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said in a statement.

Tenants at the Robert E. Lee, some of whom were previously homeless, have voiced concern that they would be put back out on the street if Weston Urban went through with a planned $4.35 million purchase of the building, located at 111 W. Travis St.

Even though Weston Urban never publicly announced its plans, residents worried it would renovate the building and substantially raise rents. Further raising concerns, the developer also owns downtown’s Soap Factory Apartments, which are undergoing a mass tenant displacement to make way for a new minor-league baseball park project.

The Robert E. Lee is currently owned by RELEE Partners LP, a limited partnership linked to Connecticut-based JHM Financial Group LLC. Chicago-based Celadon Construction Corp. NFP, an affiliate developer of Celadon Partners, also placed a $4.35 million bid on the property.

The majority of the tenants at Robert E. Lee receive federal housing vouchers and earn up to 60% of the area median income. However, the contract requiring the building to operate as affordable housing ends in 2026.

“There’s not enough truly affordable housing options downtown, and the people that live at the Robert E. Lee are unique, whether they’re elderly, disabled or people that were previously unhoused and staying at Haven for Hope,” Robert E. Lee Tenants Union founder Megan Navarro told the Current. “This is proof that when you organize, you win.”

San Antonio Housing Trust officials said the building will remain an affordable-housing property.

“This agreement ensures that one of downtown’s most affordable multifamily communities will remain accessible to the people who need it most,” San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation Executive Director Pete Alanis said in a statement. “We are committed to maintaining the stability and dignity of all current residents.”

The Housing Trust expects the sale to close in July. The organization plans to renovate the century-old building to ensure its long-term viability.

“There’s been some talk of some changes we want to make, and so we’re really excited about this collaboration with the [Housing Trust] continuing,” Navarro said of the planned upgrades.

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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 11, 2025.

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,...