Pearl District Developer’s Next Move is Mixed-use in Southtown

Oxbow Development Group wants to bring apartments, restaurants and retail to a nearly 5 acre site in San Antonio’s Southtown District.

The proposed development,dubbed Southtown Aldea, will feature 250 apartments, 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and a parking garage at 141 Lavaca Street, the San Antonio Express News reported. Construction is expected to begin next year, with the first phase concluding in 2028.

Spanning 4.7 acres, the project aims to connect Southtown with Hemisfair and downtown while embracing the artistic and cultural spirit of the area, according to Omar Gonzalez, director of development at Oxbow, the real estate arm of Silver Ventures, which is known for revitalizing Pearl Brewery into a thriving mixed-use destination.

Three six-story buildings along César East Chávez Boulevard will house the project’s apartments and commercial spaces, while two buildings along Lavaca Street will taper down to one story, in an effort to maintain the residential character of the area.

Central to the project’s vision is pedestrian accessibility, with courtyards and walkways connecting the buildings. To manage traffic, Oxbow is proposing traffic lights at Matagorda and César East Chávez, and the closure of certain streets to restrict vehicle access into residential areas.

In addition to modern amenities, Southtown Aldea will preserve two key historic structures on the site. One is an Italianate-style former school building that dates back to 1878, and the other is a grand mansion built in the 1890s.

Both structures are part of the property’s history as a San Antonio Independent School District site, which sold the land to Silver Ventures in 2018. The mansion could be relocated.

Oxbow is seeking zoning changes and other approvals from San Antonio’s Planning and Zoning commissions and the Historic and Design Review Commission. The project will likely qualify for financial incentives from the city and county, akin to the $49 million in subsidies Oxbow secured for the redevelopment of Pearl.

The San Antonio-based developer’s ongoing investments in the city include multifamily and office development, as well as a hotel near the Pearl Brewery.

“Our hearts are in San Antonio. I would love to do another large-scale mixed-use project,” Gonzalez said. “There may be opportunities in other cities in Texas that could come before that. One eye is like, ‘Alright, can we find something in San Antonio, and the other eye is like, what are the opportunities in other places?’”

— Andrew Terrell