City panel gives preliminary OK for 24-story tower downtown
A proposed 24-story residential and office tower that would sit on the San Antonio River gained initial approval from a key city panel Wednesday.
The city Historic Design and Review Commission gave conceptual approval to the tower — which will have more than 200 apartments and 4,000 square feet of high-end office space — and an adjacent five-and-a-half-story parking garage at their Wednesday meeting.
Dallas firm JMJ Development is developing the project, which will sit at 112 Villita St., a block west of the Tower Life Building. The proposed tower is expected to have some ground-level retail, likely a coffee shop, architect Song Chia of Dallas-based firm Fab Studio told commissioners.
Frank Burney, an attorney for JMJ, told commissioners the building could set aside a certain number of residential units for affordable housing and seek incentives through the recently revamped Center City Housing Incentive Policy, which subsidizes housing development downtown.
Michael Matthews, JMJ Development’s vice president of construction, declined to comment after the meeting.
The tower’s developers must come before the panel at a later date for final approval before beginning construction.
Tim Barton, JMJ Development’s chief executive, told the ExpressNews in 2017 he expects the project to cost $70 million.
JMJ Development is also the firm that proposed a 14-story, 300room Hard Rock Hotel to sit on top of the 131-year-old Joske’s building at Shops at Rivercenter mall overlooking Alamo Plaza. The proposal included a rooftop bar, a ballroom, a spa and a pool deck, but it’s unclear whether JMJ will move forward with the project.