Alazan Lofts a big step forward for W. Side
The planned Alazan Lofts public housing development on the city’s West Side is decades too late.
That said, it deserves the backing and trust from a community which, after generations of neglect, is accustomed to being misled.
Don’t let that reality mask my gratitude. It’s a good thing we are planning to break ground on this well-planned affordable housing development. I’m glad we’ve been able to make our way through the labyrinth of federal and local codes, that we’ve been successful in weaving together funding, political backing and community considerations.
But it shouldn’t have taken so long, and it shouldn’t have been so difficult to accomplish.
I’m convinced that the reason development in the near West Side has been a constant challenge is because it historically has been a paradox. On one hand, it’s the place from which San Antonio’s vaunted Mexican American culture emanates. San Antonio is considered one of the most unique cities in the country because of the distinct flavor that the West Side culture and community have offered for generations.
Yet, the near West Side for many decades has been relegated to the out-of-reach side of the tracks, cut off from development, apart from business considerations, and thought to be lagging in education, income and health.
A recent study commissioned by the San Antonio Area Asset Funders Network found that the highest levels of poverty and unemployment, and lowest education outcomes are concentrated in four ZIP codes. One of those is 78207, in the heart of the West Side.
And yet I see things differently. Where studies show poverty, I see a community with untapped potential, with an entrepreneurial spirit and self-reliant energy. I see a place with a high homeownership rate, a densely populated community where neighbors know each other and are walking distance from their schools, churches and stores. It’s a community that costs the city less in upkeep than other parts — with a smaller footprint and narrower streets. It’s a community that is younger than others in the city and uses public transportation more than any other.
And yet for the past seven decades the West Side has consistently lost population while suburban districts have grown and drawn increasing shares of the city’s resources.
Under these conditions any step forward can be transformational. The city’s equity budget lens was one step; the Alazan Lofts is another big step forward.
Stacks of studies and lifetimes of experience tell us that stable, safe housing is a basic ingredient for healthy families and strong communities. Families thrive, economies grow, and cities prosper. That’s been the formula that has guided affordable housing initiatives across the country.
But even good housing formulas have a shelf life.
The Alazan-Apache Courts is 80 years old. When it was built in 1939, a new house cost $3,800, the average salary was $1,730 per year, and gasoline cost 10 cents a gallon. Houses back then had no air conditioning, and affordable public housing was a new idea.
There are families living in those same housing units today — more than 950 of them. These homes desperately need to be updated, and the total number of units needs to be increased.
This is where the Alazan Lofts provide needed change. It’s an $18 million development with 88 units, of which 40 units will be designated public housing to be built on vacant land adjacent to the Alazan project. Its function is twofold: It will add needed affordable housing units while making room for overdue demolition and the rebuild of existing units. The idea is to keep Alazan residents in their neighborhood while their homes are rebuilt. When the Lofts are built, Alazan residents will move there and the older homes will be replaced. It’s a safe plan, it keeps families in place, and it stabilizes housing where stabilization is needed most.
There are some concerns, as with any project of this kind. A major issue is the building’s height — four stories in total. But the height of the planned construction will be no taller than the highest part of Sidney Lanier High School, just a few blocks away. So, I’m sure this concern and a few others like it can be ironed out.
West Siders know we have a gem of a community. We see our part of town differently, so we need to move this housing vision forward, together. We can’t, after all these years, stand in the way of our own progress.