Developer considers South Side for project
Apartments, live-work units, retail on 17 acres could serve as ‘gateway to Mission San José’
Local developer James Lifshutz is considering redeveloping about 17 acres at a South Side intersection near Mission San José with a mix of apartments, live-work units and retail space.
The properties he owns south of East Southcross Boulevard on both sides of Roosevelt Avenue are a mix of vacant tracts, industrial businesses and a house Lifshutz plans to refurbish. They are partially bordered by single-family homes and apartments.
“I drive this stretch of Roosevelt every day like you do, too, and I’ve gotten used to it,” Lifshutz told residents at a meeting in March. “But I think we can do better. … It’s a barren stretch of highway and our project will convert it to an active hub.”
Neighbors have mixed views about the plans.
Conceptual sketches shown to the Mission San José Neighborhood Association include buildings of up to three stories with about 360 apartments, 15 live-work units and 20,000 square feet of retail interspersed with landscaped plazas.
Live-work units include space for a business, such as a studio or store, along with living quarters.
The development would be a “destination” for residents as well as tourists visiting the missions, Lifshutz said. The site is about 1.6 miles south of Mission Concepción and about a mile north of Mission San José.
Lifshutz said he would like many of the storefronts to be occupied by local businesses, which could include food and beverage operators.
He previously planned to partner with national multifamily developer NRP Group but now is working with Mission DG, a local real estate development company. He also hired Alamo Architects.
At March and April meetings, some residents said the development would help draw more traffic to nearby businesses that are struggling while providing the neighborhood with
more amenities.
Others said they are concerned about longtime residents being forced to move because of surging property taxes. Some also worry about preserving their culture.
“All these projects that are proposed and all the improvements that have been made in this part of town, they all have a ripple effect. It starts positive … eventually a lot of these people that have been here for such a long time can’t afford the taxes,” one attendee said.
“It’s good that you’re bringing this into our neighborhood. I’m all for it,” he added. “But it does have a ripple effect.”
Lifshutz’s project is in an early phase and he said the precise uses, costs and layouts have not been determined.
He is seeking to have the properties rezoned, a request that’s expected to be taken up by the city’s Zoning Commission in mid May and by the City
Council in June. Harold’s Art & Framing, a former convenience store and buildings occupied by Las Palmas, Folklores Coffee House and other businesses are not part of the proposed development.
With rezoning in hand, Alamo Architects would conduct historical and site analysis, meet with nearby residents and create designs, which would require approval from the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission. That’s expected to happen this summer and fall.
“This is the start of the conversation,” Lifshutz said at the March meeting. “It’s important to us that the project be of its place and be the right project with the right design.”
Association’s support
The neighborhood association surveyed residents and business owners about whether they supported Lifshutz’s rezoning request.
The group listed 11 reasons to support it. Among them: The rezoning would prevent businesses such as mechanic shops and motels from being built on the properties, the developer and architect are local, and the plan includes components neighbors want such as community plazas and live-work units. It included one reason not to support it: There are already too many apartments in the area.
Respondents were 90 to 12 in favor of rezoning, and the association provided a letter of support to the Zoning Commission, said President Theresa Ybanez.
She said she supports Lifshutz’s plan because it would provide a boost to local businesses and beautify the intersection. Ybanez said she asked about making accommodations for seniors in the groundfloor apartments, which Lifshutz told her he was willing to include.
“I love this neighborhood and I just think it’s time for it to look better,” she said. “Where Mr. Lifshutz’s development is planning to be, that’s the gateway to Mission San José and it looks horrible.”
Many of the residents who opposed Lifshutz’s project are Mission San José descendants who are worried about being forced out of the neighborhood, Ybanez said. She plans to talk to county and state officials about whether policy changes can be made to help families struggling with rising property taxes.
Some residents are also fearful about the neighborhood changing, but change “is inevitable,” Ybanez said.
Previous projects
As part of the city’s 2017 bond program, a section of Roosevelt Avenue from U.S. 90 to Southeast Loop 410 is set to undergo about $10.8 million worth of improvements.
Last fall, the neighborhood association fought Lifshutz’s proposal for housing on empty lots on Huizar Street south of Mission San José. Residents said it would be too close to the mission and not appropriate next to a World Heritage site.
Ybanez said Lifshutz then pitched a warehouse, which neighbors also opposed. Lifshutz said he was not considering a warehouse but trying to determine what type of project they would not object to.
“All I am trying to do is build high-quality residential in my neighborhood. I did not anticipate the degree of opposition and high emotion from my neighbors,” he said in a statement in October. “Although I believe my project is the best use for this location, I have postponed the case for now.”
Lifshutz owns the Blue Star Arts Complex, partnered with NRP Group to construct The Flats at Big Tex apartments and converted an industrial building at 2450 Roosevelt Avenue into apartments, some of which are livework units.
He also owns land around the Hot Wells park and is working on plans for a spa facility. Last summer he bought nearly 4.6 acres at 421 Roosevelt Avenue near Roosevelt Park.