New Year and New Starts!

The start of a new year is traditionally when we make resolutions to better our selves, our community, our world. I've never been big on New Year resolutions since I feel new starts can be made at any time in our lives but in the spirit new beginnings for a new year here some thoughts.
My only resolution is kick start this blog! I haven't posted since June of 2013 and lots has happened in the last 6 months!  To catch up and on a personal note, I left the corporate world of health care in April of 2013.  Some may call it a retirement, after all I'm past 60 but I call it a transition. I'm busy with various projects such starting a guest house business, serving on several non profit boards and working for a local credit union as their community/business liaison on a part time basis.  We're keeping our eyes out for another old house restoration/rehab project.  I'm still serving as the president of our neighborhood association but that gig is coming to a close in April of this year. That's a good thing. Change is always good and its time for someone else to pull the cart.  I have to say, however, that being the prez of our neighborhood association has been a great experience for me. I've learned lot about neighborhood and city politics, I have met some great folks as well as some folks I rather have not ever met. But most importantly it's a privilege to be involved in the process of community building.
Dignowity Hill has come a long ways in the time since we moved into the community in 2007. We continue to see private investment in the restoration or rehab of our older houses. A steady stream of new comers continues to either move in or raise the awareness of the neighborhood as a desirable place to live. On the other hand, the big disappointment is the lack of public investment in basic infrastructure improvements not just in our neighborhood but in the general area of the eastside.  The economic summits that were organized in 2010 to chart a path for revitalization in the eastside have been a disappointment as well because neighborhood needs have not been addressed properly.  Investors and potential businesses seeking to relocate to the eastside have sent a message to our elected officials and paid city staff that the basic infrastructure needs of the neighborhoods to be fixed first before consistent investment will take hold on the eastside. My hope in 2014 is that someone in city government can find a way to allocate more dollars for basic needs in the neighborhoods otherwise the already slow pace of revitalization could be slow down even further.

There are of course other bright spots even shining stars in the midst of the slow pace of revitalization. The Choice Housing Grant is starting make an impact in area of the eastside with persistent poverty. The Eastside Promise Neighborhood Education Grant is making some headway although its been slowed down by the bureaucracy of its administrative agency. These two grants represent close to $60 million in federal dollars. That's a lot taxpayer money going directly into the community. The best news to hit our neighborhood was the ground breaking for the Alamo Brewery to be built next to the historic Hays Street Bridge.  Despite the controversy that this brewery generated,  the construction of the brewery means private investment in the eastside, city support in the form of incentives and most importantly the opportunity to potentially create an environment to attract additional investment in area. It's all good at this point!

In August of 2013 a large scale mural was installed on the underpass of Nolan Street...see the image below. In many ways the mural with its dynamic use of color and free flowing graphic design represents the energy that has developed in our part of the world.  This blog has always been about the happenings in and around Dignowity Hill and it will continue to be that way as we move forward into 2014 but look for an expanded view as well and like the mural my intent is to capture that energy as we move forward into making the world a better place. Peace in 2014! 

Dedication of the Mural on the Nolan Street Underpass.

Moving Forward

It was recently announced that the owner of proposed micro- brewery to be built next to the Hays Street Bridge has changed the location where it will be built. The plans still call for the brewery to built next to the historic old bridge but it will be built on property owned by the brewery's owner, on the southside of the bridge.  This is good news for the neighborhood and the Eastside. The project has been stalled since August 2012 when city council approved the sale of city owned land to the developer. The project has created controversy from the start. The bridge restoration group cried foul when the city moved to sell the land that the restoration group has insisted was to be used as a park.

The neighborhood has supported the project from the start. Much of the organized opposition has come from outside the neighborhood. The opposition has demonized the neighborhood association making accusations that the association is infiltrated by newcomers. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality the folks that have organized the opposition do not live in the neighborhood and therefore do not really have a good understanding of what is behind the support by the neighborhood. None of these folks have ever sat down with me or others in the neighborhood to talk about why we don't need another park and would rather see a project that can generate jobs.

The basic truth to all of this is that our neighborhood has supported the project because of the potential of being able of kick starting sorely needed economic development in and around the neighborhood.  More importantly, getting the brewery project off the ground will be a first step in tearing down some of the negative perceptions about the Eastside.

For my part I'm glad to hear that the brewery will be moving forward.

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Bridge, Brews and Public Spaces

Following the approval by the city's planning commission a couple of weeks ago, the micro brewery proposal next to the Hays Street Bridge will be on the city council meeting agenda sometime in early August.  The brewery project has support from the neighborhood association as well as broad community support. The project was recently endorsed by the editorial board of our local newspaper as a great example of bringing private investment to an area that has been longing for investment, either private or public.  Council approval is the last step for this project to get going in what has been a year long process of meetings, discussion and debate.

The restoration of the Hays Street Bridge was a wonderful achievement by a committed group of individuals. Those folks should be rightly recognized and honored for their accomplishment but they don't own the bridge and neither will the brewery operator. The bridge has always been public space and will remain public space. And because the bridge is a public space and city owned property is involved, there has been over the course of a year an open and fair public process that ensured that the community had a say one way or another.  From neighborhood association meetings to community meetings organized by the city to hearings before the city's planning commission, citizens have had several opportunities to voice their support or opposition.

Those folks that are in opposition of the brewery certainly have a right to voice their concerns and ask questions.  However, in this case the the notion of private investment around a historic structure that could potentially spur other investment on the Eastside was more compelling an argument for the community than putting another park in the neighborhood.

Brewery vs Reality

Alamo Brewery is getting closer to becoming a reality next to the historic Hays Street Bridge.  The owners of the Alamo Brewery recently submitted their final proposal for the brewery to the city.  Whether you're against the brewery or support it there is no question that this is huge for the Eastside, the city and especially for Dignowity Hill.  In 2010 when the Eastside Economic Summits were initiated, a list of "catalytic" projects was developed from input from Eastside stakeholders. The brewery was not on that list. Yet this project if it comes to fruition has enormous potential to actually change the landscape on the near Eastside and be a real catalyst for further economic development. So how can you not be in support of this project?

Hays Street Bridge

At the same time for those of us that live on the Eastside, we need to also be realistic that the brewery by itself is not going to be our saving grace for the many challenges that Eastside neighborhoods face. Many of our neighborhoods still need sidewalks, street repairs, improved drainage, better street lighting. Over the last 10 years the Eastside has seen a decline in population density as folks have move away to other neighborhoods in the city. Housing and education are big issues for the Eastside. If further investment is to occur on the Eastside then the neighborhoods along with basic infrastructure need to be improved for folks to want to either stay or move back to the Eastside and more importantly to bring further investment into the Eastside.

Despite the many challenges we face, I would not want to live anywhere else in San Antonio.  We all have a great opportunity before us to build our community and all us who have a stake in the Eastside need to do our part.