San Antonio’s former Air Force base expands after creating 3,000 jobs

The Brooks Development Authority was created in 2002 to redevelop the former 1,308-acre Brooks Air Force BaseIn 2002, San Antonio turned its 1,308-acre decommissioned Air Force base over to the Brooks Development Authority for redevelopment. More than two decades later, the organisation is looking beyond the former base as it seeks to bring more major employers and development to the city’s Southeast Side.The Brooks Development Authority is taking control of 243 vacant acres south of Loop 410 along Southton Road. The San Antonio River Authority is giving the land to Brooks, which will oversee the work needed to prepare the property, including platting and installing utilities and roads.The move seeks make large areas of land ready for companies looking for locations for major facilities. Officials said the 243-acre property could be attractive because it is close to highways and railway tracks, as well as a proposed east-west freeway known as the South Texas Parkway.Brooks looks beyond the former baseBrooks CEO Leo Gomez said the organisation could use the project as a model for working on other large properties in the area. “If we can do it with this property, we can do it with others,” he said.The Brooks Development Authority was created in 2002 to redevelop the former 1,308-acre Brooks Air Force Base after it was decommissioned. Over the years, the former military property has developed into a mix of residential, commercial and public facilities.The area now has apartments, single-family houses, restaurants, shops, schools, trails, a hospital, a hotel and manufacturing facilities. It has become a significant development area on San Antonio’s South Side, a part of the city that has historically struggled to attract business investment and public amenities.The development authority has attracted companies partly because its land is exempt from property taxes. The area is also designated as a federal opportunity zone and has a tax increment reinvestment zone.More than 1,400 people now live at Brooks, while more than 3,000 people work there. The number is expected to increase as additional housing and facilities are developed. Property values in the area have also increased significantly.However, about 300 acres of the original Brooks footprint remain undeveloped, Gomez said. The development authority has also been considering opportunities outside its original boundaries for several years. Its focus is on sites within about 3 miles of Brooks.Projects outside BrooksIn 2019, Brooks acquired 55 acres near San Antonio State Hospital. Part of that property is being used by SAMMinistries to develop affordable housing and supportive services for people experiencing chronic homelessness.Brooks has also partnered with developer NRP Group on two projects to build tax-exempt, mixed-income apartments.Another major property came under Brooks’ control about three years ago, when the development authority purchased 158 acres of a closed golf course. The land is being leased to Arboretum San Antonio, which plans to turn it into a public space featuring different types of trees and plants.The latest deal gives Brooks another large property to prepare for potential development. Gomez said the idea grew out of conversations with Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai about having sites ready for companies that want to build major facilities.Why the 243 acres matterThe effort is aimed at helping San Antonio compete with other cities when companies are considering locations for large projects.Gomez and other officials referred to the effort as “Project Oso”. “Oso” means “bear” in Spanish. Gomez said he originally believed the Southton property was owned by the county.The land is owned by the San Antonio River Authority, which acquired it in 2007 using county funds. The authority used the property to store dirt removed during construction of the Mission Reach section of the River Walk, which was completed in 2013.The river authority still plans to use the property for storing dirt connected to its work to restore creeks on the West Side. It has permission from Brooks to continue doing so, according to general manager Derek Boese.The property must remain under public ownership. Both the San Antonio River Authority and the Brooks Development Authority are government entities.“This property represents an opportunity to think strategically about the long-term economic future of South San Antonio,” Boese said in a statement.Brooks plans to invest in the siteThe Brooks Development Authority will spend some of its own money to improve the property, Gomez said. It is also likely to seek financial assistance, although he did not specify where that funding would come from. He said the city or county could be possible sources.The development authority sees the Southton property as part of a broader effort rather than an isolated project. The goal is to build on the development that has taken place at the former Air Force base and extend that work into the surrounding area.“Brooks is not stopping at its boundaries. This region is hungry for development,” Gomez said. “Brooks is a tool our community can use to continue what has happened on the former base in the region, and that’s what we intend to do.”