Southtown’s appeal comes largely from its layered history, and any new development here has to honor that history while still finding room to grow. A mixed-use project bringing retail space and 95 residential units to the neighborhood required both a UDC §35-360 density bonus application and review by San Antonio’s Historic Design Review Commission, two processes that don’t always move at the same pace.
The density bonus offered a path to additional units in exchange for affordability commitments, which made the numbers work for the project’s residential component. The HDRC review, meanwhile, focused on design compatibility with Southtown’s historic streetscape, from massing and materials to how the new building would sit alongside its older neighbors.
JDJ Consulting helped carry the project through both tracks simultaneously, making sure the design details that mattered to HDRC and the affordability terms that mattered to the density bonus program stayed coordinated rather than working against each other. The finished building now brings ground floor retail and new housing into a neighborhood that has always valued its architectural identity, doing so in a way that respects Southtown’s character while still adding needed density. It’s a good illustration of how historic districts and modern housing goals can coexist when the process is handled with the right level of attention.