SAN ANTONIO – North St. Mary’s Street can be a busy place, but mostly once the sun has gone down.
Now, a developer plans to renovate some aging homes amid the bars that make the St. Mary’s Strip synonymous with San Antonio nightlife to bring some different bustle to the area.
“What we want to do with this project is activate it during the daytime, and kind of bring more uses that all the local residents can enjoy," said George Wommack, president and CEO of Headwall Investments.
Headwall Investments got city council approval last month for a zoning change on several parcels on North St. Mary’s Street between East French Place and Rose Lane, as well as on Rose Lane itself.
A site plan shows three existing homes on the St. Mary’s side being used for retail, a restaurant, and a coffee shop, though Wommack suggested other uses, such as a Pilates studio or an ice cream shop.
Wommack said the goal is to keep the existing buildings and expand them if necessary.
“They need some love,” he told KSAT. “But at the same time ... it adds character to it.”
Wommack said they’re hoping to add “walkability” for residents in the area.
“We really want something that when you drive by it, you see it, and you’re thinking, ‘Man, whatever I’m doing right now I’d rather be there,’” Wommack said.
It’s those driving customers that seemed to drive concern during the zoning deliberations, though. Part of the development plan also includes a 37-space parking lot off of the narrow Rose Lane, toward neighboring homes.
Parking can be a touchy subject in the neighborhood due to weekend crowds.
“(Parking lots) aren’t the best petri dish for the nighttime activity that goes on around there,” George Turner, who lives nearby, told the zoning commission at its Oct. 7 meeting.
Though city staff recommended denying the portion of Headwall’s zoning request tied to the parking lot on Rose Lane, the city council passed it on Nov. 6.
Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1), who represents the area, said a compromise had been reached, which included an eight-foot masonry wall and a gate in the parking lot that would close at midnight.
Wommack confirmed both the gate and the wall, though he said the latter would only be along part of the lot.
While they have the option to open it up as a commercial lot, he said that would only be before midnight.
"But it’s not a core piece of the business plan here, because it would compete with the parking of the tenants’ customers, and we don’t want to compete with the tenants," Wommack said.
Those tenants still have not been chosen, according to Wommack. Once they have them, the developer can customize the buildings for their specific needs and start construction.
He estimated that it could be between April and June of 2026.
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