When Sara Villareal and Ryan Reed purchased property on the nook of Ashby Place and North Flores Road within the Alta Vista neighborhood in April 2025, their first thought was how their imaginative and prescient would mesh with the neighborhood.
“We actually responded to the present surroundings and celebrated what’s there,” Villareal mentioned.
Villareal and Reed determined to construct 16 residence models and switch a Twenties Gulf Oil filling station right into a small restaurant. The event is known as Ashby Place and so they plan to finish it by early summer season.
They needed to construct a brand new form of infill growth within the neighborhoods close to downtown, they mentioned, and prioritize its accessibility and match with the group.
“From my perspective, it was very considerate. They need to amplify what’s good concerning the neighborhood,” mentioned Asia Ciaravino, president and CEO of the San Pedro Playhouse, which sits throughout the road from the brand new growth.
The San Pedro Playhouse offered the land for Ashby Place to Reed and Villareal after they pitched their idea, Ciaravino mentioned. The land had been vacant for a decade, Ciaravino mentioned, and there had been points with vandalism and lighting with the empty filling station constructing.
Somebody wanted to activate the property, she mentioned, and she or he appears to be like ahead to seeing housing and a enterprise which can be embedded into the neighborhood.
“That will likely be cool, to have one thing that isn’t company, that matches within the neighborhood,” Ciaravino mentioned.
Ashby Place will likely be close to bus traces plus San Pedro Playhouse and San Pedro Springs Park, a historic inexperienced house with a pool, library and tennis courts.
That is Villareal and Reed’s first growth venture. They met via San Antonio’s City Land Institute. Each had an curiosity in adaptive reuse and needed to give attention to growth adjoining to downtown. Their new partnership, VillaReed Companions LLC, will proceed that work. Villareal works in business actual property and Reed is a designer.
‘Light density’
The Ashby Place website was enticing for a mix of causes, they mentioned. Improvement from Pearl is slowly transferring west and additions like VIA’s Speedy Inexperienced Line devoted bus lane on San Pedro will make the positioning extra enticing.
Some consultants and metropolis officers have advocated for extra growth close to public transportation. In 2024, town handed new zoning guidelines supporting transit-oriented growth.
A current UT San Antonio examine recognized underutilized land round proposed transit corridors and famous that builders might prioritize infill growth — constructing on vacant parcels in urbanized areas.
Villareal and Reed needed the brand new residences throughout the road from the park to suit into the present, primarily single-family residence neighborhood whereas bringing in new multi-family housing.
“It’s referred to as light density, we’re in a neighborhood, in spite of everything,” Villareal mentioned. “We needed one thing that will rejoice that design and aesthetic.”
“It’s not simply dropping a block within the center [of the neighborhood] which you can see anyplace else within the nation,” Reed added.
The pair spoke with the Alta Vista Neighborhood Affiliation and labored with the San Pedro Playhouse to construct one thing that match with the present surroundings.
All 16 models are one-bedroom, one-bathroom residences. They’re 560 sq. toes with in-unit washers and dryers, walk-in closets and walk-in showers. Reed and Villareal mentioned the residences will likely be rented on the market fee, which is decrease than in neighborhoods to the east, like Pearl.
In line with the Nationwide Low Earnings Housing Coalition, a one-bedroom residence within the zip code surrounding San Pedro Springs Park has a market fee of $1,160 per 30 days. A one-bedroom residence round Pearl has a market fee hire of $1,720, in line with NLIHC.
For the previous fuel station house, Reed and Villareal desire a restaurant tenant that’s accessible to the neighborhood, each bodily and financially, and is open at weekday meal occasions.
“The connection between this house and our residents is basically vital,” Villareal mentioned.
They don’t have a tenant but, they mentioned, and are prioritizing a restaurateur that matches with their imaginative and prescient. Renovations to the previous fuel station will begin within the coming weeks.
Ciaravino mentioned the playhouse is worked up by that chance. There aren’t many meals and beverage choices round San Pedro Springs Park, and a restaurant or restaurant throughout the road will likely be good for patrons and workers.
“We actually will likely be working along with that restaurant, hand in hand,” she mentioned. “There’s such a need and want for it to be that shut, not just for patrons, however for artists.”
Adjustments at San Pedro Springs Park
Ashby Place isn’t the one change within the native panorama.
Villareal and Reed famous that growth from Pearl is slowly transferring west via Tobin Hill. On San Pedro Avenue, VIA has began engaged on its new fast transit Inexperienced Line, which might begin service in 2028.
Ciaravino mentioned the playhouse, a century-old, city-owned theater, is contemplating an growth, presumably in 2029, so as to add efficiency, rehearsal and schooling areas. That features increasing viewers capability and including devoted school rooms.
There’s a rising demand for arts education schemes, she mentioned, and the playhouse is setting up one other constructing. Ciaravino added that the San Pedro Playhouse was planning to conduct a feasibility examine for growth efforts.
San Pedro Springs Park is the oldest within the metropolis, in line with the Metropolis of San Antonio’s web site, and now a gaggle of group members are organizing a conservancy to assist and advocate for the park. The Spanish authorities put aside the park for public use within the 18th century and the Metropolis Council formally created a reserve across the springs in 1852.
Doug McMurry, the conservancy’s director, mentioned the conservancy is model new — 2026 will likely be its first full 12 months in operation.
“The park has such historic significance. It wants slightly TLC,” McMurry mentioned.
The brand new conservancy needs to work with town on enhancements, assist occasions on the park and fundraise to construct sources for these efforts. Villa and Reed are each concerned on the conservancy’s board. McMurry mentioned he was wanting ahead to Ashby Place including extra meals and beverage choices across the park.
Luis Miguel Martinez is main the conservancy’s design committee. He and McMurry didn’t lay out a timeline for any updates, however mentioned they had been targeted on long-term enhancements, not one specific venture. Martinez mentioned the conservancy is concentrated on small enhancements to landscaping, lighting, pedestrian accessibility and historic preservation.
“The objective is to be a collaborative accomplice to town — serving to increase sources, align stakeholders, and make sure that any enhancements are additive and sturdy quite than disruptive,” he wrote in an e-mail.
