The phrase is out — the South Aspect of San Antonio is a hub for manufacturing.
Since Toyota introduced its manufacturing facility in 2003, producers have appeared to the realm for its open land and freeway entry.
Toyota’s footprint has expanded with extra factories and suppliers, however different main corporations have are beginning to transfer in. Navistar opened a facility in 2022. JCB will open its personal manufacturing facility later this 12 months. Industrial Electrical Manufacturing is contemplating a web site at Brooks.
The San Antonio Report sat down with Councilman Edward Mungia, born and raised on the Southwest Aspect and elected in 2025 to signify District 4, to debate the expansion in manufacturing and the wants of the neighborhood.
This interview has been edited for readability and size.
Why are producers selecting the South Aspect?
The primary cause why you see such a big presence on the South Aspect is particularly due to the quantity of uncooked land obtainable. In case you go searching Loop 410 for instance, throughout your entire metropolis, there’s nowhere else however the south that has that a lot obtainable land to develop inside Loop 410 and even a couple of miles exterior of Loop 410.
Toyota was one of many first main producers that got here to San Antonio, and I believe their presence has additionally form of had a gravitational pull to that space. For different individuals, it’s additionally near the entry level on U.S. Interstate 35 coming from the south, which is the entryway into San Antonio.
You even have U.S. Interstate 37 and you’ve got Loop 410 connecting these two. That connectivity is essential for what they’re attempting to do. And naturally, long run, the east-west connector that we’re engaged on is vastly essential to not solely that improvement, however your entire progress of the South Aspect.
For probably the most half, native leaders have supported this technique of bringing producers to the south aspect. Why is that?
The wages are good for people. The beginning hourly charge is larger than the state averages. They’re good jobs that carry plenty of funding along with the town’s funding. Among the jobs, the entry jobs in these manufacturing locations, are simply accessible to plenty of San Antonio’s [residents]. Of us that didn’t have a highschool diploma they usually have a GED, people that didn’t end or go to secondary schooling, are capable of be skilled on the job to do the work.
The obstacles are low, entry factors are low and the power to develop wages there’s essential. That’s why they’ve been attracted and supported.
What’s the broader impression of commercial improvement on the South Aspect for the neighborhood residing there?
That’s the place we begin to get into some issues that give individuals concern and pause. Sure components of city have had examples of air pollution and industrialization. That’s not completely different on the South Aspect.
We see plenty of industrial properties typically on the South Aspect, not simply manufacturing. Individuals do have considerations about air pollution. There are plenty of neighborhoods on the South Aspect. Individuals nonetheless stay right here, and other people wish to proceed to construct and stay right here. We’ve to additionally get smarter about planning industrialization.
In case you take a look at the realm between I-35, I-37, Loop 410 and Loop 1604, that’s the primary progress portion on the South Aspect. We wish to have neighborhoods. They’re gonna have parks, they’re gonna have expanded waterway connections.
Nevertheless it’s arduous to try this when you have got plenty of industrial properties in that blend … Broadly talking, each district proper now, not simply the South Aspect, has to contemplate that.
What are the opposite sorts of improvement and building which are coming to your district? After which what do you wish to see sooner or later?
Vida is performing some nice work, they usually’ve allotted a few of their property to do industrial exercise. The Housing Belief is constructing plenty of residential properties on the market. Clearly, different employers are transferring there.
It’s a fruits of lots of people getting to those locations. But additionally, how can we carve out particular wants for residents and individuals who work in these locations that wish to have lunch off campus? Having a stability to that’s essential.
Do you have got any ideas concerning the modifications to the pure panorama?
The South Aspect, south of Loop 410, is a type of particular locations the place there’s plenty of timber. In case you drive down Zarzamora or State Freeway 16, you’ll be able to see acres of land and it’s very lovely. Somewhat southeast, you have got Mitchell Lake.
You take a look at Medina River Park, which is one in all my favourite parks within the metropolis, it has lovely acres of land. You may have Leon Creek and you’ve got properties that abut it which are industrial.
You are worried about entry to that park and waterways. Elimination of treescapes is regarding. It ought to give individuals pause. We’ve to weigh property homeowners’ authorized proper to do issues, the roles that they create and funding in comparison with what exists there now.
Would you wish to see extra industrial and manufacturing improvement within the space sooner or later?
I don’t know that I wish to see an excessive amount of extra industrial exercise in District 4. In sure areas, there’s fewer those who stay round there and it’s much less of a proximity problem. We do have areas like New Laredo Freeway, the place we now have plenty of metallic recycling amenities. We’ve plenty of used auto components locations; the best [concentration] in your entire metropolis is in District 4.
We’ve plenty of manufacturing already going there. We’ve plenty of industrial already there. We’ve Port San Antonio, which additionally has plenty of industrial work.
Individuals are form of like, ‘We get it, pause, maintain up on the commercial, what are we dropping and eliminating whereas attaining this nice objective?’
Numerous industrial, not essentially manufacturing industrial, however plenty of different varieties of industrial could possibly be additional out into the county space.
We additionally must be strategic concerning the area round us. How can we make the most of areas round us that perhaps are exterior Bexar County, however they may provide nice locations for industrial house which are perhaps not close to residential locations or not eliminating a tree cover to ensure that we now have good residential areas?
You’re beginning to see extra of that friction taking place in District 4. You must be actually thoughtful about that, and take into consideration what measurement property it’s. For each producer that comes into District 4 that the town’s a companion with, I’m not an automated ‘sure’ to that.
I don’t know what the historical past has been on that, however I do know that I’ve to take some pause with each new improvement deal, particularly if it’s a whole bunch of acres of property. A bigger dialog about manufacturing that I take into account is: what’s the long run profit to someone working there? Have they got the power to go upward and mobilize?
Sure, the beginning [pay] charge is nice, particularly should you’re making so much lower than that. That’s massively helpful to households, however are you able to make a 30-year profession out of it? Can you are taking these abilities that you just realized there and go larger and do one thing else?
If you’re contemplating extra producers and people who’re all for organising in that space, what are you taking a look at after they come to the desk?
An important factor is: what are the beginning wages? Town has a deal on what our minimal is.
What’s additionally massive to me is how they’re going to be neighborhood companions for us. We’ve nice belongings with Toyota, who’ve been long-time companions on so many various points locally, particularly on schooling, and JCB, which hasn’t even absolutely opened but, they usually’re already attempting to companion with colleges, our Alamo Schools, [Texas A&M University-San Antonio]. They’ve been at conferences advocating for extra work improvement on Zarzamora.
These two are nice examples of people that have giant tracts of land to fabricate, nice staff, good relations with them, no accidents.
These are the issues that prime of thoughts for me: jobs, measurement of your property and the way are you going to contribute to the realm in San Antonio, particularly South Aspect [Independent School District], [South San Antonio Independent School District, Southwest [Independent School District], Harlandale [Independent School District]. I at all times look to these colleges to get extra assist from individuals on the South Aspect.
