San Antonio Housing Trust Seeks Senior Living Developer

The San Antonio Housing Trust is seeking a development partner for a multifamily project on the city’s South Side.

The development is part of the Vida master-planned community, near South Zarzamora Street and Interstate 410, which will introduce 530 housing units across three phases, the San Antonio Business Journal reported. The nonprofit will open requests for qualifications and proposals later this month for the 90-unit first phase, designed to serve senior residents with a focus on affordability and accessibility.

Twenty percent of the units will be reserved for residents earning 30 percent of the area median income, calculated at $26,550 annually for a family of four, according to HUD guidelines. The first phase will be named in honor of Judy Babbit, San Antonio’s late chief accessibility officer.

The project will seek 9 percent competitive Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

The trust is seeking a development partner and architect of record for the project. The master planning phase has already been completed by San Antonio-based architecture firm Lake Flato.

The development site is near major healthcare facilities and employment hubs, a factor that played a significant role in its acquisition. Methodist Healthcare’s recent purchase of land nearby also played a role in the decision, said the trust’s executive director Pete Alanis.

The goal is to “connect housing for older adults on the South Side with nearby health and educational opportunities,” he said.

Future phases of the trust’s Vida project are expected to begin in 2026, with all units designated as rentals, despite earlier discussions about potential for-sale components.

The trust is also pursuing the acquisition of nearly 6 acres in the Cattleman Square area to develop affordable housing and mitigate gentrification pressures. The targeted properties include the National Grocer Company building, the Rich Book Building, the Heimann Building, and vacant land behind the Scobey industrial complex.

The trust also recently acquired 1.5 acres at 811 West Houston Street, nearly 20 acres near Texas A&M University-San Antonio, and 8.6 acres at Midcrown Drive and Eisenhauer Road near Windcrest.

— Andrew Terrell