San Antonio Roundup: UTSA Cleared to Demolish ITC Building, Council Backs Transit Development Plan and Raises City Manager's Pay

The University of Texas at San Antonio has received approval to tear down the historic Institute of Texas Cultures building. In a statement, UTSA, which operates the structure, said the Texas Historical Commission issued a demolition permit this week.

The building was originally constructed as the Texas Pavilion for HemisFair '68 and is one of the few structures from that World's Fair still standing. UTSA plans to demolish it in 2025 and relocate its museum downtown. The ITC site itself is being planned as a possible new location for a San Antonio Spurs arena.

On Thursday, the San Antonio City Council approved a Transit-Oriented Development, or TOD, framework. The plan emphasizes high-density commercial and residential development along major transit corridors, using TOD district zoning. District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said embracing it meant embracing affordable housing. "One of the best ways to create and maintain affordable housing is to make sure that there is enough housing supply," she said, adding that without that, residents will keep being pushed out of the community, particularly the urban core. She said the city has set rules so that new development in these areas does not dramatically change the character of neighborhoods.

The council also voted Thursday to give City Manager Erik Walsh an $87,000 raise. The increase follows a ballot proposal approved by voters in November that removed a cap on the city manager's pay and tenure. Walsh's base salary will be $461,000 starting in January.

Kellyanne Gonzales, a labor organizer with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents San Antonio city workers, urged the council to extend similar consideration to other employees. She asked for support, along with fellow union members and city workers in the chamber, to "fight for a living wage of $20 an hour for city employees" in the coming fiscal year.

Also on Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan to put up billboards south of the border to discourage people from crossing illegally. Abbott said the signs would relate horror stories of human trafficking, though he offered no evidence of such incidents beyond anecdotes shared at Thursday's news conference. He estimated the marketing campaign would cost about $100,000. The billboards appear in several languages, including Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

In Laredo, a new international rail bridge has been completed, which marks a milestone for trade between the United States and Mexico. The $100 million project, built by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, is expected to double cargo capacity at the largest commercial port of entry in North America.

The Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge is named for the company's chief executive, who died earlier this year. It has a second track, 4,500 feet of new track and advanced security systems, including a VACIS X-ray railcar inspection system and surveillance cameras. With 20,000 route miles, the railway is the only single-line transnational railroad linking Canada, the United States and Mexico.

San Antonio residents gathered Thursday at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts to remember Rosemary Kowalski, a well-known local caterer. Friends, family and San Antonio Catholic Archbishop Gustavo García Siller spoke about her life and influence during the funeral Mass.

Kowalski and her husband, Hank, opened a small barbecue restaurant that grew into the large RK Group. Some of her employees worked for her for half a century. She died earlier this month after a brief illness at age 100.