Owner of San Antonio's Soap Factory Apartments still leasing, despite demolition plan

San Antonio developer Weston Urban is still leasing units at the Soap Factory Apartments despite plans to demolish the complex to make way for a new, $160 million minor-league baseball stadium, tenants say.

Word of that Weston Urban is still bringing in new residents came Monday evening during a heated rally organized by the pissed-off tenants of one the few affordable apartment properties available downtown. They argue the developer — which owns both the Soap Factory and a majority stake in the San Antonio Missions Double AA baseball team — hasn't been transparent during the process.

"I moved to Soap Factory Apartments two weeks ago with my girlfriend after struggling to find an apartment we can afford," tenant James Boscher said. "One week after moving in, we received a knock on our door from a Texas Organizing Project member asking us if we knew what was going to happen to Soap Factory. We did not. Nobody had told us about Weston Urban's plans to displace Soap Factory residents in order to build a luxury residential tower and Missions baseball stadium."

Weston Urban's plans to demolish the complex that it bought in September 2023 came to light four weeks ago. That was when backers of the plan to build the stadium in the northwest corner of downtown presented details to City Council.

Weston Urban CEO Randy Smith initially told council that Soap Factory residents would be notified of the demolition plans following his Aug. 14 presentation. However, many residents said they were unaware until they read media reports or were contacted by TOP organizers.

Weston Urban finally posted notices on the doors of residents. However, tenants said those notices were only posted in English, despite many in the complex being Spanish speakers.

"I need to own the lack of communication — and Spanish — with the initial communication the first time," Smith told tenants at Monday's rally. "I'm sorry. We are making every effort to make sure that all communication is bilingual."

Smith's apology didn't quell anger among tenants.

"We want housing," one woman yelled.

"That's a PR answer," shouted another resident.
Where's Mayor Ron?

Nine of 10 City Council members were in attendance at Monday's gathering. Although District 1's Sukh Kaur wasn't at the meeting, she sent a representative and met with tenants the day before.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg was notably absent, however.

Council was initially set to vote last week on the stadium project, which will be funded by the Houston Street Tax Reinvestment Zone. However, the decision was postponed until this Thursday after District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and others said Weston Urban first needed to iron out the details of its tenant relocation.

Although a vote is still pending, some tenants, including Alex Garza, said they feel the stadium — and the Soap Factory's demolition — are done deals.

"Are we wasting our time here because it's already planned? The mayor's not here because it's already planned?" Garza asked. "Don't lie to us. The media, the mayor, city council — if it's already sold, tell us the truth and tell us the truth tomorrow. If you can't tell the truth, then get out of City Council and get somebody that can be truthful to us."

Nirenberg has been among the new ballpark's biggest cheerleaders. The Missions stand to lose their MLB affiliation if a deal doesn't come together, likely something the mayor wants to avoid as he approaches the end of his last term in office and looks to cement his legacy.

During a Sept. 3 KSAT interview, Nirenberg even disputed the notion that the Soap Factory qualifies as affordable housing.

"By definition, this complex is not affordable housing," he said. "It is market-rate housing, which means that the rents are subject to the market forces in the area."
Low-income residents

Although the Soap Factory may not meet a legal definition of affordable housing, tenants argue the units are what they're able to afford.

Some who spoke at Monday's rally are on a fixed income; others don't own cars and walk to their jobs or use the nearby bus stop to get around. According to Weston Urban, the residents' average household annual income is around $40,000 — well below the U.S. Census' average household income for the city.

Some tenants, including Van Brown, explained that they were formerly homeless. Brown came to Texas from Ohio looking for a better life, and the Soap Factory was the only place that offered housing downtown within his budget.

"If this thing goes through, I could possibly be homeless again," Brown told the Current.

Other tenants, including Carmen Cruz, who lived at the Soap Factory for 10 years, said they're worried they won't receive the medical care from the hospital across the street if they lose their home.

"Some time ago, I had an injury, and as a result, I can't drive very well," an emotional Cruz told the crowd in Spanish. "This location is all I know. I feel comfortable here, at peace here, and I am able to move around with ease because I'm familiar with this area. It would be really hard for me to move somewhere else, because I would not know how to get around."
What's next?

At Monday's rally, Weston Urban handed out revised and updated relocation plans, which included moving tenants to other apartments on property unaffected by Phase 1 of the project. Those who qualify also would be able apply to live in Weston Urban's new Continental Block, which developers say should be completed sometime next year.

Even so, Smith told council last week that Weston Urban has only planned for 40% of the residents to take up the relocation offer. Smith declined to comment on what contingency plans, if any, exist if more tenants want to stay on the property.

Even so, San Antonio's public housing authority, Opportunity Home, said on Monday that it is prepared to offer units at its mixed-income Beacon Communities to those displaced by Weston Urban's plans.

The city's public housing agency also has vacancies at its Victoria Commons community — a workforce housing property near Hemisfair with easy access to a VIA bus line and other job centers downtown.

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