Lone Star Brewery Redevelopment Seeks $63.7 Million in Public Funding

The latest owner of the Lone Star Brewery site, Southstar, is planning a major redevelopment of a blighted industrial property covering 57 acres in a mostly residential area south of downtown San Antonio. The plan includes new for-sale and rental housing, retail and restaurant space, music venues, upgraded streets, new green space and trails, and restoration of the brewery's historic structures.

Southstar is seeking more than $63.7 million in public funding to help pay for about $75 million of public space and infrastructure along the San Antonio River. The developer expects to request part of that money from the Innercity TIRZ and another $20.7 million through a municipal management district, a state-level process it is pursuing. The TIRZ requests must be endorsed by the relevant boards before reaching City Council.

Southstar projects the total investment at roughly $575 million and estimates the project will generate about $340 million in new tax revenue through 2050, including over $97 million for the San Antonio Independent School District. Assessed value is projected to rise from $24 million in 2026 to nearly $729 million by 2050. Street improvements on Lone Star Boulevard could begin in early 2027, and an online survey for public input remains open.

For developers and financiers, the key point is that the project's economics depend heavily on public financing tools, so the TIRZ and MMD approvals will shape its timing and feasibility.