Editorial: Right call to halt Alazán makeover, but what is next?
Express-News Editorial Board
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Children play at the Alazán Courts in September. Preserving units was the right call, but the housing complex desperately needs to be updated. What’s next?Billy Calzada /Billy Calzada
In a wise move, although one fraught with uncertainty, the San Antonio Housing Authority, or SAHA, will rebuild and not replace Alazán Courts, the city’s oldest and largest public housing complex. For years, SAHA had plans to work with a private developer to tear down existing apartment units and build mixed-income apartments.
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On January 21, advocates for people-centered public housing in San Antonio received incredible news: the San Antonio Housing Authority canceled their contract with mega-developer NRP Group to demolish and redevelop the largest public housing complex in San Antonio, the Alazán Courts. The plan would have displaced over 1,200 low-income residents and boosted the ongoing effort to gentrify San Antonio’s historic Westside.
The reversal is a sudden, unexpected victory for organizers who have struggled against privatization schemes for years. In addition, the CEO of SAHA resigned suddenly in a move that seems to be a result of the prolonged struggle.
Skip to main content We can t do this : How 501 public housing units in San Antonio were suddenly spared destruction
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Kayla Miranda and fellow advocate Amelia Miranda watch the eviction of a resident Wednesday from Apache Courts, a neighboring complex of Alazán Courts, which SAHA plans to rebuild.Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
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Community advocate Kayla Miranda, 37, talks with her daughter, Nadia, 16, at their Alazan-Apache Courts unit, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. Miranda has been an outspoken person on the issue of the demolition of the courts and their redevelopment. With them is the family’s three-year-old dog, “Joy”.Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
San Antonio Housing Authority walks back private partnership to redevelop Alazán Courts
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The Alazan Courts, at left, was San Antonio s first public housing complex. It was built in 1939 and people, mostly Mexican-Americans, began to move in during 1940. It is situated next to La Popular Bakery.Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy CalzadaShow MoreShow Less
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Children play at the Alazan Courts on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. Much of Alazan Courts, the first public housing complex in San Antonio, was built in 1939 and people, mostly Mexican-Americans, began to move in during 1940.Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy CalzadaShow MoreShow Less
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Residents of the Alazan Courts, San Antonio s first public housing complex, sweep a sidewalk on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. The complex was built in 1939 and people, mostly Mexican-Americans, began to move in during 1940.Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy CalzadaShow MoreShow Less
The fight over San Antonio s Alazan-Apache Courts shows different visions for the West Side Posted By Gus Bova, The Texas Observer on Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 10:34 AM click to enlarge Ben Olivo / SA Heron Alazán Courts resident Jacquline Caldwell speaks at a protest in front of SAHA headquarters late last year. On a Thursday in early November, nearly 70 San Antonians showed up via Zoom to address the board of the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), a quasi-governmental agency that oversees the city’s public housing and Section 8 vouchers. Due to the unusual volume of people, the board chair cut individuals’ speaking time from 3 minutes to a minute and a half. In 90-second bursts, often interrupted by technical difficulties, a st