The Hill Country's Gathering Place
12/30/2008
By Jeff Coyle, NSIDE Publications
Rialto Village’s European-style marketplace promises to be unlike any other development in the booming northwest corridor.
Even to those who travel IH-10 outside of Loop 1604 on a daily basis, it can be difficult to keep up with the rapid improvements to what many call the “Hill Country Corridor.” New shopping centers, restaurants, parks and subdivisions continue to emerge, adding to the level and quality of amenities that make northwest San Antonio the most desirable growth area in the region. Yet, it’s worth noting when a new project breaks the mold by creating a destination in the corridor that is unlike anything San Antonians have experienced here before. Mixed-use “Town Center” type developments are the hottest trend in national real estate and are in place in all of Texas’ other major cities. However, they are just now dawning in San Antonio.
Schuparra Properties recently began construction on a mixed-use, European-style marketplace at the intersection of I-10 and Ralph Fair Road. To understand what makes Rialto Village different one must understand what it is not. Rialto Village will not be another big box development with national chains separated by an endless sea of parking. Rialto Village will feature primarily locally-owned restaurants and boutique shops, upscale apartments and offices connected by outdoor plazas, walking trails and lush landscaping. Its intimate design is intended to create a walkable downtown district for everyone living and working within a 15-mile radius of the site.
“People who live in the suburbs still want a taste of urban offerings in a setting that is accessible and inviting,” said Dale Schuparra, president of Schuparra Properties, Inc. “We envision Rialto Village as the gathering place for the thousands of people in the Dominion, Anaqua Springs, Fair Oaks Ranch, Crownridge, Boerne and beyond – a lifestyle destination for shopping, dining, living, working and strolling in a Hill Country Mediterranean atmosphere.”
Crowned by a landmark 121-foot renaissance tower, Rialto Village will feature Tuscan-inspired architecture – warm colors, rich textures of old stone and multi-chromed tiles and the graceful of arches of a Venetian bridge.
“We envision a vibrant marketplace reminiscent of the intimate piazzas of old Europe,” said Schuparra. “By offering business owners, professionals and residents a place where they can both work and walk to meet friends for lunch, we hope this is the start of something new here, an evolution of development trends that will change San Antonio’s expectations for the better. Beyond being an environmentally sustainable development, mixed-use Town Centers are also economically sustainable with turbocharged foot traffic. All components achieve above average business activity due to the greater allure of the Town Center setting and the inherent synergies of the parts.”
Its strategic location and potentially unlimited exposure will make the 24- acre village a destination for the more than 60,000 vehicles that pass the site on I-10 everyday. The existing Ralph Fair Road overpass, which itself carries 10,000 vehicles per day, will extend via a four-way stoplight directly into the main street of Rialto Village, Calle Rialto. “This is the best retail site in the entire I-10 Hill Country Corridor – easy access with four interstate on/off ramps and high visibility for merchants, medical offices and restaurants,” said Schuparra.
To ensure the project is compatible with nearby Camp Bullis, Schuparra Properties has been working closely with city and county officials, including the chairman of the Camp Bullis Joint Land Use Study, San Antonio City Councilwoman Diane Cibrian. Schuparra says Rialto Village will feature down-lighting that does not emit light above a horizontal plane to preserve the dark, star-filled night skies. And to ease potential concerns about impacting the native habitat of the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, a certified professional geologist surveyed the site prior to construction and found no endangered species within a half-mile radius of the site. The study concluded,“the site does not support critical habitat for rare, threatened or endangered species.”
Schuparra Properties also conducted an extensive tree survey and is developing the village around numerous existing old-growth live oak trees. Trees that had to be moved for construction are being housed in a nursery until they can be transplanted in the village. Ultimately, Rialto Village will feature lush, green landscaping designed by awardwinning landscape architect J. Robert Anderson, the firm that designed the stunning landscaping for The Shops at La Cantera.
When completed in 2009-2010, the “live, work and play” Rialto Village will consist of approximately 130,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, and 270,000 square feet of an upscale apartment community nestled into the village and surrounded by a greenbelt. The site has over one-quarter mile of interstate frontage and is located in close proximity to such destinations as The Shops at La Cantera, The Rim, The University of Texas at San Antonio, Leon Springs, Boerne, Fiesta Texas and the thousands of residents living in the affluent subdivisions along the I-10 Hill Country Corridor.
Online: www.nsidesa.com/medical/
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