Catalyst Site Workshop: What We Heard

The purpose of the session was to refine and prioritize the vision, goals, and key themes emerging from the planning process while beginning to translate those ideas into tangible projects and investments.

Participants took part in a two-part activity. First, they reviewed and prioritized key themes through a funding allocation exercise. Second, they identified potential catalyst sites and developed project concepts for those locations.

The five groups explored how their proposed projects could address community priorities, create broader district benefits, strengthen connections, and catalyze future investment throughout Cattleman Square.

Common Themes Across Groups

Housing Paired with Supportive Services
Several groups proposed projects that combined housing with supportive services. Participants emphasized the importance of creating pathways to housing stability while addressing homelessness.

Community Hubs and Gathering Spaces
Participants envisioned community centers, plazas, cultural destinations, and public spaces that could serve as gathering places while providing education, workforce training, social services, and cultural programming.

Neighborhood Serving Amenities
Many participants highlighted the need for grocery stores, childcare, healthcare, pharmacies, and other everyday services that would support residents and reduce barriers to daily needs.

Mixed Use and Economic Development
Groups proposed mixed use developments that combine housing, retail, employment opportunities, and community services. Supporting local businesses and creating jobs were recurring priorities.

Culture, Identity, and Historic Preservation
Participants emphasized projects that celebrate the district's history and culture through arts, music, public spaces, adaptive reuse of historic buildings, and cultural programming. Several groups viewed cultural identity as a key asset that should be strengthened through future investment.

Connectivity and Transit
Many ideas focused on improving connections between the Westside, Downtown, VIA Centro Plaza, UTSA Downtown, and surrounding neighborhoods. Participants saw transit, walkability, and safer pedestrian connections as important catalysts for future growth.

Key Takeaways

A consistent theme across the catalyst site activity was the desire to address multiple community needs through a single project. Participants recognized that the district's challenges and opportunities are interconnected and frequently proposed mixed use developments that combined housing, services, economic opportunity, public spaces, and cultural amenities.

The catalyst projects developed by participants closely aligned with the priorities and themes that have emerged throughout the engagement process, which helped validate many of the ideas shared by residents, stakeholders, and community partners to date.

Participants emphasized the importance of addressing homelessness and housing instability as part of the district's future. Many groups expressed that long-term success will require a coordinated effort among stakeholders to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with housing, services, healthcare, and support while creating a safer and more welcoming environment for everyone.