posted on October 07, 2010 22:25
The International Economic Development Council presented Port San Antonio with its 2010 Real Estate Redevelopment & Reuse Award for the ongoing transformation of the former Kelly Air Force Base.
Port San Antonio won the council’s award for cities with populations greater than 500,000 people. The council recognized the port’s multi-faceted approach to economic development. The Department of Defense decided to close Kelly Air Force Base in 1995. Port San Antonio assumed management of the real estate at the 1,900-acre site in 1996. Since that time, Port San Antonio has managed 11 million square feet of building space and developed more than 750,000 square feet of new building space.
Port San Antonio has also been able to attract more than 70 private and public sector employers to its site. These organizations provide jobs for 14,000 area workers in the fields of aerospace, the military, logistics and education. The annual economic impact of Port San Antonio tenants is $4.2 billion.
“We are very glad that national experts recognize the large scale and innovation of our work,” says Bruce Miller, president and CEO of Port San Antonio, who was in Columbus to receive the award. “This acknowledgement strengthens our commitment to build upon our successes to help the community grow.”
Port San Antonio’s development strategies have also included working with the Department of Defense in the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission decision. The port is managing more than $100 million worth of upgrades at the former base to accommodate military tenants. A dozen Air Force agency headquarters are relocating to Port San Antonio in 2010. These Air Force agencies are leasing space in Building 171, a 450,000 square- foot facility. The consolidation is adding 3,000 civilian and military officer jobs at the port. The port is also in the position to develop adjacent tracts of land to create offices for government contractors if the need arises.
“We recognize Port San Antonio for providing successful strategies to promote new paradigms in economic development in this period of global recovery,” says William Best, IEDC chair. “Our awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in communities. Port San Antonio is showing that it is at the forefront of the economic development profession and is using innovative and effective practices that can be replicated in other communities.”
Earlier this year, Port San Antonio was named the 2010 Redevelopment Community of the Year by the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Defense Communities.
September 28th, 2010 | San Antonio Business Journal