TIRZ Approves $2M for La Villita Staircase
The Inner City TIRZ board approved $2 million over five years for a grand staircase linking the Villita Assembly Building to the River Walk, with required artisan leasing in District 2.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Philanthropy
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The Inner City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board approved $2 million in TIRZ funds over five years for a grand staircase at La Villita, and unanimously approved an amendment requiring half of rotating galleries, pop-up kiosks and artist showcases be leased to District 2 artisans. The funding request must still go before City Council for final approval.
Why it matters
The project would replace a switchback ramp with a public elevator and connect the Villita Assembly Building to a lower plaza and the River Walk, removing a barrier between the assembly hall and Villita Street. The artisan lease requirement ties the redevelopment to a specific San Antonio district.
The Assembly Building currently pays about $35,000 in annual property taxes on a $6 million tax-roll valuation, and projections estimate that value could rise roughly eightfold to $47 million within three years of operation. Whether the staircase and artisan requirements move forward depends on City Council's pending decision.
The players
Inner City TIRZ board
The Inner City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board is the city-linked body that approved the $2 million staircase funding and the artisan leasing amendment.
MLSA Ventures
MLSA Ventures is the company that purchased the Villita Assembly Building at 401 Villita St. in 2024 and is pursuing the renovation.
Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA)
Night in Old San Antonio is the long-running San Antonio festival that will no longer return to the Villita Assembly Hall in 2027.
The details
MLSA Ventures bought the building at 401 Villita St. in 2024, and the Historic and Design Review Commission gave conceptual approval to renovation plans two years before this report. McKnight briefed the TIRZ board on the project on Nov. 6, 2026, and the board's approvals followed.
Timeline
2024: MLSA Ventures purchased the 401 Villita St. building.
Two years before this report: Historic and Design Review Commission gave conceptual approval to renovation plans.
Nov. 6, 2026: McKnight briefed the Inner City TIRZ board on the project.
2027: Night in Old San Antonio will not return to the Villita Assembly Hall.
Market Landscape
The approval extends the Inner City TIRZ's pattern of directing tax-increment funds toward downtown and nearby redevelopment, including $350,000 for Gardopia Gardens' facility expansion and support for an Eastside Senior Center and natatorium backed by $46 million in TIRZ funds. The artisan leasing requirement adds a district-level equity condition that the board has not previously tied to its other approvals.
If approved, the staircase would give visitors a public elevator and a direct connection between the Villita Assembly Building and the River Walk in place of the current switchback ramp. Artisans in District 2 would gain access to at least half of the rotating galleries, pop-up kiosks and artist showcases the building hosts.
The takeaway
Public-funded redevelopment can carry conditions that extend benefits beyond the building itself, as the District 2 leasing requirement shows. Readers following downtown projects should watch the City Council vote for the final terms.
What happens next
City Council is expected to consider the funding request for final approval.
Further reading
Explore more Philanthropy coverage in San Antonio.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Antonio Report.
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