State To Sell Historic G.J. Sutton Complex, San Antonio Will Offer Incentives To Residential, Retail Developer

Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) staff members are preparing the historic G.J. Sutton Complex in San Antonio for the Texas General Land Office to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to sell it.

State representatives who advocated for the bill’s passage estimated the RFP process could take between six months to a year. After the passage of HB2944 in June, state officials now may sell the state-owned site for residential redevelopment as long as the property or buildings on the site retain the G.J. Sutton name.

In 2017, city of San Antonio officials said they would offer incentives to a residential developer who would add housing, jobs, and retail in the East Side; however, state statutes restricted redevelopment of the site to agricultural or commercial use at the time.

The site is zoned for mixed-use development, and the Obama administration designated the area as a Promise Zone in 2014 to provide federal incentives for development projects.

The complex was built in 1912 and operated by a machine and supply company. In 1975, state officials purchased the 112,000-square-foot complex that sits on 6 acres and converted it into office space for 200 employees, but persistent maintenance issues forced the state to abandon the site in 2013.