The majority of tenants at the Robert E. Lee Apartments in downtown San Antonio receive federal housing vouchers. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Renelibrary

The San Antonio Housing Trust (SAHT) closed a deal to purchase the historic Robert E. Lee Apartments building Tuesday, closing out a year-long saga in which tenants successfully organized against a large developer. 

SAHT plans to renovate the 72-unit building at 111 W. Travis St. and keep it as affordable housing, officials with the nonprofit organization sat. The majority of Robert E. Lee tenants receive federal housing vouchers and earn 60% or less than the area’s median income. 

“Our goal was to protect current residents and secure long-term affordable housing in a prime downtown location,” San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation Executive Director Pete Alanis said in a statement.

Last year, San Antonio real estate development company Weston Urban placed a $4.35 million bid on the 10-story downtown building. At the time, the tenants — some of whom were formerly homeless — told the Current that they feared being forced back onto the streets should the takeover occur.

Weston Urban’s bid came about a month after the company revealed that residents at downtown’s low-cost Soap Factory Apartments would be displaced to make way for a new minor league baseball stadium for the San Antonio Missions. Weston Urban is also a majority stakeholder in the team.

The Robert E. Lee Tenants Union, led by organizer Megan Navarro, with the help of District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur, fought back against Weston Urban’s deal. The group managed to work out a deal with the San Antonio Housing Trust in June.

Navarro told the Current that she hopes the union’s victory over corporate developers inspires others to fight for housing security.

“Together with my neighbors, we have shown that housing is a human right,” Navarro said. “We are more than our income bracket. We are people that love and care for our community and deserve to live where we want to live.”

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

Tenants or a qualified nonprofit have 90 days to place a counter bid on the downtown low-income apartment building.

San Antonio ISD is set to discuss the possible land sale issue during a Dec. 16 board meeting.

Residents of one of downtown’s few affordable-housing complexes said they’re worried they’ll be pushed out.