SAN ANTONIO — The City of San Antonio has formally designated a brand-new cultural district, the Satisfaction Cultural Heritage Area, in the Tobin Hill area near North Main Avenue.
The Historical and Design Evaluation Commission (HDRC) elected to recommend the district on June 4 after pushback from Commissioner Jimmy Cervantes.
“I do not believe it’s in the right action,” Cervantes stated. “I think the intent is in the right, however I think what you laid out here is just a step towards separate but equivalent, and I do not assume that’s excellent.”
8 commissioners voted in support of the district, and Cervantes abstained from voting. This was the final vote to formally proclaim the North Key Opportunity location, between Elmira Street and Mistletoe Avenue, as the Satisfaction Cultural Heritage District.
“Being a gay man, it’s a whole lot to celebrate who we are as people, however it indicates a lot more when we can celebrate that as a neighborhood,” Phillip Barcena said. “I believe it’s truly excellent that San Antonio remains to recognize the cultural historical district of our different neighborhoods.”
“We require to have rooms that are secure,” Antonio Gonzalez-Martinez with the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce claimed. “When we have districts that are determined and that represent people, and where people can go and really feel risk-free, I believe it’s extremely important.”
While everyone going to the choose this district agreed on its value, the most significant concern came from Cervantes.
“I just think there’s a far better means of raising awareness and relevance from the contributions of individuals in the city,” Cervantes said.
Nevertheless, advocates from the city and the community disagree.
“It’s actually to acknowledge, not to exclude other parts of the city, yet to highlight the payments of this geographical area,” Cory Edwards, with the Workplace of Historic Preservation, said.
“All are welcome, however once again, it gives us an area where we really feel secure,” Gonzalez-Martinez claimed. “I believe it’s more about the security and safety and security component of it.”
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