In a surprising turn of events, an affordable senior housing project in the South Side of San Antonio hit a wall despite having received unanimous approval from the City's Zoning Commission. The Dallas-based Rise Residential, a property development veteran with multiple projects in San Antonio, did not get the competitive tax credits necessary for the fruition of Mission Road Apartments at 3400 Mission Rd. The development's fate became further uncertain after the company retracted its zoning change request on July 12, before it could gain final city council approval, according to the San Antonio Report. Rise Residential has kept mum on the reasons behind their withdrawal and it remains to be seen whether they will vie for funding in the future or if they're folding on the project completely.

The now tenuous apartment complex was intended to serve as affordable housing for seniors. A San Antonio Report shows that this disruption continues the trend of hardships faced by affordable housing initiatives. The difficulties arrive amid increased demands and skyrocketing costs associated with construction and financing, not only particular to San Antonio but observed nationwide. Ian Benavidez, deputy director of the city’s Neighborhood and Housing Services Department, told the publication, “Housing in general — and affordable housing is no exception — is expensive”. He pointed out the correlation between deeper levels of affordability and increased expenses.

The proposed apartment complex had secured backing from the Hot Wells Mission Reach Neighborhood Association, but encountered opposition from the nearby Mission San José Neighborhood Association. Jane Henry, president of the latter, expressed the sentiment that her neighborhood was already saturated with low-income housing projects, citing a total of five such developments in her comments to the Zoning Commission. The San Antonio Report detailed that the association instead favored development that could stimulate the local economy, such as a boutique hotel or single-family homes. In stark contrast to the opponents, Kenneth Brown, a land use attorney representing Rise Residential, was taken aback by the resistance, stating he'd never encountered opposition to a senior housing project before.

The fate of affordable housing often hinges on funding mechanisms like the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. Pete Alanis, executive director of the San Antonio Housing Trust, described this to the San Antonio Report as "hyper-competitive," revealing it covers up to 70% of the cost to build these types of apartment communities. In the fierce struggle to secure these credits, developers face an exhaustive process with an array of fees, environmental site assessments, market analyses, and often require multiple attempts to succeed. The irregular and challenging nature of this process stands as a critical barrier to the development of new affordable housing projects.