Spirit of San Antonio

Henry Cisneros builds on the human scale in his hometown

by Michele Krier

 
Some of the monumental achievements of Henry Cisneros, who served as a popular two-term mayor of San Antonio, stand out on the city’s horizon. The Alamodome, which brought national attention to the city, and Rivercenter Mall, which attracted some of the country’s most popular retail stores downtown along the famous river, serve as reminders of his tenure. But the former mayor and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, famous for kick-starting San Antonio’s national reputation, is now devoting his energies to developing communities and neighborhoods, starting with his own.

American Sunrise is a community venture founded by Mr. Cisneros and Mrs. Mary Alice Cisneros in 2002 as a nonprofit community-development housing organization. The program acts as a catalyst in the revitalization of neighborhoods by providing economic and educational opportunities that improve the lives of working families. The Cisneros’ vision of American Sunrise is to create communities so that working families find housing, as well as economic and educational opportunities, in the neighborhoods where they live in order to achieve an adequate and equitable standard of living.

When asked about his many mayoral achievements, Cisneros said, “It’s tempting to pick some particular project, but I am proudest of the sense of progress and confidence that all of us in San Antonio were able to engender at that time. We tried to balance the interest of the businesses, neighborhoods, and financial institutions, and to create a sense of where people needed each other. Everybody had something to offer, and we were proud that we created a real sense of participation in San Antonio.”

Now he and American Sunrise are bringing that same spirit to San Antonio’s neighborhoods. Currently, the organization is managing the development of two affordable housing communities: Gardens of Converse and Villas de Mira Vista. The Gardens of Converse opened recently, while the Villas de Mira Vista will begin construction on San Antonio’s west side in 2005.

Cisneros says he was inspired to create American Sunrise after visiting Detroit during his years of service as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. “I learned about this design in Detroit. It occurred to me that this is a brilliant idea. Take suburban quality housing, and bring that into inner city neighborhoods. To turn it around on a sufficient scale, there must be 200 homes, which makes a community statement and creates a village in the city. We had to find a long-term way to do community building.”

After his return to San Antonio, Cisneros formed American Sunrise. He took his plan to local and national mortgage and finance companies and secured the funding and low interest rates necessary for families to purchase a quality home at an affordable price in an American Sunrise Community.

Part of Cisneros’ motivation came from wanting to do more “hands-on” work. “I want to not just leave the details to other people. I always admired and respected the people who were doing the meticulous and methodical detail work. Frankly, I decided that I wanted to do that myself. That's really where the successes are created. Now we’re focusing on building a learning center and refurbishing houses one by one – building communities,” says Cisneros.

How can other people help with this mission? “We want people to purchase these homes, want businesses to support them. When you build in the city, you have to provide recreation for the youth, jogging paths, park space, etc. We’re always looking for partners who want to do those things,” says Cisneros, pointing out that nonprofit companies can add the social components that a profit-making company cannot. Banks, foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and other community-oriented businesses are helping to keep these houses affordable by partnering with American Sunrise in its goal to build community housing.

Cisneros also serves as chief executive officer and chair of American CityVista, a joint venture to build homes in the central areas of many of the nation’s major metropolitan areas. American CityVista provides new residential options for buyers of all backgrounds and incomes – from first-time homebuyers and young professionals to empty-nesters and downtown devotees of all ages.

Now in its third year, the nonprofit American Sunrise program will have twenty-five homes available in the Gardens of Converse, and has acquired properties in Prospect Hill to begin revitalization efforts. Recently, a grand opening was held for the new community Learning Center built for one of American Sunrise’s developments. The Learning Center offers children and their families basic educational skills, tutoring and study skills, training, social, financial, and life skills, and cultural literacy. For the people benefiting from the Cisneros’ vision of affordable and equitable housing, American Sunrise truly is a blessing.