2025 ANNUAL REPORT MISSION Advocate for public policies that support a responsible, sustainable and affordable environment for commercial real estate (CRE) development.
GOODBYE 2025! 2025 was a defining year for the Real Estate Council of San Antonio. Together, we strengthened our presence at City Hall, Bexar County and the State Capitol and ensured our industry’s voice remained central in shaping San Antonio’s growth. We played a pivotal role in the passage of Propositions A and B, secured industry representation on the SAWS and CPS Energy boards, and worked closely with City staff to interpret new state laws affecting the Unified Development Code and championed an implementation process that’s clear, consistent, and easy to navigate.
This year also marked significant growth for our organization. We recruited a record number of new members, expanded our partnership with Alamo Colleges to support the trades, and launched new programming designed to cultivate emerging leaders and strengthen industry collaboration. Our Community Project initiative continued to make a meaningful impact, demonstrating how our members contribute to the broader community beyond the development process itself. I am proud of the progress we achieved together and energized by the momentum we are carrying into 2026.
PUBLIC ADVOCACY Throughout 2025, RECSA actively engaged in key policy discussions and legislative efforts that shaped the future of development in San Antonio. Below are the initiatives and proposals we advocated for—and against—to ensure a balanced, predictable, and responsible regulatory environment for our industry.
City of San Antonio Propositions A & B Term Sheet between City of San Antonio and the Spurs D1 CCR - Missing Middle Development Incentive Pilot Program D2 & D5 CCR - Trades Advisory Board D5 CCR - Enhancing Local Construction Trades Council D5 CCR - Ensuring Integrity in Local Contracts D5 CCR - Community Benefits Agreement Policy D6 CCR - Data Center Response - Planning and Policy Discussion D10 CCR - Comprehensive Review of all Developmental Fees Applied to Residential Projects CM Courage - Coordination of Construction Projects and Development in San Antonio South Texas Parkway ETJ Future Land Use Sector Plans Impact Fee Waiver Program Secured Industry Representation on the Planning Commission Technical Advisory Committee (PCTAC) Secured Industry Representation on the Multi-modal Commission Neighborhood and Housing Development Services (NHDS) Strategic Property Acquisition
Bexar County Update to Storm Water Quality Permits (SW3P) Process & Court Order Online Portal Selection of the newly created Environmental Services Division Chief Flood Court Order Fire Marshall Staffing Needs – Additional Sr. Deputy Fire Marshall & 3 Inspectors Change to Qualifications for Inspector Positions – to only Certified Peace Officers
San Antonio Water System (SAWS) SAWS' Internal Review & Approval Process for Utility Service Agreements (USA) Calculation of Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) for Multifamily Projects Secured Industry Representation on the Board of Trustees (NE, NW & SW Quadrants) RECSA Briefings with New Board Trustees Facilities Tri-Lateral Engineering Contracts * New tri-lateral template for development requiring new facilities Water Service Lines - Irrigation systems Developer-Led Major Projects Pressure Zone 750 Improvements
PUBLIC ADVOCACY CPS Energy CPS Energy Board of Trustee Quadrant 2 Vacancy Proposed Customer Infrastructure Development Agreement (CID) Process Pilot Service Design Workflow Encroachment Applications Process CPS Energy Transmission Study CPS Large Load Policy / Data Centers CPS Energy “Complete Streetlight” Program CPS Energy Power Generation Plan SB 6 - Large Electricity Users and Grid Reliability San Antonio River Authority Floodplain Maps Incentives for Nature Based Solutions (LID) Martinez Sewershed Master Plan Promotion of Density Development TXDOT Standardized Workflow for Plat Reviews and Driveway Permits Texas Legislature HB 19 – Limit Cities from Issuing Debt HB 20 – Career & Technology Training HB 23 – Third Party Reviews HB 24 – Petition & Notice Form HB 2512 – Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) HB 3345 – Vehicle Registration Fee SB 15 – Minimum Lot Size SB 840 – Residential by Right in Commercial SB 1883 – Limit increase in impact fees
MEMBERSHIP Record-Breaking! 46 New Members in 2025 From emerging leaders to established industry partners, RECSA’s membership reached new heights this year. With 46 new members joining—our largest annual increase to date—this surge reflects stronger-than-ever interest in advocacy, networking, leadership, and the work we do together to strengthen San Antonio.
New Members Lennar Homes Juniper Developers KW Landscape Architects Encompass Services, LLC Cohen Rabinowitz Michael Heaney Calvetti Ferguson Opportunity Home San Antonio Yaretza Pano Carlson, Brigance, and Doering, INC. Roger’s O’Brien S. Watts Group Law Offices Shann M. Chaudry, ESQ. James Barrow Joshua Dym Foresite Commercial Hakes Brothers Southtown Engineering SRS Real Estate Partners Dunn Sheehan, LLP Eduardo Cruz Valdes Nadene Long Schumann Consulting
RESPEC Big State Electric Axis Structural, LLC DNT Construction, LLC Keystone Concrete Alamo Title San Antonio ATKG Advisors, LLC V.K. Knowlton Construction Frontier Waste Solutions Nirvana Architecture Studio Identity Architects Diego Andrade WFG National Title Company The Home Depot Culture Space Trinary Development D. Ansley OfficeSource, Ltd. Dykema Gossett PLLC Felux Engineering Adolfson & Peterson Construction Cofield Group Catamount Constructors
“RECSA’s membership is strong, engaged, and steadily growing. Together, we continue to advocate for a vibrant and responsible development industry, ensuring our members’ voices are heard and San Antonio continues to thrive.” — Laura Gilliland, 2025 Membership Chair
MEMBERSHIP MIXERS Our quarterly Membership Mixers continued to shine in 2025, giving members a consistent and welcoming space to connect. Each event feels a little bigger, thanks to the incredible participation from our community. A BIG thank you to every sponsor, host, and attendee this year. Your support truly makes these events special. We can’t wait to carry these mixers into 2026. If you’d like to host a mixer, highlight a project, or sponsor an upcoming event, we’d love to hear from you. Just reach out to Olivia Tejeda, Director of Member Engagement.
PROGRAMS OUR PROGRAMS CONTINUE TO GROW! The second half of the year is always the most exciting, with the Legacy & Leadership Luncheon in September, which includes the presentation of this year’s Lewis Westerman Award (see pg. 7) and the Philip M. Barshop Award Luncheon (see pg. 8) in November. We also have the MOST fun in December, bringing together all our industry members with the Jingle & Mingle holiday party, co-hosted this year with CCIM, CoreNet, CREW, and YCRAN, and boasting over 150 attendees. We finish the year strong with State of RECSA luncheon, featuring panels on our advocacy efforts, as well as check-ins with local government leaders, and a look ahead at RECSA’s 2026 plans. We hope that you will join us in 2026 for what promises to be some very exciting discussions! If you are interested in sponsoring a RECSA program, contact Casey Weed, Director of Programming.
COMING SOON...
January 27 From the Ground Up: A Panel on Development Luncheon
February TBA LDP Alumni Rodeo Breakfast
March 4 Women in Real Estate Luncheon
April 2 34th Annual Fight Night
April 15 Fiesta Kick-Off Mixer
PROGRAMS LEWIS WESTERMAN AWARD We were proud to celebrate James McKnight of Ortiz McKnight PLLC as the 2025 Lewis Westerman Impact Award honoree. James is known for his generosity, his willingness to support others, and the expertise he brings freely to our industry. His leadership to advocacy, and dedication to strengthening San Antonio’s development exemplify the spirit of this award. We were also grateful to welcome Ed Kelley, Retired President & CEO of Affinius Capital as keynote speaker, whose reflections on leadership and San Antonio’s real estate landscape offered meaningful perspective. The conversation was expertly guided by Manny Ruiz, President — San Antonio Market at American Bank. Thank you to our speakers and to all who attended. Your engagement makes this series impactful, and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s.
PROGRAMS PHILIP M. BARSHOP FOUNDER’S AWARD In November, at The Witte Museum, members gathered to honor the legacy of Philip M. Barshop. The award is designed to honor the legacy of leadership, hard work, community involvement, and advocacy within the commercial real estate industry. This year’s award recipient was Ed Kelley, whose vision and love for San Antonio has changed the trajectory of the city. Attendees were treated to an inspiring discussion about the future of downtown with Hope Andrade, President & CEO of the Alamo Trust, moderated by Emily Baucum.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITY LEADERS Co-Chairs Bruna Spengler with Pape-Dawson and Caroline McDonald with Brown McDonald have been leading an incredibly successful year with the 2025-2026 Leadership Development class. This year’s program kicked-off with a retreat at Pedrotti’s Ranch, which culminated in a competitive margarita pour-off and mentorship mixer. In October, the LDP class presented their Project X projects to a panel of “investors”, who said it was the best year of projects yet. In September, they attended the Legacy & Leadership Luncheon and Barshop Award luncheon in November. Throughout the year, they have also done a number of leadership training activities, including a Strengthsfinder assessment, discussions with local leaders, and much more. Thank you to everyone who has participated in LDP as a tour guide, speaker, mentor, and so much more! Our LDP Alumni have had a great year! In addition to luncheons and happy hours, this year’s committee launched the first-ever Alumni Bowling Tournament, fundraising for future LDP and LDP Alumni activities, as well as RECSA programming. We are so grateful to everyone who sponsored, bought a team/ticket, volunteered, and otherwise supported this exciting new event! We can’t wait to bring it back next year.
FIGHT NIGHT 34TH ANNUAL FIGHT NIGHT ANNOUNCING THE 2026 FIGHT NIGHT CO-CHAIRS
Andrew Christopher Whiting-Turner
Lauren Sharp Guido Construction
SAVE THE DATE FOR APRIL 2, 2026!
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LAUNCHING JANUARY 2026! We are excited to announce that we will be launching Breaking Ground SA, a RECSA podcast that digs into the real estate deals, developments, and decision-makers moving San Antonio forward. Co-hosted by President & CEO Stephanie Reyes and local policy expert Rob Killen with Killen Griffin Farrimond, this professionally produced podcast will be airing twice a month, Make sure to subscribe!
ANNUAL COUNCIL OPEN 34TH ANNUAL COUNCIL OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT Thank you to everyone who made our 34th Annual Council Open Tournament one of our most successful ever! With over 240 players, we were SOLD OUT! We are so grateful to players, sponsors, and volunteers for making it such a fantastic day. Thank you to Ashley Nelson with Big State Electric, and Dane Wright with Pape-Dawson Engineers for co-chairing this exciting event! Save the Date for the 35th Council Open on Monday, October 5, 2026.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS LEVERAGING OUR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO GIVE BACK TO SAN ANTONIO Our 3rd annual Community Project was a rousing success! Over 70 volunteers gathered at SA Youth to help build their Mindfulness Garden.
The Community Relations Committee has also been hard at work reinvigorating RECSA’s partnerships with UTSA, Alamo Colleges, and Texas A & M San Antonio. Keep an eye out for more information in the new year on how you can be a part of these exciting initiatives.
Interested in joining the committee, contact Casey@recsantonio.com
2025 RECSA BOARD
CHAIR
CHAIR-ELECT
Trey Dawson Pape-Dawson
Bernardo de la Garza IBC Bank
VICE CHAIR OF GOVERNMENT AFAIRS
SECRETARY / TREASURER
Aaron Parenica Kimley-Horn
Alicia Wakely Frost
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS - GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS - GOVERNMENT AFFFAIRS - GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MULTI FAMILY STATE STATE CONSTRUCTION Michael Moore Ironstone Development
James McKnight Ortiz McKnight
Clayton Henson Whiting-Turner
Brian Vita EMBREY
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS - GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS - GOVERNMENT AFFFAIRS - GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS INFILL OFFICE RETAIL RESIDENTIAL Chad Case Worth & Associates
Britney Christy Merit CRE
Paul Basaldua Versa Terra Development
Hunter Kingman Hixon
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICE
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
PROGRAMS CHAIR
Laura Gilliland UTSA EMBREY REFD Program
Crystal Acker Kruger Carson
COMMUNITY RELATIONS CHAIR
Ben Pilgrim Milam
Joyce Watson Clearly Zimmermann Engineers
2025 RECSA BOARD
AT-LARGE MEMBER
AT-LARGE MEMBER
AT-LARGE MEMBER
AT-LARGE MEMBER
Scott Farrimond Farrimond, Castillo & Bresnahan
Caleb Chance Pape-Dawson
Harry B. Adams, IV McCombs Properties
Mesha Milsap Pearl Real Estate Company
AT-LARGE MEMBER
AT-LARGE MEMBER
AT-LARGE MEMBER
Fernando Diego Metropolitan Contracting
Thad Rutherford SouthStar Communities
George Peck KCI Technologies
AT-LARGE MEMBER
AT-LARGE MEMBER
Laurie Griffith SouthState Bank
Erin Bley Onyx Political Affairs
AT-LARGE MEMBER Carrie Caeser Cushman & Wakefield
2025 DPTF CHAIRS City of San Antonio
San Antonio Water System
Co-Chair Caleb Chance Pape-Dawson
Blake Harrington Juniper Developers
San Antonio River Authority
Co-Chair Taylor Allen WGI
Jeff McKinnie Cude Engineers
Bexar County
CPS Energy / TxDOT
Jim Welch Pape-Dawson
Aaron Parenica Kimley-Horn
2025 COMMITTEE AND SPECIAL EVENTS CHAIRS Leadership and Development Co-Chairs
Co-Chair Caroline McDonald Brown & McDonald
Co-Chair Bruna Spengler Pape-Dawson
Golf Committee Co-Chairs
Co-Chair Ashley Nelson Big State Electric
Co-Chair Dane Wright Pape-Dawson
2025 LDP Alumni Co-Chairs
Fight Night Co-Chairs
Co-Chair Greg Gibson Endura Advisory Group
Co-Chair Crystal Acker Kruger Carson
Co-Chair Tres Murry Hixon
Community Project Chair
Chair Luke Robinson RVK Architects
Co-Chair Andrew Christopher Whiting-Turner
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RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP JUST GOT EASIER. Memberships renew on January 1, 2026! As an added benefit to your membership, we are now offering an optional Auto-Pay Subscription.
Do Not Forget to Update RECSA if: Your office has moved. Changes need to be made to your account. You have moved companies.
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SPOTLIGHT YOUR PROJECTS We want to share your projects, awards, and more of who are members are through social media. From groundbreakings, progress pictures, new offices. Our members are what sets RECSA apart. To reach a bigger audience, send your pictures, video, or social media links to our Director of Member Engagement, Olivia Tejeda at oliviat@recsanantonio.com
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CONTACT US Phone Number 210-804-1155 Email Address oliviat@recsanantonio.com
Real Estate Council of San Antonio
Website www.recsa.com
Location 10101 Reunion Pl., Suite 230 San Antonio, TX 78216