Tesla signs lease for its first San Antonio showroom
November 10, 2016 | posted by The Institute
Tesla has signed a lease for its first San Antonio showroom along Interstate 10 close to the Dominion, ending its struggle to establish a presence in the Alamo City.
The Silicon Valley automaker has entered a lease with an affiliate of local commercial real estate firm Concord Properties for a building at 23011 W. Interstate 10, property records show.
A spokeswoman for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
The Concord affiliate, 23011 IH 10, bought the property Oct. 20 from a company controlled by local tech pioneer David Monroe, who formerly used the building as the headquarters of his cybersecurity company E-Watch.
Tesla has tried twice before to open a showroom in San Antonio. Early last year, it started an effort to open one on the far Northeast Side, and City Council granted approval to rezone the property. But the automaker apparently abandoned its plans.
Last summer, Tesla released plans for a showroom along Interstate 10 near The Rim. The city Zoning Commission rejected the proposal, citing concerns that the company’s electric car batteries could contaminate the Edwards Aquifer. Tesla later pulled the request from consideration by City Council. The new location is not in the aquifer’s recharge zone.
It briefly opened a pop-up shop at The Shops at La Cantera last year.