San Antonio residents near Mahncke Park are waiting to learn what will become of the shuttered Lamar Elementary campus, and neighbors like Francille Radmann, John Gambuzza and Joyce Felter shared strong opinions with reporter Sarah Acosta about reopening, reuse or redevelopment. The San Antonio Independent School District says Lamar closed in May 2024 for low enrollment and that the site is being considered for partnerships and repurposing, with community feedback highlighting arts, early childhood services and green space as priorities.

The district confirms there is no final decision yet and that the property is under review as part of a facilities repurposing process. SAISD officials say more public meetings are on the calendar so neighbors can weigh in before anything is locked in, and the survey already collected some clear themes from the community.

Survey responses listed several priorities for the site, including fine arts programs, early childhood services for ages 0 to 3 and creating green space for the neighborhood. Those ideas reflect different visions: some residents want community services while others fear private development tailored to profit rather than public use.

Longtime neighbor Francille Radmann, who has lived a few houses down from the campus for more than 40 years, said she prefers a public-serving option. “Of course I’d like it to be a school, but since San Antonio School District can’t afford the school, at least according to the information we’re given,” Radmann said, “it could be, I think, a residential situation for young adults with disabilities who need more of a dormitory or campus life, and that would allow them to be out of their parents’ homes.”

Radmann added that she does not want the site turned into high-end housing. “I don’t want to see it become someone’s condo project,” Radmann said. “I would really rather see it have a public use and not a money-making use.“

John Gambuzza, who has lived across from Lamar since 1978, said the school should never have closed and wants it back as an elementary site. “I think they’ve already decided what they’re going to do, but one of the options was like a childcare center, but they already had that when they had an elementary school,” Gambuzza said. “So that didn’t make any sense. Green space, I had no idea what that means. And the other option, fine arts, we’ll see. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be condos with a really nice pool in the middle of them, but who knows.”

Joyce Felter, a Mahncke Park resident since 1975, said she is furious about the closure and wants an elementary school returned to the campus. “I would like to see it reopened as an elementary school,” Felter said. “So if I say anything else, it’s not true. Things that I would accept without squawking about them, we’re really helpless so this district does not want to work with us at all.“

Felter said childcare makes practical sense because the building has been used for similar services, though she also acknowledged the appeal of arts programming and green space. “The arts thing would be just wonderful, but I don’t know how the economics work out,” Felter said. “And green space, I may start calling them and asking what on earth is a green space? Are they going to knock down our building? I mean, I don’t know if they can get permission to do that. It would be a hard pull with the conservation society.“

Neighbors’ reactions show a split between keeping educational services on site and resisting condo-driven redevelopment. With SAISD promising more public engagement, the coming meetings will matter for people in Mahncke Park who want their voices reflected in the final plan for Lamar’s future.