Developer/investor Gary Cain (left) and planner/designer Andres Duany lead a tour of La Villita and other downtown spots Monday as part of the Windcrest Village charrette this week. Photos by Edmond Ortiz

A week-long collaborative effort meant to envision how a 303-acre tract of land near Windsor Park Mall should look and function for the greater good is under way at the Windcrest Civic Center.

A team of consulting designers and engineers met with officials from Windcrest and developers to open the civic center Monday. The planning involves officials, merchants, residents and other stakeholders brainstorming on the best way to incorporate existing and newer codes, elements from a design philosophy called New Urbanism and people’s basic wishes for Windcrest Village, a mixed-use development on land that the city acquired through the private Windcrest Economic Development Company.

The Urban Real Estate Group is hosting the charrette that primarily features renowned planning/design firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. The firm’s co-founder, Andres Duany, led a bus tour Monday of the property, which extends to Interstate 35 and far south as Eisenhauer Road.

While new and older neighborhoods exist on the property, much of the land is undeveloped.

“Unfortunately there’s repetition here,” Duany lamented to his colleagues about one subdivision’s cookie-cutter style.

“The visibility is great here,” Duany said, describing the land from the I-35 access road between Eisenhauer and Walzem Road.

In order to get a feel for San Antonio’s architectural history, the bus tour included La Villita, the Riverwalk and the revitalized Pearl Brewery. The design team was joined by representatives from the consulting engineering firm of Doucet and Associates, the public relations firm PlaceMakers Group, Gary Cain from the investing consortium, and officials from Windcrest and San Antonio.

Planning participants met with elected officials and staffers from the affected communities Tuesday, and held their first of three presentations that night at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel.

As colleagues look on, planner/designer Andres Duany studies maps of the new property dubbed Windcrest Village Monday at the Windcrest Civic Center prior to a bus tour of the land and some historic downtown sites.

The public is invited to a “pin-up review” from 6-8 p.m. Friday at the civic center and a final presentation from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the Westin. Throughout the process, the civic center acts like an open art studio where visitors can examine concepts and ideas and supply feedback.

Gary Cain chairs the Urban Real Estate Group, the managing partner for the 300-plus-acre tract. A San Antonio native, Cain said the opportunity to help transform the Walzem Road corridor into an economically diverse, vibrant community compelled him to join other developers/investors in the Windcrest consortium.

In that same timeframe, Rackspace Managed Hosting inked a 30-year lease to renovate and office out of Windsor Park Mall, guaranteeing a gradual influx of up to 6,000 well-paid employees over the next six years. It’s the first time Cain and his company have worked with Duany and his firm, but the developers were so impressed with Duany Plater-Zyberk’s past projects that they brought in the famed designer.

“Here we have the ability to change lives and bring a new concept to the area. We need to get ahead of the curve with revitalizing the Northeast side by thinking outside the box,” Cain said. “I don’t want to use the term mixed use. New Urbanism is about sustainable development. It’s a goal to bring convenience to residents and business owners alike, to have many things within walking distance.

“We’ll work with small and big stores, churches, homeowners, schools and anyone else interested to make a bigger community that is more convenient for vehicles and pedestrians and friendly to the environment. This … is all about citizens and their leaders shaping the future of their own community. I believe that what comes out of this week will have the greatest impact on Windcrest in its history. And I think the effects will be immediately felt in the broader San Antonio Metro area and in the whole region.”

• A newsletter is available at City Hall, 8601 Midcrown Drive; Windcrest United Methodist Church, 8101 Midcrown; Luby’s Cafeteria, 5307 Walzem; Starbucks Coffee, 4901 Walzem; Circuit City, 8540 Fourwinds Drive; and Marie Calendar’s, 8450 I-35.

• PlaceMakers Group is updating the official Web site: www.WhatsNextForWindsorPark.com daily.

• A crew from KLRN public television is filming the entire process for a documentary.

• The San Antonio Business Journal has tapped Ray Watson, director of the Windcrest Economic Develop-ment Corp., for its annual “Top 40 Under 40.” The list recognizes local business newsmakers under age 40 and their accomplishments in the past year.