Moses Rose hideout owner says first day of talks was ‘unfortunate’

SAN ANTONIO. The city of San Antonio, the Alamo Trust, the Texas Land Office and the Cantu family met Wednesday for talks to negotiate the fate of Moses Rose. The Texas Land Office is the leading party in the negotiations.

Moses Rose is the latest business standing in the way of the multi-million dollar Alamo Museum and Visitor Center project.

It was years back and forth, between the parties. Last month, the San Antonio City Council voted to use an eminent domain to overcome this long-standing hurdle. However, Vince Cantu, the owner of this family business, stands his ground.

In 2020, he asked for $17 million for his business. Last month, he said he was ready to start with $8 million. The latest offer from the Alamo Trust was $3.5 million.

Cantu and his lawyer, Dan Eldredge, attended the talks. They were unable to disclose what was discussed on Wednesday, but said the mediation was “unsuccessful.”

“We will continue to fight for justice,” Cantu said. “As Cantu and the Canti family, we will continue to fight for justice and respect and at least equal conditions. I think due to confidentiality, I’m not allowed to say the numbers.”

LULAC also wants the city of San Antonio to delay using the big name domain to take over Moses Rose’s Hideout bar.

The City of San Antonio released the following statement for KENS 5 on Wednesday night:

“The mediation was unsuccessful, but the Alamo Project team is open to further discussion,” the city of San Antonio said in a statement.

Earlier, Alamo Trust CEO Dr. Kate Rogers sent a statement to KENS 5, which can be read below.

“On January 26, the San Antonio City Council authorized the use of eminent domain to acquire the final property needed to build the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum, the culmination of 10 years of planning and community involvement. After 3 years of evaluations, rejected offers, and failed attempts to negotiate the purchase of Moses Rose’s hideout from Mr. Vince Cantu, we are delighted that he has now agreed to negotiate the acquisition of the Alamo Trust, Inc. property. We hope that we will reach an agreement on a reasonable purchase price, which makes it unnecessary for the City of San Antonio to use the preeminent domain.”