Spotlight On: Rob Killen, Partner, Killen, Griffin & Farrimond
September 2025 — Rob Killen, partner at Killen, Griffin & Farrimond (KGF), spoke with Invest: about the challenges and successes of his firm. Since its founding five years ago, KGF has worked on hundreds of zoning cases, plan amendments, and variances, and has advised clients on major economic developments in the San Antonio region. Killen highlighted the $50.4 billion economic impact locally from real estate and development, which employs over 150,000 people in the San Antonio area.
Reflecting on the past year, what have been the key achievements and milestones for KGF?
2024 was a good year, though not as hot a real estate market as recent years. Rising interest rates and concerns over material costs persisted. However, since our firm represents developers, landowners, businesses, and companies coming to or expanding in the San Antonio region, assisting with land use, incentives, and economic development tools, our business has remained steady. People still want to be in San Antonio; it’s a great place to live and raise a family. The city continues to attract individuals from across the United States and beyond, resulting in slow but steady growth. While multifamily development slowed, office and industrial sectors picked up, reflecting national trends.
A recent economic impact study highlighted the real estate development industry’s $50.4 billion annual economic impact in the San Antonio region, supporting 150,000 jobs. This includes the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and surrounding small cities. The ongoing strength of the real estate industry is demonstrated by the fact that in 2024, our firm completed over 70 zoning cases in San Antonio and surrounding cities. We also worked on a number of special districts and similar infrastructure funding tools last year. The volume of work hasn’t slowed, though the types of projects have shifted.
In 2024, we worked with business organizations to advocate for changes to the San Antonio city charter, ensuring long-term governance consistency. Previously, the city manager’s term was capped at eight years with a salary limit. In November, the voters approved changes to lift these caps, a significant win for the business community.
How have the new zoning rules further developed transit-oriented developments?
The VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority is building two advanced rapid transit (ART) lines: one north-south and one east-west. These projects, initiated under former CEO Jeff Arndt, are continuing under new CEO John Gary Herrera. The lines represent a more than $1 billion investment in public infrastructure.
To support redevelopment along the ART lines, the city of San Antonio proposed a new transit-oriented development (TOD) ordinance. San Antonio has lagged behind other major cities in TOD projects, which leverage public infrastructure investments by enabling flexible zoning along major routes. In December, San Antonio passed the TOD ordinance, allowing for individual zoning cases along both the north-south and east-west lines. This ordinance offers flexibility, reduced parking ratios, and supports mixed-use, higher-density projects near transit stops.
The first ART line will run north-south along San Pedro, a major arterial connecting downtown to the San Antonio airport. This corridor, currently underutilized with many used car lots and empty structures, is expected to see significant redevelopment due to the new ART line and TOD overlay.
How does KGF differentiate itself in the competitive market?
Our firm focuses on land use, economic development, and general government relations, primarily for developers, businesses, and landowners. Where we differentiate ourselves in the market is twofold. First is our technical expertise. What we do in San Antonio and smaller cities in the San Antonio area is based on state law, knowledge, and experience working with developers, property owners, and businesses—something we can do anywhere in the state. Every city has its own development code. When someone calls with a project in South Texas or North Texas where we might not know the code, we have enough familiarity with how codes work under state law to learn quickly. The second component is relationships. This is more focused on the San Antonio region, where we work closely with mayors, city managers, city attorneys, and council members. We have good relations with them because we bring quality projects to their districts, communities, and counties. We’ve built a good reputation, and that reputation leads to strong relationships.
What makes San Antonio an ideal location for your firm and the market in general, and how does it differentiate itself from other areas in Texas?
If you look at the other major cities in Texas — Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin — San Antonio has unique qualities that appeal to visitors, families, businesses, and investors. We still have a relatively low cost of living, great infrastructure, and internationally recognized assets. Everyone is familiar with the Alamo and the San Antonio River Walk. We have World Heritage Sites in the San Antonio Missions, attracting tourists globally. We have great convention space that is set to expand, the San Antonio Spurs, and educational institutions like the University of Texas at San Antonio, which continues to grow rapidly. We have a family environment and a city where, unlike other U.S. cities, you can quickly become part of the community. We’re a big city with a small-town feel, driven by the military, companies, and many first-generation San Antonians. This is what brings people to San Antonio and keeps them here.
Given the current labor shortages, how is your firm handling the retention of top talent in the legal and development sectors in San Antonio?
It’s challenging. We interview people, hire them, bring them in, and train them up. If it’s a good fit, they stay in land use and economic development. It’s a challenge in any industry. We see this in the real estate industry generally; there are not enough plumbers, electricians, or lawyers. We have a highly specialized practice, which creates additional pressures in finding and retaining the right people. We’ve been lucky to build a great team here. What we do at our firm is create a family atmosphere. We have regular firm get-togethers at our homes, go out, and ensure everyone feels part of the team, whether they’re an attorney, non-attorney, professional support staff, or other professional consultants we work with.
What is the outlook for your firm in the next two to three years, and how do you see the law and development sectors evolving during that time?
Let’s start on the local level. We have our San Antonio city council elections coming up in May. We work in all the small cities around here as well, but San Antonio, as the largest city in the region, has a ripple effect on the entire area. This will be the first time in 16 years we’ve had an open seat for the position of mayor, with 27 people running. We have four open San Antonio city council seats, and it’ll be the first time we’re electing them for a four-year term instead of a two-year term. This is a huge local election. There is some sense of — I wouldn’t say uncertainty — but people are holding their breath to see what happens. This impacts the local regulatory process: what the zoning will look like, what other regulations will look like, and the city’s tolerance for economic development and growth. I am optimistic that the new mayor and the new council will continue and build on the great things their predecessors have done. This is good for our firm because it creates challenges. People are asking us, “We’ve got this piece of property under contract. Do we move forward now, or do we wait until the election?” The answer depends: Which council district are you in? Inside city limits? Outside city limits? We also have a legislature in session. Ultimately, cities in Texas can only zone and use economic development tools based on what the legislature tells them they can do. The legislature meets every two years and changes the rules every two years, so consistency is extremely important. We’re advising our clients based on our predictions for the legislative session and local elections, not just in San Antonio but also in the small cities that may change as well. We see a lot of opportunity, and we know that even though there’s a little bit of uncertainty, now is the time to invest in San Antonio.
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