Yes. Motivated by membership loss during the Texas heat, rent hikes, and a lack of maintenance from unresponsive ownership of our facility on Lachapelle, the 2025 Board of Directors (lead by Mr. Doherty) took office with an explicit mission to explore new, insulated facilities for 10BitWorks, particularly looking for air conditioning, high-quality power sources, and a larger footprint.
We recognized that regrettably, relocating will necessarily mean the new space is a further drive for some members, and there would be a period where the 10BitWorks facility must be closed even to dues-paying members for working on projects, for the first time after 5 years of continuous 24-hour member access (since the pandemic). However, we resumed operations only 2 weeks later, on October 1st, after taking the time to transport various large and heavy equipment to the new location, passing inspection, securing utility services, and reopening 10BitWorks for members. To account for increased monthly expenses, long-time members grandfathered in to the old $60/month dues payments will need to bump their recurring contributions up to the current $75/month rate to access the new facility.
Despite the unique space, power, and budget constraints of relocating a nonprofit makerspace, by the time of the Board's renewal in 2026, they toured a dozen rental options within 20 miles of San Antonio city center. Each has been photographed and evaluated in detail for all members to see in the #moving channel on our Slack workspace. As always, members should go there for the latest status of the project and to contribute their feedback.
We narrowed our effort in May 2026, when the Moving Committee, including the re-elected Board and other invested volunteers across the Maintenance Ops team, voted in an open meeting for a single candidate to pursue negotiations with: 8610 Botts Lane. While the Botts building costs more to rent and is 18 minutes north of the Lachapelle building, it is nearly twice as big, insulated, built from real brick, and has air conditioning -- not only in the finished office space but in the workshop space as well. Despite the distance, historical membership data show that it is located closer to home for the majority.
Members were given advanced notice to finish their projects and remove their belongings from Lachapelle by mid-September. Further details are available to active members in the #moving channel.