Mission Marvel cleared its greatest political hurdles on the finish of 2025, however now metropolis leaders are scrambling to line up the land, designs and remaining funding for a half-dozen elements which are every difficult in their very own proper.
Main options offered for the primary time roughly a 12 months in the past got here into clearer focus Wednesday as metropolis officers laid out the place they’ve made progress — and run into new challenges — on the brand new downtown San Antonio sports activities and leisure district.
“The district’s received quite a few very massive initiatives in there,” town’s chief of monetary and administrative companies Ben Gorzell informed the Metropolis Council in a complete venture replace on Wednesday. “We’ve talked about the truth that we’ve received to actually section these over time so as to have the ability to implement that.”
On the coronary heart of the 60-plus acre sports activities and leisure district is a brand new $1.3 billion basketball venue and an expanded conference middle which are nonetheless excessive on metropolis leaders’ precedence lists and more likely to be the primary elements tackled — pending acquisition of the land for the sector footprint that’s at present within the works with UTSA.
Finally, town will personal the entire land inside the district, however remains to be within the strategy of buying a few of the parcels.
Earlier than breaking floor on the brand new NBA enviornment — which has a projected 60-month timeline to design and construct — the Spurs basketball staff possession should additionally full new mixed-use growth, doubtless residences, eating places, retailers, workplace house and resorts, on property town is transferring to buy this week.
That features a federally owned workplace constructing within the Hemisfair space and federally owned parking heaps on both facet of César Chávez Boulevard.
Different components seen in a flashy rendering that’s turn into synonymous with the venture have at all times confronted an extended timeline — some had been greater than a decade out within the first presentation — however are already trying like they might be altering from the unique imaginative and prescient.
The brand new conference middle resort, for instance, is on pause whereas the city-owned water utility research the feasibility of transferring a water chilling plant — a transfer that’s drawn backlash from some members of the general public who say it’s a waste of assets to destroy a functioning utility asset.
In the meantime, plans for an improved Alamodome are additionally within the distant future on account of a scarcity of assets, based on metropolis leaders. And a land bridge spanning Interstate 37 has been quickly scrapped on account of a change in presidential administration that seems unlikely to provide the federal funding element.
“If you take a look at any a type of anchor initiatives which are in there, if we had been simply making an attempt to do a type of, that will be tough,” Gorzell stated roughly a 12 months in the past on the venture’s outset. “We’re going to attempt to do a number of on the identical time.”
Because the Metropolis Council begins work on finalizing its nonbinding time period sheet settlement with the Spurs, in addition to hiring a venture guide, learning the district’s burden on metropolis assets, commissioning a parking feasibility evaluation and determining the way to pay for the district’s infrastructure wants in a forthcoming metropolis bond, right here’s the place metropolis officers say the main elements of Mission Marvel at present stand.
Metropolis prepares to purchase land
The Metropolis of San Antonio already owns a lot of the property within the Hemisfair space across the Henry B. Gonzalez Conference Heart, the Tower of the Americas and Civic Park.
There are two items of land, although, that officers must buy to maneuver ahead with plans for a sports activities and leisure district. Property across the previous Institute of Texan Cultures is owned by UTSA and the federal authorities owns an workplace constructing and land on both facet of César Chávez Boulevard.
At its Thursday morning assembly, Metropolis Council will take into account a proposal to purchase that federal land.
House cleared for brand new Spurs enviornment
The estimated $1.3 billion new Spurs enviornment is predicted to go on a website that up till lately was dwelling to the united states Institute of Texan Cultures. Voters authorised the sector’s $800 million public funding element in November, and whereas the museum constructing has been demolished, the sale of the property remains to be within the works.
Authorities entities have sure benefits when buying properties from each other, so San Antonio would be the one buying the land from the state college — a transaction estimated to price roughly $60 million. The ultimate worth will probably be decided by a forthcoming appraisal course of that each town and UTSA should bear.
“That’s going to be a giant a part of our work effort for 2026, … to interact with UTSA and work on the acquisition of that property,” Gorzell stated. “We’ve got that memorandum of understanding in place, it offers us the unique first proper to purchase that property. So that’s one thing that we have to interact with them on and start to barter.”
The probably funding supply to buy the land is the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. However Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and a number of other council members have pushed again on that concept, and Gorzell stated Wednesday that town might discover different choices, equivalent to probably swapping land or different belongings with UTSA.
The Spurs will select a developer to design the sector and surrounding growth. The world is predicted to be accomplished by summer time of 2032, Gorzell stated Wednesday.
The displaced Institute of Texan Cultures, in the meantime, is reopening this month within the foyer of the Frost Financial institution Tower.
Conference middle upgrades are funded however unclear
Upgrading the Henry B. Gonzalez Conference Heart stays a key precedence for metropolis officers, who’ve proposed a virtually 200,000-square-foot enlargement.
Funding for this main venture comes from state gross sales tax {dollars} from the San Antonio’s Mission Finance Zone. However Gorzell stated town nonetheless wants to determine how the conference middle matches into the renovated Hemisfair space and new sports activities and leisure district.
“In the present day, the [convention center’s] entrance door is on the Market Avenue facet [opposite of the arena footprint]. If we take into consideration every thing we’re speaking about and all of the funding we’re making within the park and all these venues transferring ahead, how does that egress work from the again facet of the constructing?” he stated.
Town additionally needs to take a look at the conference market and higher perceive how an enlargement to the conference middle would make it extra aggressive, he stated. Austin and Dallas, for instance, are at present increasing their conference facilities.
For now, metropolis workers are learning the enlargement and planning to current extra info to Metropolis Council in September.
Bars, eating places, workplace house coming into focus
Like different main cities redesigning their skilled sports activities complexes, the brand new Spurs enviornment is predicted to anchor an array of mixed-use growth, equivalent to residences, eating places, retailers, workplace house and resorts.
That is anticipated to be a few of the earliest work to start out, as a result of San Antonio’s settlement with the Spurs requires at the very least $500 million in growth to have been accomplished earlier than town points bonds to assist pay for the sector’s building.
This week Metropolis Council is taking the primary steps towards facilitating that by transferring to buy some land across the enviornment footprint that’s at present owned by the federal authorities, together with an workplace constructing adjoining to the Institute of Texan Cultures website and parking heaps throughout César E. Chávez Blvd.
The workplace constructing has tenants that may proceed to lease the house for a number of years, Gorzell stated, and its redevelopment is probably going additional out due partially to some historic options that make it extra difficult.
Per an merchandise on Thursday’s council agenda, the Spurs will give town $30 million for the land acquisition. Although the Spurs will probably be creating city-owned property, Gorzell stated the brand new growth will nonetheless be on the tax rolls, including funds to the Hemisfair TIRZ that will probably be used to pay for the sector.
If the sector district venture doesn’t come collectively, Gorzell stated town has the choice to both reimburse the Spurs for the $30 million, or switch the land to the staff’s possession.
The Spurs have but to announce who they’ll accomplice with to construct the brand new mixed-use district, however Gorzell stated town deliberate to have some enter in that growth when it leases the land to the Spurs.
“We checked out a variety of various choices when it comes to what that may appear like from a market perspective,” Gorzell stated. “As soon as the Spurs have their developer in place and we’re negotiating with them, that will probably be a part of the event settlement format — what’s going to get constructed and when, what number of models, how a lot house.”
‘Large renovation’ to Alamodome pushed again
Renovating the getting older Alamodome was as soon as a excessive precedence, and town obtained a particular tax designation from the state to assist pay for it, together with the conference middle upgrades, through the 2023 Legislative Session.
However that pot of cash has since been redivided to offer some funds for the brand new Spurs enviornment venture, and the mayor needs it to cowl a few of the enviornment district infrastructure as nicely.
Towards that backdrop, metropolis officers are pushing again the timeline and maybe scaling again enhancements to the Alamodome.
“The large renovation now we have in our timeline, we pushed that out to about 10 years from now. So the 2035-ish vary, for planning functions,” Gorzell stated. “If you begin speaking in regards to the main renovations of the Alamodome, the numbers get larger quick.”
Gorzell stated enhancements to the Alamodome, which first opened in 1993, may stretch into the $1 billion vary. An financial influence evaluation town commissioned in 2025 recommended the venue wanted infrastructure upgrades, extra digital signage, enhanced meals and beverage choices and upgrades to entry plazas.
Within the meantime, Gorzell stated, town would give attention to funding the Alamodome’s common operational prices and wishes, with a presentation to the council coming in September.
“Are there alternatives to do smaller-scale investments within the dome that both have a monetary return and/or improve attendee expertise? Possibly,” he stated. “We wish to guarantee that we’re doing issues that, if a serious renovation occurs in 2035, you don’t have a stranded funding the place we’ve probably not recouped that.”
Cash to check a land bridge, however none to construct it
Throughout a San Antonio Report CityFest occasion final 12 months, Metropolis Supervisor Erik Walsh stated the land bridge over I-37 was being scrapped for now because of the lack of federal help beneath the Trump Administration.
This week Gorzell additional defined, “We’d need to rely lots on federal funding to get one thing like that accomplished. It’s much less doubtless that we might get that … at this time limit.”
Nonetheless, he stated, the roughly $3 million grant that town was awarded to check the venture by the U.S. Division of Transportation beneath the Biden Administration will probably be used to take a look at all sorts of connectivity and pedestrian entry throughout I-37.
Town had paused on the research after the change in administration, for concern it wouldn’t be reimbursed, and now faces a decent timeline to spend the cash.
“We’ve got been capable of decide that we’re going to obtain this grant, and now we have till the tip of this calendar 12 months, Dec. 31, to spend it,” Gorzell stated.
Journey between downtown and the East Aspect has been a spotlight for some area people teams.
San Antonio for Development on the East Aspect (SAGE), for instance, has its personal $2 million grant from the U.S. Division of Transportation to take a look at connectivity throughout highways on the East Aspect.
James Nortey, SAGE’s CEO, stated a number of choices — from land bridges to underpasses — ought to nonetheless be on the desk. SAGE is open to combining its efforts with town’s, he added, so long as any research has ample group enter and buy-in.
“It’s not for me to say, ‘That is what I feel ought to occur.’ It’s for me to verify the method is clear,” Nortey stated. “I sit up for having the chance to work with town and have the {dollars} stretch additional.”
Conference middle resort falls out of favor
In a press briefing on Monday, metropolis officers stated a brand new resort close to the conference middle was now not a metropolis precedence for 2026. The resort was initially thought of needed to accommodate sufficient visitors for the expanded conference middle, however it was anticipated to go on a website that’s at present dwelling to a SAWS chilling plant.
Gorzell stated any work on a resort would are available in a later section of building after extra consideration concerning the cooling plant, which grew to become a difficulty of political debate after some residents had been upset about tearing it down.
SAWS is spending $2.3 million to check increasing its capability for the Hemisfair space, together with probably transferring the chilling plant, and the outcomes are anticipated later this month.
“Early indications are that’s most likely not going to be possible [to move it],” Gorzell stated Wednesday. ” … I do know that this was arising lots final fall … However on the finish of the day, if it doesn’t make sense, we’re not going to suggest we do it.”
Accommodations play a key position within the financing of the sports activities and leisure district, as a result of the state’s Mission Finance Zone permits town to gather progress in income from the state’s share of some hotel-related taxes.
However the Spurs may nonetheless add hospitality house as a part of its mixed-use growth, Gorzell stated, and lots of different new resorts are within the works with the PFZ boundaries.
Given the opposite deliberate resorts and pushback surrounding the chilling plant, Council members Sukh Kaur (D1), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) and Phyllis Viagran (D3) all urged town to take away the conference middle resort from its near-term venture checklist on Wednesday.
“We already hear from a few of our hoteliers that now we have sufficient beds, and we’d like to verify we’re filling these beds earlier than constructing a brand new one,” Kaur stated.
Music venue a part of a later section
A part of the plan for Mission Marvel concerned turning the prevailing Wooden Courthouse right into a 4,000- to five,000-seat music venue. The John H. Wooden Jr. Courthouse, initially constructed for the 1968 World’s Truthful, grew to become empty when the U.S. Courtroom’s Western District of Texas moved into a brand new facility on Nueva Avenue in 2022.
Town has proposed turning the house right into a music venue for mid-sized live shows. An financial influence evaluation recommended the venue would create 223 new jobs and $13.8 million in direct spending.
That venture will happen in later phases of growth, although, based on Gorzell.
He famous that the Wooden Courthouse might be an actual asset in future conference middle operations, providing a big venue for teams, however stated town will work on the venue later within the sports activities and leisure district’s growth.
Parking storage and research
Wednesday’s council dialogue included a lot concern about parking and transportation surrounding the sector district. The unique plans name for a parking storage paid for by a roughly $250 million metropolis infrastructure bond.
Now town’s bond capability is trying a lot smaller than anticipated, nonetheless, and Gorzell stated Wednesday that town plans to hunt a parking feasibility evaluation to see if different preparations will be made.
“If, actually, we’re going to maneuver ahead with a parking storage, then this guide will assist us determine how a lot of that storage can [pay for itself],” Gorzell stated. “Then if there’s a hole, then that’s one thing that we might speak about when it comes to potential bond program or one thing else.”
Many council members expressed concern about Mission Marvel consuming an excessive amount of of the bond capability that’s anticipated to cowl initiatives all all through town. The date and measurement of that bond election has but to be decided, metropolis leaders stated Wednesday.
Many council members additionally disliked the concept of town spending cash on extra downtown parking over other forms of transportation, and expressed skepticism about hiring a guide to say there isn’t sufficient parking as it’s.
Gorzell stated the research is meant to take a look at the state of affairs holistically, together with coordination of VIA bus routes, know-how that may assist individuals discover parking areas downtown earlier than they depart dwelling, and different potential options.
Like quite a few different research, the parking research is predicted to return earlier than the council in September, inflicting Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9) to comment in regards to the challenges town is setting itself up for this fall.
They’ll be within the dwelling stretch of a price range season the place they should shut a deficit, on the identical time they’re receiving consultants’ suggestions on parking, the Alamodome, conference middle and infrastructure wants, and probably gearing up for a metropolis bond election.
“That simply appears insurmountable, to take a look at all of that info and do it nicely,” she stated. “I hope everybody feels as overwhelmed as I’m feeling about this.”
