About 50 years ago, the birth of I-37 separated downtown from the historic east-side. Under Project Marvel, the two would reconnect with a massive land bridge.
SAN ANTONIO — City leaders describe the new concept of a sports and entertainment district as a “game changer”. The nickname for the likely billion-dollar vision is, fittingly, Project Marvel.
The public got a first look Thursday. The vision would reshape the downtown San Antonio landscape as we know it.
50 years ago, the birth of I-37 separated downtown from the historic east-side. Project Marvel would reconnect them with a massive land bridge that would be built over the highway.
KENS 5 asked business owners on both sides of the highway about the difference Project Marvel could make.
“I think anything to attract more people to this area is great for business,” said Elliott Reese, co-owner of Rees Bros Barbecue.
Four days a week, a couple of blocks south of the Alamodome off Hoefgen Avenue, a team of eight at Rees Bros is serving up Central Texas barbecue with a Mexican twist.
“We put up with a lot of Alamodome traffic, which is great, we get a lot of foot traffic as it is, but the streets do shut down. It’s kind of hard to navigate these areas during those days anyway,” said Reese.
During their three years in business, Reese began to notice a disconnect.
“A bit of a divide between I-37 — Southtown compared to us,” said Reese.
When the team learned about Project Marvel, they only saw opportunity.
“The footbridge would be insane. It would be so helpful to get from one side to the other without having to dodge traffic,” said Reese. “I think this would be a great way to expand our hours a little more, kind of reach out to that nighttime community as well.”
The vision of Project Marvel includes a new arena, a new hotel and a bigger convention center. A land bridge will connect the arena to a revamped Alamodome.
Across I-37, in Hemisfair’s Bombay Bicycle Club, the team is used to seeing orange when they look outside.
“Thankfully they opened Chavez back up,” said Doug Yanik, Manager of Bombay Bicycle Club at Hemisfair.
“People aren’t so scared to come around this area now. Previously, you see the construction and it’s like, ‘I don’t even want to deal with that,'” added Celeste Garza, assistant manager of Bombay Bicycle Club. “It has taken quite a turn since everything opened up for us.”
Thursday afternoon at Bombay, customers started trickling in. Thursday at Bombay means burger madness.
“You get a cheeseburger or a hamburger for $5.95,” said Yanik.
Bombay welcomes Project Marvel as part of downtown’s revitalization.
For them, it means more newcomers and more customers in general. It’s something they wish for from the start.
“I think it’s going to be a positive attraction for people who actually want to venture downtown. We get a lot of business from locals around this area but I think it’s going to bring people from the suburbs and everything,” said Yanik “I think it’s going to attract bigger bowl games, bigger concerts…It’s only going to help us.”
San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh estimates project timelines of one to five years for everything west of I-37 including the land bridge dream and anywhere from six to 15 years for the Alamodome and other development on the east-side.