Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones surprised business leaders at a news conference as she continues to pressure City Council members to pause talks for an economic impact study.
SAN ANTONIO — Business leaders planned to make a stand to push Project Marvel forward Wednesday morning, but were surprised by the sudden appearance of Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones at a news conference on the steps of City Hall.
Project Marvel — more specifically, discussions over a downtown Spurs arena — has been a hot topic and the foundation of a City Council stalemate just a couple months into Jones’ administration. She is seeking to delay a council vote on a term sheet between city staff and Spurs Sports & Entertainment in order for an independent economic impact study to be coordinated and conducted first.
Jones’ hope is that that study, as well as subsequent district workshops to collect public feedback, could be accomplished before the November election where Bexar County voters will decide on approving a venue tax. That tax would provide up to $311 million for a new Spurs arena, amounting to the county’s contribution.
Opposing council members, however, want to approve the term sheet as soon as possible Thursday so that voters can be assured they know about the funding mechanisms at play before November.
There are no plans to raise taxes on San Antonians in order to fund the arena.
Over a dozen businesses and organizations from across San Antonio had originally planned to be in front of City Hall on Wednesday morning to show support for Project Marvel. Their goal: to push for a positive City Council vote on the city’s negotiated term sheet with the Spurs, in a downtown rally mirroring a similar one earlier this week where Jones and community advocates urged for a pause in talks.
Jones, however, showed up at this rally too. Though she wasn’t scheduled to speak Wednesday, the mayor arrived unexpectedly to talk with business leaders (as well as superfan “Spurs Jesus”) about the contentious issue and her reasoning for wanted to delay term sheet approval. She has continuously said that a “strategic pause” will end up better for the deal in the long run.
“I want a deal, that is why I am working so hard for it,” she said at the podium Wednesday morning. “If we do the things that I am asking for, more data for the people and more public engagement, people will vote for this in November. Fewer people will support it if they feel like they do not have all the data and are getting this rammed through.”
‘The time is now’
Business leaders later responded to her asking for a delay in the process, saying it would be even more expensive down the line if they waited.
“Our downtown post-COVID hasn’t fully recovered, and I think this is an opportunity to create a new renaissance for the next 50-100 years,” said Pete Cortez of the La Familia Cortez Restaurants group.
The Spurs would contribute $500 million initially for the sports arena. The city could be on hook for up to $498 million. The county venue tax increase would come from individuals’ payments for hotels and rental cars.
“Let’s look at the data, and if that independent economic impact study says, ‘You know, the Spurs numbers are good numbers,’ OK, great. I’ll be right there with you and I’ll be selling it alongside with you,” Jones said. “But if it’s different, then we owe it to the people to explain that to them.”
The firm CSL, which is connected to the Spurs, previously provided an economic impact report on the various components of Project Marvel to City Council. Jones has argued it wasn’t comprehensive enough when it comes to a Spurs arena, while also asserting it wasn’t independent.
Jeff Webster, president and CEO of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, noted delays in the Project Marvel process could impact the costs down the road.
“We know and we have seen the studies, we have seen the reality that the time is now to move forward,” Webster said. “The cost of indecision will delay projects, lose projects and drive up costs.”
Restaurateur Chad Carey also voiced urgency for City Council to vote in favor of moving forward with the Project Marvel process.
“We employ a lot of people in the hospitality industry in this city. It’s going to create so much opportunity for everybody and we cannot afford a scarcity mindset, a fear of progress to let things get in the way of this city,” Carey said.
Two votes are planned at City Hall Thursday: one to put a pause on Spurs arena discussions in order for another economic study to be done, and the other to keep the ball rolling. The City Council meeting starts at 9 a.m.
See some of Mayor Jones’ remarks at the Wednesday new conference below: