“This community deserves its highest aspirations and what we need to be able to do is achieve them together,” Mayor Nirenberg said.
SAN ANTONIO — In a conversation with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg talked about his vision for San Antonio Tuesday.
“This community deserves its highest aspirations and what we need to be able to do is achieve them together,” he said. “So, that’s the work that we have been doing over the last eight years in terms of, you know, finally investing in mass transit again, working on education, educational pathways, our housing efforts, all the hard work that we’re doing is about achieving those aspirations of our community.”
The mayor also briefly discussed the plans to transform downtown into a sports and entertainment hub. Nicknamed Project Marvel, it’s one of the largest projects the mayor is undertaking in his last almost seven months in office.
“I think, again, it enhances what is one of the most unique historic downtowns in America, one of the most visited downtowns in America,” the mayor said. “To a level, that, makes it the best in America. Not just for visitors, but also for locals.”
The project, expected to cost billions, is still in its early stages. The mayor explained the project is being broken down to smaller pieces.
“There’s a lot of due diligence,” Nirenberg said. “There’s lots of pieces to this one bigger vision. And I hope to, you know, to advance as much of it as I can. Over the next six to seven months.”
On Wednesday, San Antonio City Council is discussing the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion which is a part of Project Marvel. According to the memo, each of the developments require a study to find out its feasibility. The Convention Center feasibility study, according to the memo, is in its final draft form.
While the project itself is expected to take years, Mayor Nirenberg is confident that Project Marvel will be a San Antonio vision even when he leaves office.
“I don’t think just because we have new council members and [a] new mayor, that those visions, those aspirations that the community has had are going to change,” he said. “You know, my hope is that we can combine that aspiration with a willingness to accomplish it in the new council.”