The Spurs have conveyed to the city that want to move downtown by 2032 when their lease at the Frost Bank Center ends.
SAN ANTONIO — A projected new Spurs arena could cost between $1.2 and $1.5 billion but the city of San Antonio still doesn’t know how much they will contribute.
On Thursday, city council will decide if they want to move forward with negotiations between the Spurs, the county and the city. The city saying their goal is to work towards a non-binding agreement, or a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which will aim to create a plan which will include the construction of a new downtown arena for the Spurs, and how to fund it.
The Spurs have conveyed to the city that want to move downtown by 2032 when their lease at the Frost Bank Center ends. Assistant City Manager Lori Houston citing the Spurs’ desire to improve the fan experience, since the new proposed arena would be next to Hemisfair. The arena would have 18,000 to 20,000 seats, comparable to other NBA arenas.
The city has yet to buy the Institute of Texan Cultures and other federal properties, which would cost $60 million dollars (that’s not a part of the Spurs arena estimate). The city does have a MOU with UTSA ensuring that once the property goes up for sale, they’d be the first to purchase it.
Part of the money for the arena could come from the venue tax, which could come to a vote on behalf of the county in November. The Spurs also will contribute to arena funding, but also haven’t indicated to the city how much they would contribute.
On the city’s end, they have several options on how to help pay for the arena, emphasizing that none of those options will include an increase to property taxes. One option could be a city bond election in November.
Some city councilmembers Wednesday expressed frustration for not having more concrete details about Project Marvel.
“I’ve heard that we’ve been at this for over a year, and I’ll tell you that it’s a little bit embarrassing that after a year of looking at this, this is where we are,” said Marc Whyte, council member for District 10. “Because this document says nothing to the public that we haven’t already said before.”
Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, council member for District 2, believes that the conversations as they stand now are leaving the east side out to dry.
“If this conversation is an indicator for how people feel, the city feels about the east side, right now it is not good,” he told councilmembers.
The east side was made promises of development and revitalization when the Spurs moved to the Frost Bank Center in 1999. While those promises have been left unfulfilled, McKee-Rodriguez wants assurance that should the Spurs leave, they leave the east side better than it was. However, one possible option to redevelop the Frost Bank Center, should the Spurs leave is the Willow Springs Golf Course located behind the Frost Bank Center. McKee-Rodriguez is adamant that those that live on the east side want the Willow Springs Golf Course to stay as is.
“Generally speaking, the council wants us to move forward,” said Erik Walsh, city manager for San Antonio. “There are some kinks that we need to work out in terms of Willow Springs and some of the engagement of that.”
A possible Spurs arena isn’t the only project in the downtown sports and entertainment district plan, nicknamed ‘Project Marvel,’ the city has on the horizon.
Expanding the Convention Center is also ‘near term’ with construction proposed to begin by 2028. That project is estimated to cost between $700 million and $900 million.
In the near future, the city also plans to convert the John H Wood Jr. Federal Courthouse to an entertainment venue. With about $5,000 seats, it would support smaller concerts and community-focused events, according to a city presentation. That project is estimated to be between $100 million and $150 million dollars.