Plans for a $1.3 billion downtown Spurs arena got a momentum boost after City Council rejected a pause, stirring mixed feelings among nearby residents.
SAN ANTONIO — Project Marvel has been touted by San Antonio leaders as a gamechanger heralding promises of growth and revival downtown.
After a Thursday vote rejecting what Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones called a “strategic pause” in order to conduct an independent economic impact study, city staff are now moving ahead to execute a term sheet with the Spurs that lays out the funding framework for a $1.3 billion arena.
For families living near where the arena would be built, at the former home of the Institute of Texan Cultures along East César E. Chávez Boulevard, it’s a different story—one of change.
While many residents support the overarching Project Marvel ambitions and season ticket holders are excited about the Spurs’ opportunity to expand, they want provisions in place. They also want local government to consider factors such as noise, parking and safety.
Oliva Trevino, who for 50 years has lived on the border of where Project Marvel could be built, is for a downtown sports and entertainment district. But she’s also hesitant.
Trevino said she struggles to keep her family’s property. She added two short-term rentals to keep up with bills, saying the city was encroaching on her land.
“I want San Antonio to be No. 1 on everything,” Trevino said. “However, we have to put a limit. The buck stops right there on César Chávez.”
Already feeling the pressure of losing her community, she said the city wants to get all this development going, “but they can’t even clean our streets.”
After Thursday’s vote – which came 10 months after the district blueprint was publicly unveiled for the first time – San Antonio is just one step closer in a yearslong process.
“It was too rushed,” Trevino said of the decision to approve a term sheet with the Spurs. “I didn’t even know of it until recently and I live here.”
Other business owners attended City Council on Thursday to show their support for the project.
“Because of this project, I have been working on a two-year plan… investing $2 million here in SA, starting a restaurant next year,” said one Alamo City business owner. “I think a lot of other talented chefs will be attracted to a city like this.”
Trevino has also considered the benefits.
“I worry about my guests—they go to the convention (center), they love San Antonio,” she said. “It’s been safe for them.”
But the process, she believes, has been without adequate oversight or consideration for San Antonio’s public.
Now she’s asking for one thing.
“Our leaders need to get more involved with our community.” She said. “We are their people and it’s our fault as well; we put those people there. But what do you do?”
Trevino would like to see more forums with the community involved.
As for what’s next after Thursday’s council decisions: The Spurs are expected to ramp up a public awareness campaign ahead of the Nov. 4 Bexar County venue tax election.
Voter approval at the polls would not only pave the way for the county’s $311 million arena contribution, but trigger the other elements of the term sheet—including the city’s planned $489 million and the Spurs’ $500 million slices of the piece.