SAN ANTONIO – All eyes are on downtown as talks of a new Spurs arena continue.

While officials work out the details of Project Marvel, one group is looking at how to make the east side vibrant. They say reimagining the area in and around the Frost Bank Center could spark major growth.

Officials with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo say a year-round, cowboy-inspired area could be the solution. The area would transform into something resembling the Fort Worth stockyards.

The possibility of a new Spurs arena could move the team downtown, leaving a gap at the Frost Bank Center, and the east side.

“I think it’s an incredible opportunity,” said San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo CEO, Cody Davenport. He says, when the Spurs first approached him about wanting to move venues, a lightbulb went off.

“As we sit right now, the way our show has grown, the size it has grown the industry as a whole, our connectivity inside of it, the timing is perfect for us to go back to the county and say, ‘we’ll fill the void’,” Davenport said.

He’s talking about a nearly $200 million upgrade to grounds at the Freeman Coliseum. It’s part of the overall plan to draw in visitors, and money, to the east side.

But voters will have to approve an increase in county revenue, or hotel and occupancy taxes (HOT), from 1.75% to 2% in November’s election.

“It is an expansion for more opportunity It is taking the footprint of what we do in February and allowing us to spread it out year-round,” Davenport said. “We can promise to bring the people in. We can promise to fill those voids down here on the grounds.”

The upgrades would expand and update the county-owned grounds to make room for community events — reinventing the east side’s identity.

“It’s a chance to reinvent the area into a true landmark,” said United Homeowners Improvement Association (UHIA) Task Force Chair, Cliff Cedeno. “A destination where people can come celebrate western culture and western heritage.”

Davenport said he’s turned to neighborhood groups like the UHIA for their input.

“We proudly support the expansion of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo at the Frost Bank center’s fairgrounds,” Cedeno said. “It represents a once-in-a-lifetime generation opportunity to reimagine, and to preserve and to grow our community.”

On Tuesday, they’re hoping to pull more support from local voices at a town hall.

“We’re the ones that are standing by the east side here,” Davenport said. “We’re the ones that have committed to stay down here and take on the risk on our side of going year-round inside of our operations.”

The eventual goal is to create an “entertainment district”, bringing restaurants and businesses to the area. For now, rodeo officials are focused on building a steady flow of visitors.

We reached out to Bexar County precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert to hear his thoughts on the plan. He gave historical background but declined an on-camera interview.

The town hall will happen Tuesday, Sept 16 at the Stockyards Expo Hall (Hall A) at 6:30pm.

You can register for the meeting here.

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