{"id":326970,"date":"2025-10-23T17:10:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T17:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/326970\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T17:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T17:10:24","slug":"whats-next-for-the-east-side-rodeo-ceo-advocates-weigh-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/326970\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s next for the East Side? Rodeo CEO, advocates weigh in"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Bexar County voters prepare to decide whether to increase the county\u2019s venue tax for two major projects, community leaders gathered Wednesday night to give more clarity on <\/strong>what those changes could mean for San Antonio\u2019s East Side.<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Report\u2019s CityFest 2025 panel, \u201cWhat\u2019s Next for the East Side?\u201d brought together James Nortey of San Antonio for Growth on the East Side, Rena Oden of COPS\/Metro Alliance and Cody Davenport, CEO of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Moderated by senior government and politics reporter Andrea Drusch, the discussion centered on how Propositions A and B<\/a> \u2014 two venue-tax measures on the Nov. 4 ballot \u2014 could reshape both the arena district and the broader Eastside community<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Proposition A would direct roughly $192.8 million toward redeveloping the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum complex into a year-round, western-themed event campus anchored by the Stock Show & Rodeo. Proposition B would steer up to $311 million toward a new downtown arena that would eventually become the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 home. Although the items are technically separate, panelists said they are difficult to untangle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to separate Project Marvel,\u201d Oden said, referring to the city\u2019s larger redevelopment vision for the Hemisfair area, where the NBA arena is planned. \u201d The rodeo is hitched to Project Marvel, the arena is hitched to Project Marvel and the city pitched it as Project Marvel. And because it didn\u2019t catch fire or it didn\u2019t catch on very well, then the idea of separating things out became the nuance. Well, how do you separate them out now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both Oden and Nortey referenced a lingering tension throughout the discussion \u2014 whether this latest round of redevelopment planning would be any different from the many East Side revitalization efforts that came before it.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rena Oden of COPS\/Metro Alliance answers questions during the San Antonio Report\u2019s CityFest 2025 panel discussion \u201cWhat\u2019s next for the East Side?\u201d at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

History has made residents cautious about new promises, <\/strong>when the move of the NBA team to the East Side in the early 2000s never resulted in<\/a> hoped-for development, <\/strong>Nortey said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2003, the city and the Spurs and nearby neighborhoods invested a lot of time in planning, for economic development, for what could happen here,\u201d Nortey said.\u201d Those plans haven\u2019t materialized. There are real concerns in our community about \u2018here we go again\u2019. Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Well, no, I\u2019m gonna learn and so it is on the city and on the Spurs to demonstrate what will be different this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davenport, who leads the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, said those concerns are understandable but stressed that Proposition A is designed to stand alone to ensure the East Side\u2019s future isn\u2019t tied to the Spurs\u2019 plans.<\/p>\n

\"\"James Nortey of San Antonio for Growth on the East Side answers questions during the San Antonio Report\u2019s CityFest 2025. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the Spurs said they were leaving the, the rodeo stepped forward and said we would take over and protect these grounds,\u201d Davenport said. \u201cAnd I asked the great question \u2014 <\/strong>\u2018I\u2019m taking care of the rodeo, but what happens with all this other mess that goes down?\u2019 Prop A is isolated so these East Side grounds can be respected and taken care of, and we\u2019re no longer at the mercy of all these things you\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year-round destination<\/p>\n

Davenport described the future of the project<\/a> as a partnership between the rodeo, Bexar County and nearby residents \u2014 one aimed at creating a year-round attraction that brings steady traffic and spending to the East Side along with overnight guests.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike most people around here, I am tired of hearing about master grandiose plans. I\u2019m tired of promises. I\u2019m tired of somebody waving a banner out there. I\u2019m doing this, I\u2019m doing that, and we end up with nothing,\u201d Davenport said. \u201cLet the rodeo come in and do what we\u2019ve been doing every year in February. Let us expand that. \u2026 Let\u2019s build that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davenport added that the rodeo\u2019s plan to expand programming beyond its annual two-week run could turn the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum complex into a destination for youth competitions, concerts and festivals that draw visitors year-round.<\/p>\n

But while Davenport emphasized action and follow-through, Oden said true progress on the East Side depends on how those decisions are made \u2014 and who gets to make them. She pointed to Project Marvel planning as an example of where public input fell short.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first saw that rendering, you know, some of the things that came to our mind were, whose idea was this? Did the community help develop this? Where\u2019s that bridge going? This is public dollars,\u201d Oden said. \u201cSo where\u2019s the public input?\u201d<\/p>\n

Oden said she hopes plans for the Stock Show & Rodeo\u2019s expansion will include more opportunities for residents to participate openly and meaningfully in the public input process.<\/p>\n

Nortey agreed, saying new master planning efforts for the area should start with lessons from the past rather than a blank slate.<\/p>\n

\"\"Andrea Drusch, right, of the San Antonio Report, moderates CityFest 2025\u2019s East Side-focused panel. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing I would want is that a master planner actually review the past plans from 2003 to 2025. We over-plan to death the <\/strong>East Side, and we never implement what\u2019s on the shelves.\u201d he said. \u201c Implement what\u2019s already been asked for, restaurants or retail, green spaces for the families that are already here, and improved infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oden added that residents want to see those benefits and amenities reflected in their own neighborhoods, not just around the venue complex.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that the East Side is developed in that way, so that staying at home is just as attractive as traveling 30 to 45 minutes across the city. And yes, \u2018if we build it, they will come,\u2019\u201d <\/strong>she said.\u201d Is that the moniker we\u2019ve heard before? I think that we can use that when it comes to putting the right type of amenities on this side of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her comments reflected a sense of optimism shared by many East Side advocates \u2014 but also set up a <\/strong>central question that continues to drive the community\u2019s conversation about growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concern for the community is that growth is going to come regardless, but will the amenities reflect their culture, their lifestyles, their community?\u201d Nortey said. \u201cWe\u2019re cautious and optimistic. We do think there\u2019s a great opportunity for the rodeo, but there is some concern about who this is for. Is it for the people who live on the East Side of San Antonio? Is it for someone else? That\u2019s the outstanding question.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that long-term progress will depend on building basic infrastructure including roads, drainage, sidewalks, utilities, the things that make private investment possible.<\/p>\n

Oden added that meaningful change will require both creativity and follow-through. \u201cImagination and the will to execute,\u201d she said. \u201cEastsiders know what they want and what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked what the East Side could look like in 20 years, Nortey envisioned \u201ca community of opportunity for everyone \u2014 whether you\u2019ve lived here five generations or five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Cody Davenport, CEO of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, answers questions during the panel. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Davenport closed on a more personal note, tying his vision for the East Side to the rodeo\u2019s longstanding role in youth and agricultural programs \u2014 from 4-H, a network of youth development initiatives, to western events that foster a sense of community and belonging.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy vision is real, real, crystal clear. I see identity down here. I see grounds in a vibrant area that has an identity. I see my neighbors embracing this identity. I see their kids growing up with us, and I watched them grow and watch them go out into society,\u201d <\/strong>he said. \u201c I can see the people down here and why they want to be here, and I can see my East Side neighbors reaping the rewards of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

CityFest continues Thursday with a free panel discussing the small businesses that bring a sports and entertainment district to life<\/a>. Please RSVP to attend.<\/p>\n

Watch the full event:<\/p>\n

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