At the same time, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is calling to reopen major portions of the non-binding agreement, suggesting the city still needs to assess major costs associated with the project as well as revenue projections before sealing a deal with the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to have some data to help us understand how we should lay our chips, right? This is a generational investment,\u201d Jones said at the Texas Tribune Festival last month<\/a>. \u201c[A] $75 million [community benefits agreement], frankly, is better than what we had \u2026 and we continue to negotiate for more.\u201d<\/p>\n Some members of the business community have raised eyebrows at that characterization of the city\u2019s agreement, suggesting it could send the wrong message to developers looking to do business with San Antonio in the future.<\/p>\n But as of this week, the city has drafted a request for proposals from consultants who can provide some of the additional information Jones has been asking for about what the city is likely to spend and earn from operating a downtown sports and entertainment district.<\/p>\n The city anticipates awarding the consultant contract in May, according to a copy<\/a> shared with the San Antonio Report.<\/p>\n An email City Manager Erik Walsh sent to the City Council on Wednesday said It\u2019s also expected to produce a 30-year revenue projection for sources that aren\u2019t already committed to repaying arena bonds \u2014 primarily sales taxes, since money earned from ground leases and new property taxes within the district are already earmarked for the project\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n The prospective consultant is also being asked to identify potential for \u201cnew, innovative, or strategic revenues\u201d to come out of the district \u2014 though few details are provided.<\/p>\n The document is still a draft and hasn\u2019t been finalized by the council or issued to prospective applicants. <\/p>\n Wheels in motion<\/p>\n While Jones views the city\u2019s agreement with the Spurs as a work in progress, many council members are already gearing up to start influencing what they see as the natural next steps.<\/p>\n On Thursday the council\u2019s Governance Committee heard the first of two Council Consideration Requests aimed at managing the $75 million community benefits agreement included in the original term sheet. That\u2019s money the team is supposed to give the city over the course of 30 years, at $2.5 million per year, to be spent how the council sees fit.<\/p>\n Councilman Edward Mungia (D4) and Teri Castillo (D5) brought forward a proposal<\/a> asking city staff to create a standard framework for such agreements that could be used for the sports and entertainment district or other economic development negotiations going forward.<\/p>\n
the study will focus on the cost of providing city services to the sports and entertainment district, such as security, traffic direction and fire services.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SpursCountyCity_Leadership_DowntownSpursArena_Hemisfair_07_11.05.2025_AmberEsparza.jpg.jpg\")
District 7 council member Marina Alderete Gavito talks with San Antonio Spurs Managing Partner Peter J. Holt during a press conference in front of City Hall on Nov. 5. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n