\u201cThe district\u2019s got a number of very large projects in there,\u201d the city\u2019s chief of financial and administrative services Ben Gorzell told the City Council in a comprehensive project update on Wednesday. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about the fact that we\u2019ve got to really phase those over time in order to be able to implement that.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the heart of the 60-plus acre sports and entertainment district is a new $1.3 billion basketball venue and an expanded convention center that are still high on city leaders\u2019 priority lists and likely to be the first components tackled \u2014 pending acquisition of the land for the arena footprint that\u2019s currently in the works with UTSA.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the city will own all of the land within the district, but is still in the process of acquiring some of the parcels.<\/p>\n
Before breaking ground on the new NBA arena \u2014 which has a projected 60-month timeline<\/a> to design and build \u2014 the Spurs basketball team ownership must also complete new mixed-use development, likely apartments, restaurants, shops, office space and hotels, on property the city is moving to purchase this week.<\/p>\n That includes a federally owned office building in the Hemisfair area and federally owned parking lots on either side of C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Boulevard.<\/p>\n Other elements visible in a flashy rendering that\u2019s become synonymous with the project have always faced a longer timeline \u2014 some were more than a decade out in the first presentation \u2014 but are already looking like they could be changing from the original vision.<\/p>\n The new convention center hotel, for example, is on pause while the city-owned water utility studies the feasibility<\/a> of moving a water chilling plant \u2014 a move that\u2019s drawn backlash from some members of the public who say it\u2019s a waste of resources to destroy a functioning utility asset.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, plans for an improved Alamodome are also in the distant future due to a lack of resources, according to city leaders. And a land bridge spanning Interstate 37 has been temporarily scrapped due to a change in presidential administration that appears unlikely to produce the federal funding component.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look at any one of those anchor projects that are in there, if we were just trying to do one of those, that would be difficult,\u201d Gorzell said roughly a year ago at the project\u2019s outset<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re going to try to do several at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n As the City Council begins work on finalizing its nonbinding term sheet<\/a> agreement with the Spurs, as well as hiring a project consultant<\/a>, studying the district\u2019s burden on city resources<\/a>, commissioning a parking feasibility assessment <\/a>and figuring out how to pay for the district\u2019s infrastructure needs in a forthcoming city bond, here\u2019s where city officials say the major components of Project Marvel currently stand.<\/p>\n City prepares to buy land<\/p>\n The City of San Antonio already owns most of the property in the Hemisfair area around the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, the Tower of the Americas and Civic Park.<\/p>\n There are two pieces of land, though, that officials need to purchase to move forward with plans for a sports and entertainment district. Property around the old Institute of Texan Cultures is owned by UTSA and the federal government owns an office building and land on either side of C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Boulevard.<\/p>\n At its Thursday morning meeting, City Council will consider a proposal to buy that federal land.<\/p>\n Space cleared for new Spurs arena<\/p>\n The estimated $1.3 billion new Spurs arena is expected to go on a site that up until recently was home to the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures. Voters approved the arena\u2019s $800 million public funding component in November<\/a>, and while the museum building has been demolished, the sale of the property is still in the works.\u00a0<\/p>\n Government entities have certain advantages when purchasing properties from one another, so San Antonio will be the one acquiring the land from the state university \u2014 a transaction estimated to cost roughly $60 million. The final price will be determined by a forthcoming appraisal process that both the city and UTSA must undergo.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s going to be a big part of our work effort for 2026, \u2026 to engage with UTSA and work on the acquisition of that property,\u201d Gorzell said. \u201cWe have that memorandum of understanding in place, it gives us the exclusive first right to buy that property. So that is something that we need to engage with them on and begin to negotiate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The most likely funding source to purchase the land is the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone<\/a>. But Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and several council members have pushed back on that idea, and Gorzell said Wednesday that the city may explore other options, such as potentially swapping land or other assets with UTSA.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Spurs will choose a developer to design the arena and surrounding development. The arena is expected to be completed by summer of 2032, Gorzell said Wednesday.<\/p>\n The displaced Institute of Texan Cultures, meanwhile, is reopening this month<\/a> in the lobby of the Frost Bank Tower.<\/p>\n Convention center upgrades are funded but unclear<\/p>\n Upgrading the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center remains a key priority for city officials, who have proposed a nearly 200,000-square-foot expansion. <\/p>\n Funding for this major project comes from state sales tax dollars from the San Antonio\u2019s Project Finance Zone<\/a>. But Gorzell said the city still needs to figure out how the convention center fits into the renovated Hemisfair area and new sports and entertainment district.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, the [convention center\u2019s] front door is on the Market Street side [opposite of the arena footprint]. If we think about everything we\u2019re talking about and all the investment we\u2019re making inside of the park and all these venues moving forward, how does that egress work from the back side of the building?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The city also wants to look at the convention market and better understand how an expansion to the convention center would make it more competitive<\/a>, he said. Austin and Dallas, for example, are currently expanding their convention centers.<\/p>\n For now, city staff are studying the expansion<\/a> and planning to present more information to City Council in September. <\/p>\n Bars, restaurants, office space coming into focus<\/p>\n Like other major cities redesigning their professional sports complexes, the new Spurs arena is expected to anchor an array of mixed-use development, such as apartments, restaurants, shops, office space and hotels.<\/p>\n This is expected to be some of the earliest work to start, because San Antonio\u2019s agreement with the Spurs<\/a> calls for at least $500 million in development to have been completed before the city issues bonds to help pay for the arena\u2019s construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n This week City Council is taking the first steps toward facilitating that by moving to purchase some land around the arena footprint<\/a> that\u2019s currently owned by the federal government, including an office building adjacent to the Institute of Texan Cultures site and parking lots across C\u00e9sar E. Ch\u00e1vez Blvd.\u00a0<\/p>\n The office building has tenants that will continue to lease the space for several years, Gorzell said, and its redevelopment is likely further out due in part to some historical features that make it more complicated.<\/p>\n Per an item on Thursday\u2019s council agenda, the Spurs will give the city $30 million for the land acquisition. Though the Spurs will be developing city-owned property, Gorzell said the new development will still be on the tax rolls, adding funds to the Hemisfair TIRZ that will be used to pay for the arena.<\/p>\n If the arena district project doesn\u2019t come together, Gorzell said the city has the option to either reimburse the Spurs for the $30 million, or transfer the land to the team\u2019s ownership.<\/p>\n The Spurs have yet to announce who they will partner with to build the new mixed-use district, but Gorzell said the city planned to have some input in that development when it leases the land to the Spurs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe looked at a range of different options in terms of what that might look like from a market perspective,\u201d Gorzell said. \u201cOnce the Spurs have their developer in place and we\u2019re negotiating with them, that will be part of the development agreement layout \u2014 what\u2019s going to get built and when, how many units, how much space.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Big renovation\u2019 to Alamodome pushed back<\/p>\n Renovating the aging Alamodome was once a high priority, and the city received a special tax designation<\/a> from the state to help pay for it, along with the convention center upgrades, during the 2023 Legislative Session.<\/p>\n But that pot of money has since been redivided<\/a> to provide some funds for the new Spurs arena project, and the mayor wants it to cover some of the arena district infrastructure as well.<\/p>\n Against that backdrop, city officials are pushing back the timeline and perhaps scaling back improvements to the Alamodome.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big renovation we have in our timeline, we pushed that out to about 10 years from now. So the 2035-ish range, for planning purposes,\u201d Gorzell said. \u201cWhen you start talking about the major renovations of the Alamodome, the numbers get bigger fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Gorzell said improvements to the Alamodome, which first opened in 1993, could stretch into the $1 billion range. An economic impact analysis the city commissioned in 2025 suggested the venue needed infrastructure upgrades, additional digital signage, enhanced food and beverage options and upgrades to entry plazas.<\/p>\n In the meantime, Gorzell said, the city would focus on funding the Alamodome\u2019s regular operational costs and needs, with a presentation to the council coming in September.<\/p>\n \u201cAre there opportunities to do smaller-scale investments in the dome that either have a financial return and\/or enhance attendee experience? Maybe,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to make sure that we\u2019re doing things that, if a major renovation happens in 2035, you don\u2019t have a stranded investment where we\u2019ve not really recouped that.\u201d<\/p>\n Money to study a land bridge, but none to build it<\/p>\n During a San Antonio Report CityFest event last year<\/a>, City Manager Erik Walsh said the land bridge over I-37 was being scrapped<\/a> for now due to the lack of federal support under the Trump Administration.<\/p>\n This week Gorzell further explained, \u201cWe\u2019d have to rely a lot on federal funding to get something like that done. It\u2019s less likely that we would get that \u2026 at this point in time.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he said, the roughly $3 million grant that the city<\/a> was awarded to study the project by the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Biden Administration will be used to look at all types of connectivity and pedestrian access across I-37.<\/p>\n The city had paused on the study after the change in administration, for fear it wouldn\u2019t be reimbursed, and now faces a tight timeline to spend the money.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been able to determine that we are going to receive this grant, and we have until the end of this calendar year, Dec. 31, to spend it,\u201d Gorzell said.<\/p>\n Travel between downtown and the East Side has been a focus for some local community groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n San Antonio for Growth on the East Side (SAGE), for example, has its own $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to look at connectivity across highways on the East Side.<\/p>\n James Nortey, SAGE\u2019s CEO, said multiple options \u2014 from land bridges to underpasses \u2014 should still be on the table. SAGE is open to combining its efforts with the city\u2019s, he added, as long as any study has sufficient community input and buy-in.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not for me to say, \u2018This is what I think should happen.\u2019 It is for me to make sure the process is transparent,\u201d Nortey said. \u201cI look forward to having the opportunity to work with the city and have the dollars stretch further.\u201d<\/p>\n Convention center hotel falls out of favor<\/p>\n In a press briefing on Monday, city officials said a new hotel near the convention center was no longer a city priority for 2026. The hotel was originally considered necessary to house enough guests for the expanded convention center, but it was expected to go on a site that\u2019s currently home to a SAWS chilling plant.<\/p>\n Gorzell said any work on a hotel would come in a later phase of construction after more consideration regarding the cooling plant, which became an issue of political debate<\/a> after some residents were upset about tearing it down.<\/p>\n SAWS is spending $2.3 million to study expanding its capacity for the Hemisfair area,<\/a> including potentially moving the chilling plant, and the results are expected later this month.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly indications are that\u2019s probably not going to be feasible [to move it],\u201d Gorzell said Wednesday. \u201d \u2026 I know that this was coming up a lot last fall \u2026 But at the end of the day, if it doesn\u2019t make sense, we\u2019re not going to recommend we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Hotels play a key role in the financing of the sports and entertainment district, because the state\u2019s Project Finance Zone allows the city<\/a> to collect growth in revenue from the state\u2019s share of some hotel-related taxes.<\/p>\n But the Spurs could still add hospitality space as part of its mixed-use development, Gorzell said, and many other new hotels are in the works with the PFZ boundaries. <\/p>\n Given the other planned hotels and pushback surrounding the chilling plant, Council members Sukh Kaur (D1), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) and Phyllis Viagran (D3) all urged the city to remove the convention center hotel from its near-term project list on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already hear from some of our hoteliers that we have enough beds, and we need to make sure we\u2019re filling those beds before building a new one,\u201d Kaur said.<\/p>\n Music venue part of a later phase<\/p>\n Part of the plan for Project Marvel involved turning the existing Wood Courthouse into a 4,000- to 5,000-seat music venue. The John H. Wood Jr. Courthouse, originally built for the 1968 World\u2019s Fair, became empty when the U.S. Court\u2019s Western District of Texas moved into a new facility on Nueva Street in 2022.<\/p>\n The city has proposed turning the space into a music venue for mid-sized concerts. An economic impact analysis suggested the venue would create 223 new jobs and $13.8 million in direct spending.<\/p>\n That project will take place in later phases of development, though, according to Gorzell. <\/p>\n He noted that the Wood Courthouse could be a real asset in future convention center operations, offering a large venue for groups, but said the city will work on the venue later in the sports and entertainment district\u2019s development.<\/p>\n Parking garage and studies<\/p>\n Wednesday\u2019s council discussion included much concern about parking and transportation surrounding the arena district. The original plans<\/a> call for a parking garage paid for by a roughly $250 million city infrastructure bond.<\/p>\n Now the city\u2019s bond capacity is looking much smaller<\/a> than expected, however, and Gorzell said Wednesday that the city plans to seek a parking feasibility assessment<\/a> to see if other arrangements can be made.<\/p>\n \u201cIf, in fact, we\u2019re going to move forward with a parking garage, then this consultant will help us figure out how much of that garage can [pay for itself],\u201d Gorzell said. \u201cThen if there is a gap, then that is something that we would talk about in terms of potential bond program or something else.\u201d<\/p>\n Many council members expressed concern about Project Marvel consuming too much of the bond capacity that\u2019s expected to cover projects all throughout the city. The date and size of that bond election has yet to be determined, city leaders said Wednesday.<\/p>\n Many council members also disliked the idea of the city spending money on more downtown parking over other kinds of transportation, and expressed skepticism about hiring a consultant to say there isn\u2019t enough parking as it is.<\/p>\n Gorzell said the study is supposed to look at the situation holistically, including coordination of VIA bus routes, technology that can help people find parking spaces downtown before they leave home, and other potential solutions.<\/p>\n Like a number of other studies, the parking study is expected to come before the council in September, causing Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9) to remark about the challenges the city is setting itself up for this fall.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll be in the home stretch of a budget season where they need to close a deficit, at the same time they\u2019re receiving consultants\u2019 feedback on parking, the Alamodome, convention center and infrastructure needs, and potentially gearing up for a city bond election.<\/p>\n \u201cThat just seems insurmountable, to look at all of that information and do it well,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope everyone feels as overwhelmed as I\u2019m feeling about this.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Project Marvel cleared its biggest political hurdles at the end of 2025, but now city leaders are scrambling…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":517242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,230677,61385,230678,136754,230679,13123,7202,7203,40723,358,7453,3187,7815,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-517241","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ben-gorzell","10":"tag-downtown-sports-and-entertainment-district","11":"tag-hemisair","12":"tag-henry-b-gonzalez-convention-center","13":"tag-john-h-wood-jr-federal-courthouse","14":"tag-project-marvel","15":"tag-san-antonio","16":"tag-sanantonio","17":"tag-spurs-arena","18":"tag-texas","19":"tag-top-story","20":"tag-tx","21":"tag-typedaily","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115897585871895111","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CityCouncil_BSession_ProjectMarvel_BaseballSpurs_SportsEntertainmentDistrict_09_01.14.2026_AmberEspa.jpeg\")
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones asks questions after a presentation on the sports and entertainment district project during a B Session council meeting on Wednesday. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CityCouncil_BSession_ProjectMarvel_BaseballSpurs_SportsEntertainmentDistrict_20_01.14.2026_AmberEspa.jpeg\")
Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) asks questions after a presentation from Ben Gorzell on the city\u2019s coming sports and entertainment district during a council meeting at City Hall on Wednesday. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/UTSAInstituteOfTexanCultures_Hemisfair_TowerOfTheAmericas_Alamodome_02_01.06.2026_AmberEsparza.jpg\")
The empty lot at 801 E. Cesar Chavez Blvd. which the former UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures occupied on Jan. 6, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/HenryB.Gonzalez_conventionCenter_02_09.30.2025_AmberEsparza.jpg\")
San Antonio officials say conventions are attracted to the Alamo City right now, but adding to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is crucial to keep them coming back. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/federal-land.png\")
A map of the federally owned land needed for Project Marvel was presented to the City Council on Wednesday. Credit: Courtesy City of San Antonio<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Brenda-Bazan-alamodome-final-four-renovations-22.jpg\")
The Alamodome hosted events like the NCAA Men\u2019s Final Four and the Valero Alamo Bowl college football game in 2025. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/project-marvel-rendering.webp.png\")
A rendering of the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district known as Project Marvel is shown. Credit: Courtesy \/ Populous<\/p>\n![\"Elroy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Scott-Ball_SAWS-chilling-plant-water-infrastructure-downtown-utility-utilities-5-21-2024491.jpg\")
Elroy Bishop walks among large downtown cooling plant pumps that transport water throughout downtown San Antonio to multiple clients, the biggest being the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and the Alamodome. Credit: Scott Ball \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CityCouncil_BSession_ProjectMarvel_BaseballSpurs_SportsEntertainmentDistrict_30_01.14.2026_AmberEspa.jpeg\")
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) chats with Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) at City Hall on Wednesday. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/BonnieArbittier_federal_courthouse_hemisfair_8-24-2018-2.jpg\")
The John H. Wood, Jr. Federal Courthouse, formerly the U.S. Pavilion\u2019s Confluence Theatre at HemisFair \u201968. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CityCouncil_BSession_ProjectMarvel_BaseballSpurs_SportsEntertainmentDistrict_23_01.14.2026_AmberEspa.jpeg\")
D9 Councilwoman Misty Spears speaks during a B Session council meeting at City Hall on Wednesday. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n