The City of San Antonio has unveiled plans for a downtown entertainment district that would include a new arena for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) San Antonio Spurs.
The proposal, revealed during a city council special session on Thursday, would also include a new convention centre hotel tower and acres of retail and residential development. As well as improvements to the Alamodome, the ageing 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium, the Texas city’s project would also feature new roads and infrastructure.
While no official announcement has been made on the budget for the project, leaked emails suggest it would cost between $3-4bn. Funding would come from the city, county, Spurs and other sources, but not from general taxation, officials said.
Project backed by Spurs
During a briefing on Thursday, assistant city manager Lori Houston said the NBA’s Spurs fully back the project and a move to downtown San Antonio. The team currently plays at the 19,000-capacity Frost Bank Center in the city’s east side.
“They are looking for a place to enhance their fan experience and their team experience,” Houston said. “And if you know anything about Spurs fans, that energy is amazing, and it could actually go through this entire district.
“The goal of a sports entertainment district is to create a dynamic environment that combines sports entertainment, dining, shopping and residential uses that attract locals and tourists, drives economic vitality and is accessible to our entire community.”
The project has been long in the planning, with reports published more than a year ago that a new district and Spurs arena was being considered.
The city has already spent around $3.5m from its Capital and Redemption Fund to hire consultants for what has been codenamed ‘Project Marvel’. Populous, CSL, RLB, and Pape Dawson have been tapped for assistance in master planning, feasibility and revenue projections, cost estimates, and infrastructure and traffic analysis.
Project timeline
Under details revealed on Thursday, the Spurs arena, Convention Center expansion, Convention Center hotel, entertainment venue and mixed-use development could be completed or under construction in the next one to five years. The Alamodome upgrades will take up to 15 years, in part because the venue is already committed to the NCAA for the women’s Final Four in 2029.
Plans attributed to Populous and unveiled at the briefing show the arena being built in place of the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC), which dates back to the 1960s. The former museum makes up roughly 13.5 acres in the public-private development in Hemisfair.
The proposed district would also displace a water cooling plant for a 1,000-key hotel tower with 20,000 square feet of space dedicated to a UTSA School of Hospitality, and a parking garage with over 1,000 spaces.
The Spurs have played at Frost Bank Center – formerly AT&T Center – since 2002. Prior to that they played at the Alamodome, which was built in 1993.
Councillors expressed their concerns that Frost Bank Center could become disused and a blot on the community where it is located.
“I’ve conveyed to city staff, and I’ve conveyed to the Spurs, how you leave a community is more important than how you found it,” said councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez. “And if and when the Spurs leave the Frost Bank Center, they need to leave my community in a much, much better position than we’re in today.”
