San Antonio city leaders will have another discussion December 4 about a massive proposal for Project Marvel that they call potentially historic and a game-changer for downtown.
City Council will get more details on the urban development project, which local officials and their partners said will be an effort to solidify downtown as a destination for San Antonio residents, tourists, and business travelers alike. This meeting will specifically focus on issues relating to the convention center.
What's proposed
According to a November 21 council presentation, project partners envision these additions to the Hemisfair area:
- A 1,000-guest room convention center hotel
- A new UTSA School of Hospitality
- A new arena for the San Antonio Spurs
- A 5,000-seat live entertainment venue
- Expansion of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
- New retail, dining, and multifamily housing spaces
- A land bridge built over I-37, linking Hemisfair and the new sports and entertainment district with an upgraded Alamodome
Local officials and other city leaders expressed a range of feelings, from excitement to guarded optimism about Project Marvel.
“The goal of the proposed sports and 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,” said assistant city manager Lori Houston on November 21.
“It's going to be transformational for this community. It's going to increase visitation and improve the quality of life for our residents. We will have adjacent development that's compatible with our community needs, and there will be enhanced connectivity — and I'm talking about socially as well as physically,” she added.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said San Antonio is a city of “big dreams” and community members have a prime opportunity to capitalize on its assets and history.
“There's no doubt about that what separates us in this day and age right now — given all that the city, the City Council, and this community have been able to accomplish — is that we are willing together to work towards it and execute,” he said.
Cost and logistics
Initial cost estimates run $3-4 billion. For now, according to city officials, a mix of potential funding sources could be used to finance the project, including the Spurs, Bexar County’s venue tax, the city’s hotel occupancy tax, and revenue from developers.
City officials promise local taxpayers will not foot the bill for any major construction associated with Project Marvel, but the city may ask voters to mull over a bond issue to help fund road and drainage improvements around the project area.
Nothing is set in stone in terms of exact locations for each proposed new construction project, but partners said a new Spurs arena could replace the existing Institute of Texan Cultures — a Hemisfair fixture since San Antonio’s 1968 World’s Fair — and the existing John Woods federal courthouse could be renovated and repurposed as a live entertainment venue.
Wednesday's meeting
The December 4 council meeting is slated to focus on the convention center elements. City officials said expanding the convention center and building a new adjacent hotel would help San Antonio to keep pace with other cities that have enhanced their convention and tourism facilities and attractions in recent years.
“Our convention center today is losing out on convention center opportunities. We have lost about 90 opportunities over the past five years for large conventions that we could not pursue mainly because we don't have enough exhibit hall space in our convention center,” Houston said.
Additionally, the nearby Alamodome is nearly 32 years old and could benefit from a retrofit in order to keep luring major events such as NCAA Final Four activities, Houston added.
According to the preliminary proposal, a new convention center could feature 50,000 square feet of ballroom and meeting space, 26,000 square feet of dining and retail space, 1000-plus parking spaces, and 20,000 square feet for UTSA’s envisioned School of Hospitality.
City officials said there are several steps to take over the next 10-11 years to make downtown San Antonio’s new sports and entertainment district a reality.
Remaining questions
Even so, some council members have plenty of questions they want answered. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said Project Marvel is a chance for the city to “undo wrongs” in his district.
Many residents and civic leaders of Council District 2, a historically majority Black area, said their community has not seen improvements and investments promised when the Alamodome opened in 1993, and when the Spurs’ current home, Frost Bank Center, opened in 2002.
McKee-Rodriguez said he likes the idea of a pedestrian bridge connecting Hemisfair with the Alamodome.
“The caveat is that the purpose of a land bridge has to be community-centric, and I expect extensive outreach to determine not just the design, but that things do tend to go wrong,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
McKee-Rodriguez also said the city and county must get community input on what happens to Frost Bank Center and neighboring Freeman Coliseum when the Spurs’ lease at the former facility ends in 2032.
Councilmember Teri Castillo said project partners should set up a public agreement that spells out how residents and small businesses would benefit from a new sports and entertainment district. She also urged the city to not overlook the existing needs of older neighborhoods in and around downtown.
“I think there are models that we can look to replicate and ensure that we minimize as much impact and risk as possible for the established communities,” she added.
