SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio is just hours away from turning its attention to plans for a new downtown Spurs arena and broader sports and entertainment district that the city has been working on in secret for more than a year and a half.
City Manager Eric Walsh and Assistant City Manager Lori Houston are scheduled to unveil conceptual plans for a new sports and entertainment district centered around Hemisfair in downtown San Antonio.
This appears to be similar to the multibillion-dollar Project Marvel, which the city has been developing since at least April 2023.
According to the agenda, the proposed districts include:
“This could be a new arena for the San Antonio Spurs.”
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion
Alamodome improvements
new event venue
convention center hotel
How we got here
In January 2023, Spurs Sports and Entertainment General Counsel Bobby Perez and Walsh exchanged congratulatory text messages after a game at the Alamodome commemorating the franchise’s 50th anniversary in San Antonio.
“Thank you for helping us make NBA history!!!!” Perez texted Walsh.
“Great event, Bobby! We need more games downtown,” Walsh replied with a smiling face emoji.
Five days later, Mr. Perez texted Mr. Walsh again: “Let’s talk about next steps for downtown.”
Read more: City emails and text messages showing conversations and meetings surrounding Spurs’ potential ‘downtown’ arena
A public records request revealed an April 11, 2023, meeting at AT&T Center that included Walsh and Spurs executives, including Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO RC Buford. The record does not say what was discussed.
By that time, records show, the city had already begun collecting non-disclosure agreements regarding “Project Marvel,” starting with UTSA President Taylor Amy on April 6, 2023.
In July 2023, officials first confirmed to KSAT that the Spurs were considering a move downtown. The team’s lease with Bexar County for Frostbank Center runs through 2032.
In February 2024, the University of Texas System Board of Regents conditionally granted the city the exclusive right to lease or purchase 13.6 acres of land in Hemisfair, which is believed to be the site of the Texas Cultural Institute building.
The Brutalist-style building, which debuted as the Texas Pavilion at the 1968 World’s Fair, has $74 million worth of deferred maintenance and scheduled system failures, UTSA said.
The university has already moved the ITC out of the building and hopes to find a new permanent home for the museum near the Alamo.
Supporters of the ITC Building succeeded in having the building designated as a State Antiquities Landmark, but there is no guarantee that it will be protected from demolition, and UTSA says it will be done “to achieve the highest possible use of the land.” said it was necessary.
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