Spurs new arena ‘generational opportunity’

Image: City of San Antonio and Populous

It was standing room only in the San Antonio (Texas, US) Council Chambers recently, much of the large crowd made up of developers, business leaders and downtown stakeholders anticipating a big reveal.

‘SAN ANTONIO Report’ stated that plans for a downtown sports and entertainment district have long been rumored and now they were coming into focus as the City staff displayed renderings and talked about the next steps.

Along with an expanded convention center and hotel tower, the plans include a new arena for the National Basketball Association (NBA) team – the San Antonio Spurs – an improved Alamodome, acres of retail and residential development, new roads and infrastructure, and a land bridge spanning Interstate 37.

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, US. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at the Frost Bank Center.

The 19,000-capacity Frost Bank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena on the East side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Alamodome is a 73,086-seat domed indoor multipurpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas (US). It is located on the Southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15^th, 1993 having been constructed at a cost of $186 million.

‘SAN ANTONIO Report’ further stated that the momentous project, described by the City Manager Erik Walsh as “too big for us not to get it right” will span at least 15 years starting with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City, the Bexar County and the San Antonio Spurs ownership.

Added Walsh, “We’re committed to it. We have huge partnerships, some of them in the room, and we’re going to rely on them.”

The Mayor of San Antonio, Ron Nirenberg, whose term ends in May, is confident such an ambitious plan can be achieved even after he leaves office – “A lot of people didn’t believe that the San Antonio Spurs could be the gold standard of sports franchises in the world, but look at what they’ve been able to accomplish, and I think our City can do the same thing.”

The reactions were less than mixed among the Council members, who were largely supportive of pursuing the project and an agreement with the county.

Andres Andujar, President and head honcho of Hemisfair, another monumental project that got its start in 2009 and where much of the proposed district would be, said he was excited about the plan and looks forward to its evolution.

Pointed out Peter J. Holt, Managing Partner, San Antonio Spurs, “San Antonio is a City on the rise and our community deserves a world-class, accessible City Center that unites us and delivers unforgettable experiences. A centrally located entertainment district anchored by the Spurs could help bring that vision to life, benefiting the fans, the families and the entire San Antonio region.”

Remarked RC Buford, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Spurs Sports and Entertainment, “We’re thrilled to see the City’s interest and are looking forward to developing a collaborative process that includes input, dialog and consensus from across our entire community. A new arena in downtown San Antonio represents a generational opportunity to shape the future of our community – fostering economic growth, celebrating our City’s identity and creating a vibrant gathering place for all.”

Added Lewis Vetter, President of the Conservation Society of San Antonio, “We still have some legitimate concerns that we should be able to get the [Texas Historical Commission] and other elements looking at [the Institute of Texan Cultures] very seriously that it should be preserved. [As for the John H. Wood Courthouse], that was a theater in the first place … the fact that they’re going to return it to a theater is a really good idea, a good use of the existing structure.”

Observed Trish DeBerry, President and CEO of Centro San Antonio, “There are still going to be lots of questions about who pays for it –we didn’t see a lot of details associated with the cost. I’m in agreement that it’s big and bold and aspirational and I think we need to be thinking like that. In downtown, when you look at the peer Cities – Nashville, Charleston, Las Vegas – everybody is investing in the downtown. The investment opportunity I think is huge but the devil is always in the details.”

Commented David Adelman, Developer of The ’68 apartments in Hemisfair in San Antonio and other downtown properties, “It’s a heavy lift for the whole community. It’s a heavy lift for the public sector. It’s a heavy lift for the private sector. It’s a heavy lift for the Spurs. But we’re ready and I think San Antonio was ready for this next level. I would definitely be pursuing any opportunities [in the sports and entertainment district]. Obviously, we own a building right in the heart of what is the district. And so we certainly have the experience, track record and a passion for it and so I would absolutely be pursuing future opportunities as they come up.”

Opined Robert Thrailkill, General Manager of the Hilton Palacio del Rio, “The downtown market is underperforming where it was prior to COVID. It still is. There are probably a lot of good reasons for that including … the construction [on downtown streets]. [But] a brand-new downtown with an entertainment district and all that is going on is a wonderful story to share. The price tag for San Antonio may be a little rich but we might be able to figure out for some of it. I think the market will determine whether the hotel … actually ever comes to reality. We put the expansion of the convention center in place and then the market will dictate very clearly whether another hotel will be justified or required to support it.”

Thrailkill estimated that a hotel tower the size of what’s been proposed would cost between $400 million and $600 million to build.

Stated Omar Gonzalez, Director of Development, Oxbow Development Group, “It’s kind of undoing some poor decisions that were [made over the years] by bringing back the things that matter to people into downtown. The other great Cities in the world have their true gathering places in downtown and I think at the beginning of creating Hemisfair, that was the notion. In a way, we’re a really fortunate City because we didn’t do anything from 1968 until 2012 and so we have this land that, yes, it has a tainted history with the eminent domain and all that, but at the end of the day, we have this publicly-held land that we have a chance to relook at … and say, maybe we can do something that is really powerful for the whole City and brings the community together and creates vibrancy and it has lasting impacts for generations.”

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