By Edmond Ortiz
City officials overseeing the advancement of Project Marvel are turning their attention to feasibility studies focused on downtown accessibility and mobility, and needs at the Alamodome and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
What you should know
City staff briefed City Council June 17 on the latest developments concerning the planned multi-billion dollar downtown sports and entertainment district.
Council will meet June 18 to mull a $499,600 contract with Walker Consultants, a national firm that will assess the feasibility of new and existing city-owned facilities and the use of existing private parking to support the new sports and entertainment district, which would be anchored by the Spurs’ new arena.
The downtown mobility and accessibility study will also consider the expected increased use of VIA Metropolitan Transit services and potential impact of taxis and rideshares.
Draft findings from the mobility study will be presented to council in September, the same month when city leaders are due to receive reports on assessments at the convention center and the Alamodome.
When Spurs ownership approached the city to pitch Project Marvel, the proposal included a renovated Alamodome, which would be connected to the new sports and entertainment district in the Hemisfair area.
Council voted June 11 to spend $2.3 million to replace the Alamodome’s existing 6-year-old scoreboard ahead of fall events, such as the start of UT San Antonio football.
But the scoreboard was already a planned expenditure, and not part of what local officials say is an overdue overhaul at the 33-year-old domed stadium.
Civic and business leaders have said modernization and other renovations could help to further maximize usage of the facility, which hosts a range of events from sports and concerts to special expositions and graduation ceremonies.
Local government and business leaders are also exploring how improvements and potential expansion of the convention center could help to maximize utilization of the city’s nearly 514,000-square-foot main meeting and event complex. The convention center was last modernized and expanded in 2016.
City officials are already pondering scenarios going forward without an originally envisioned 1,000-room convention center hotel after engineering consultants revealed it would cost north of $300 million to relocate a San Antonio Water System downtown chilled water plant to support such a new facility along with the other key structures that it serves. A new convention center hotel is estimated to cost $750 million.
The city also plans to hold community workshops June 25 and 27 to get input and ideas on improving connectivity between the Project Marvel site and surrounding neighborhoods, especially on the East Side. The June 25 meetings will start at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Bethel AME Church, 225 N. Swiss St.
Additionally, the city is expected to close in July on the acquisition of former federal property along East Cesar Chavez Boulevard, a site that is supposed to accommodate mixed-use development supporting arena financing. The Spurs chipped in $30 million toward total closing costs estimated at $120,000.
What they are saying
Many council members underscored the importance of project partners carrying through with various elements around the district site, such as exploring opportunities to enhance parking spaces, mass transit, roads, community connectivity, even affordable housing efforts.
Other council members advocated incorporating small local businesses in the district’s development, and being fully transparent about the entire project, from publicizing funding sources and escalating costs to gathering feedback from residents and merchants who will be impacted the most from Project Marvel.
For her part, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones continues to press Spurs ownership to see if the team could increase its contribution – currently at $500 million – toward the total cost of building the $1.3 billion arena in order to lessen the financial burden slated for the city and Bexar County.
“We want to understand, how do we get to this amount? There’s the math, but there’s also (the question of) what are the actual investments that we can have confidence in that will also get us there?” Jones said. “I mean, we are making significant investments here.”
