At the city council meeting on Nov. 21, Assistant City Manager Lori Houston unveiled “Project Marvel,” a multi-billion-dollar reimagining of downtown with plans to transform the city’s sports and convention infrastructure, potentially boosting tourism and economic prospects. City officials outlined the proposal with several key developments.
Though the price was not announced during the Thursday meeting, the project is estimated to cost between $3-4 billion. Plans include a new downtown arena for the Spurs, an entertainment venue, a Convention Center expansion, a new convention hotel and Alamodome upgrades. With roughly $2.6 billion allocated for a new downtown arena for the Spurs and to remodel the Alamodome, city officials emphasized that “the arena will not be funded by the general taxpayers.”
Potential funding sources include a 6% occupancy tax and sales tax on hotels within 3 miles of the project, authorized by a recent Texas Senate bill that designated the Alamodome and Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center as project finance zones. City officials may also seek a Community Venues Tax, which would dedicate up to 25% of local sales tax revenue to the project, subject to voter approval.
Houston highlighted the critical need for these improvements, revealing that San Antonio has missed out on substantial economic opportunities. She noted that San Antonio has been passed up by approximately 90 conventions in the past five years, losing out on upwards of 450,000 visitors representing over $700 million in missed revenue for the city.
Houston called the Alamodome a “dinosaur,” noting the NCAA would not be hosting any future Final Four events beyond its 2025 and 2029 men’s and women’s tournament commitments without significant upgrades to the 30-year-old stadium.
The reimagined downtown scene includes a new 5,000-seat entertainment venue, a 1,000-room convention hotel with 20,000 square feet dedicated to UTSA’s School of Hospitality and 26,000 square feet for a variety of food, beverage and retail spaces. Additional infrastructure improvements include a proposed land bridge over IH-37, which would connect the East Side to downtown.
The city has already received a $2.9 million federal grant to explore the highway land bridge concept and is completing feasibility studies for various project components. Walsh said the city is looking to other cities like Kansas City which have embarked on highway capping projects of their own. He said the city wants a large park over the highway, but one not as wooded and natural as the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge over Wurzbach Parkway.
All developments west of IH-37 — including the Spurs arena, entertainment venue and Convention Center expansion — are scheduled for completion within one to five years. The Alamodome upgrades could potentially take five to 15 years, partially due to existing NCAA commitments like the 2029 Women’s Final Four.
The city will present the first feasibility study for the Convention Center expansion to the city council on Dec. 4, marking the beginning of a series of detailed project assessments.
A rendering of what a proposed entertainment district near HemisFair and the Alamodome could look like. —>
