The San Antonio Spurs basketball team owners want public funding for a new downtown arena, but local officials say they haven’t been given an estimate of what the venue would cost or how much private money they would contribute.
Nevertheless, as the deadline nears to put such a proposal out to voters in the May 3 election, this week the San Antonio Spurs LLC submitted language they want Bexar County to use to secure state approval for a ballot measure.
After reviewing the undisclosed request in a closed-door meeting Tuesday, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai told reporters there was no way he could agree to such an arrangement without more answers from the team.
“If you ask me today, if I will call for a special meeting to consider a venue tax election in May, my answer today is no,” Sakai said. “… We need to know how much this project is going to cost. We haven’t gotten those figures yet.”
Tuesday’s meeting between the county and the Spurs comes as team leaders have been working with the city for more than a year to figure out whether a downtown sports and entertainment district — complete with new basketball arena — would be feasible.
Though the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district, known as “Project Marvel,” got a splashy public unveiling at City Hall in November, some of those involved acknowledge the project has hit a wall when it comes to what can be accomplished behind closed doors.
Both city and county leaders seem eager to make a deal that will ensure the Spurs franchise stays in San Antonio, but Sakai in particular has been hesitant to rush an idea that’s so-far been discussed almost exclusively outside of the public’s view.
“I think the public needs to understand the details, they need to understand the facts, and they certainly need to understand the figures that are going to be used as to how much this project is going to cost,” Sakai said.
A number of other large cities have struggled to secure public support for taxpayer-funded sports venues in recent years, including in Kansas City and Chicago.
In acknowledgement of those struggles, Sakai said Tuesday that it wouldn’t be prudent to take the Spurs arena to voters without being able to provide the full scope of the project and its funding structure.
The deadline to put the proposal on the May 3 ballot is Feb. 14, and information about it must be submitted to the state comptroller even sooner. But another opportunity exists just six months later in November.
“We will continue to gather the necessary information to explore this project throughout 2025,” Sakai said.
Since the county is expected to contribute public funding for the project, Sakai has said any deal with the Spurs hinges on first developing a plan for a “sustainable future” for the county-owned Frost Bank Center on the East Side, where the team currently plays its games.
He also wants an economic development proposal for the area surrounding the old arena — crafted with input from residents.
“If the Spurs are committed to moving downtown, all parties must work together to gather substantial public input,” said Sakai, who assembled a citizens advisory group to gather additional feedback on the East Side redevelopment.
Residents will get their first chance to weigh in on the project at two town hall meetings put together by Commissioner Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4) on Jan. 25 and Feb 1 at the Freeman Coliseum.
“It’s an important time for us to gather input from the community about both downtown and the East Side,” Calvert said. “Things are very preliminary at this stage, and just need more tightening up.”