{"id":2017551,"date":"2025-09-12T21:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T21:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2017551"},"modified":"2025-09-12T21:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T21:01:10","slug":"spurs-move-will-help-fund-east-side-redevelopment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/spurs-move-will-help-fund-east-side-redevelopment\/","title":{"rendered":"Spurs&#8217; move will help fund East Side redevelopment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\t\t<iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; display: none\" data-org=\"7de3f7f22bc2e75fe17b999694f57692.e6977d\" allowfullscreen=\"false\" allowtransparency=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"ad-auris-iframe\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Top Bexar County leaders say they\u2019re committing new county revenue from the Spurs\u2019 proposed downtown sports and entertainment district to be used for redevelopment projects on the East Side.<\/p>\n<p>County Manager David Smith told the San Antonio Report Friday that the result could be about a $70 million to $80 million for amenities that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/forgotten-2003-east-side-san-antonio-plan-arena-district-town-center-spurs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">East Side residents were promised<\/a> \u2014 but never received \u2014 when the county initially agreed to build the Spurs\u2019 current arena in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJudge Sakai has a working group that is helping advise on what they think [that redevelopment] should look like from their point of view,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut what I\u2019m saying is, they\u2019ll have a budget, and that\u2019ll be a direct community benefit back to the East Side.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-4\" class=\"widget-odd widget-last widget-first widget-1 bs_zones clearfix\"\/><\/aside>\n<p>Plans for the new downtown sports and entertainment district, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/downtown-san-antonio-entertainment-district-unveiled-with-new-spurs-arena\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">known as Project Marvel<\/a>, entail filling the area around Hemisfair with $1.5 billion worth of new housing and mixed-use development \u2014 anchored by a new $1.3 billion Spurs arena.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Bexar County is poised to put up $311 million for the arena\u2019s construction, through a venue tax that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/pacs-prop-a-and-b-san-antonio-bexar-county-spurs-arena-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">critics say should be used<\/a> on more pressing community needs.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the city, however, which is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/decoding-spurs-arena-public-funding-pfz-tirz-venue-tax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using tax reinvestments to help pay<\/a> for the arena, Bexar County is poised to add that new development onto its tax rolls. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are not part of the Hemisfair TIRZ,\u201d Smith said, referring to the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone the city is planning to use to repay arena bonds. \u201cSo those annual incremental property tax benefits will flow to the county just like any other property tax.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Smith came up with the revenue estimate himself \u2014 based on development promises laid out in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/spurs-vote-8-21-term-sheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spurs\u2019 term sheet<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>He said the county hasn\u2019t paid for its own economic analysis, and it doesn\u2019t plan to use a formal reinvestment mechanism like the TIRZ, which ensures new property tax revenue is directed to a specific purpose. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-5\" class=\"widget-odd widget-last widget-first widget-1 bs_zones clearfix\"\/><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t need to,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThey have to pay their property taxes, and the judge is pledging to use it to provide seed funding for East Side redevelopment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sakai is currently on an economic development trip to Japan and was unable to comment on the plan. <\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The East Side\u2019s own Project Marvel?<\/h4>\n<p>Revenue from the new downtown redevelopment could take years to generate \u2014 perhaps longer than Smith or Sakai are in their current roles.<\/p>\n<p>Smith has about 15 months on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/article\/bexar-county-manager-still-in-contract-negotiation-20142204.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">his county manager contract<\/a>, and Sakai is running for a second four-year term in 2026. <\/p>\n<p>But talk of new promises to the East Side come as both men are eager to show the public what they think the area could be. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The county is asking voters in the Nov. 4 election to approve $191.8 million to turn the Frost Bank Center, Freeman Coliseum and surrounding grounds into\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bexar-county-plans-for-east-side-venues-may-27.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a year-round stock show and rodeo district<\/a>. It\u2019s known as Proposition A.<\/p>\n<p>Renderings show county fairgrounds with live stock barns and exposition halls for 4-H competitions, professional bull riding and trade shows \u2014 all in place of parking lots currently guaranteed to the Spurs in their lease with the Frost Bank Center.<\/p>\n<p>To facilitate those year-round events, the county hopes private developers will add a hotel, restaurants and other amenities that would breathe new life into an industrial part of town.<\/p>\n<p>It could even use its own TIRZ to help things along, according to an <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/BCCA_RFQ_06-24-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18-page request for qualifications<\/a> that the Coliseum Advisory Board issued in June. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018We are going to do our best to deliver on the promised economic development when the original [arena] was built, that never happened because people go there, show up and they leave,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Parallel developments<\/h4>\n<p>Just weeks out from early voting, Smith conceded the public knows little about the broader development plans for the East Side \u2014 a potential challenge when courting support for Proposition A.<\/p>\n<p>The vision came together in just a few months, after the county assessed needed repairs on existing facilities and worked with the rodeo on a plan to repurpose them.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bexar-county-plans-for-east-side-venues-may-27.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Renderings<\/a> for the fair grounds were presented at Commissioners Court for the first time in late May, and the Coliseum Advisory Board is still weeks away from choosing a \u201cmaster planner\u201d to craft plans for what the surroundings could look like.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"623\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=780%2C623&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5415464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=1000%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=1536%2C1227&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=1200%2C959&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=1024%2C818&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=780%2C623&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=400%2C320&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?resize=706%2C564&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM.png?w=1552&amp;ssl=1 1552w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sanantonioreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-1.03.43-PM-1000x799.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Over at the city, leaders preempted concerns about sharing their vision with the public, but wound up with a different set of challenges. <\/p>\n<p>More than a year of behind-the-scenes planning for Project Marvel produced stunning renderings that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/pacs-prop-a-and-b-san-antonio-bexar-county-spurs-arena-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">frustrated some members of the public who felt in the dark<\/a> about their own city\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p>At an April meeting with District 8 residents, Assistant City Manager Lori Houston explained that the city had learned from past mistakes when it didn\u2019t have a rendering, and couldn\u2019t show the public what they were voting on. <\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantonioreport.org\/project-marvel-visionary-lori-houston-exits-san-antonio-city-hall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Houston is now retiring at the end of the month<\/a>, amid much criticism of her final project.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, Smith said he regretted the fact that the county\u2019s East Side developments and the new Spurs arena were being looped in with city\u2019s Project Marvel development, which has become so divisive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are trying to make November a referendum on Project Marvel, and I want to try and explain why that\u2019s just not true,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom the moment the county found out that the Spurs were not going to renew their lease at the Frost Bank Center, it became irrelevant to us where their next arena was located.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"pmdelayedscript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" data-no-optimize=\"1\" data-no-defer=\"1\" data-no-minify=\"1\">\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\nif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\nn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nfbq('init', '1028293809419451');\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><script type=\"pmdelayedscript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" data-no-optimize=\"1\" data-no-defer=\"1\" data-no-minify=\"1\">\n\t\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n\t\t{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n\t\tif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n\t\tn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n\t\ts.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n\t\t'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\tfbq('init', '291084294724606');\n\t\tfbq('track', 'PageView', {\"page_title\":\"Bexar County leaders: Spurs&#8217; entertainment district will help fund East Side redevelopment\",\"user_role\":\"guest\",\"event_url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sanantonioreport.org\\\/bexar-county-leaders-spurs-entertainment-district-will-help-fund-east-side-redevelopment\",\"post_type\":\"post\",\"post_id\":5415415});\n\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sanantonioreport.org \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Top Bexar County leaders say they\u2019re committing new county revenue from the Spurs\u2019 proposed downtown sports and entertainment district to be used for redevelopment projects on the East Side. County Manager David Smith told the San Antonio Report Friday that the result could be about a $70 million to $80 million for amenities that East [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2017552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[370231,348815,370232,370233,370234,351743,370235,356080,351745,370236,345946,370237,370238,370239],"class_list":["post-2017551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-david-smith","tag-east-side","tag-freeman-coliseum","tag-frost-bank-center","tag-peter-sakai","tag-project-marvel","tag-props-a-and-b","tag-rodeo","tag-spurs","tag-tirz","tag-top-story","tag-typedaily","tag-venue-tax","tag-wc-750-1000"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Spurs-move-will-help-fund-East-Side-redevelopment.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2017551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2017551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2017551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2017552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2017551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2017551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2017551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}