City emails reveal big plans for Spurs stadium and entertainment district downtown

SAN ANTONIO – Hundreds of pages of city emails are shedding new light on long-rumored plans to bring the San Antonio Spurs back downtown, and it appears those plans will come with a multimillion-dollar price tag.

The emails were obtained through an open records request and date back more than a year and a half, revealing conversations between city leaders outlining a vision for a massive sports and entertainment district that would cost an estimated $3 billion to $4 billion.

Known as Project Marvel, it would be located across from the Alamodome on the current site of the Institute of Texan Cultures.

In February, the Texas State University Board of Regents cleared the way for a new Spurs stadium on the ITC property by giving the city of San Antonio the exclusive option to purchase or lease the land.

“The city is interested in every opportunity and as much flexibility as possible to realize the future of downtown San Antonio,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in February after the UT vote. “As conversations about downtown development evolve, Hemisfair and the surrounding area remain central to the reimagining of the region. The property where ITC is located could prove to be a centerpiece of our broader plans to offer one of the most unique downtown experiences in the country.”

Now, after reviewing nearly 300 pages of city documents, it’s clear that the scope of these plans is even larger than originally thought.

“We are in the feasibility phase of a $3-$4 billion sports and entertainment district,” Deputy City Manager Lori Houston wrote in an email to a potential consultant in June 2023. “We are in need of real estate advisory services and will most likely issue a solicitation to a group of qualified firms. If you are willing to meet, we will require you and your team to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to our meeting.”

Records show the city also briefed UTSA and Hemisfair officials on the plan as early as April of last year, inviting them to a presentation with the mayor, city manager and a prominent architect but reminding them they would need to sign a confidentiality agreement to attend the meeting.

In fact, the vast majority of the emails provided to us involved discussions about confidentiality agreements with developers, consultants, architectural firms and others.

And so there’s still a lot of secrecy. But here’s what Mayor Nirenberg said late last year about bringing the Spurs downtown.

“Suffice it to say, we’re going to continue to foster the relationship with the Spurs,” he said at the time. “Civic leaders are an important element in ensuring that the important pieces on the board are moving in the right place. So that’s a role I look forward to playing.”

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