SAN ANTONIO – Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones says city voters — not City Hall — should decide whether to approve the city’s proposed $489 million investment in the new Spurs arena, citing a projected $158 million budget deficit and the possibility of future property tax increases.
Her comments come as Spurs Sports & Entertainment officially retires the “Project Marvel” name after key elements of the original vision — including a convention center hotel, the Interstate 37 bridge and major Alamodome improvements — were delayed or dropped. The effort is now focused primarily on a new Spurs arena and the surrounding downtown district.
Since the project was first proposed nearly two years ago, we’ve consistently reported that taxpayers could be asked to help pay not for the arena itself, but for the public infrastructure surrounding it, including streets, sidewalks and other improvements. The first piece of funding — a hotel occupancy tax increase — was approved by Bexar County voters last November, when the project was still known as Project Marvel, not the San Antonio Sports and Entertainment District.
If the mayor’s proposal moves forward, San Antonio voters could have the final say in November.