Coyote Ugly: Largest share of voters against public funding for new San Antonio Spurs arena, poll shows

A rendering provided by the city shows what Project Marvel could look like. Credit: Courtesy Image / City of San Antonio

More Bexar County voters oppose using public financing to build a new downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs than favor it, according to a much-anticipated UT-San Antonio’s Center for Public Opinion Research poll released Wednesday.

According to the data, 46% of voters are against using venue tax funds for a new basketball arena at Hemisfair, compared to 40% who back such a plan. Meanwhile, 15% of respondents remain undecided.

The polling comes less than a week before early voting begins for the Nov. 4 election that will determine whether voters approve using public funding for the NBA arena. Residents will decide whether to raise the visitor tax to 2% to help publicly finance the sports facility.

Hypothetically, the Spurs arena would serve as the anchor for Project Marvel, a $4 billion sports-and-entertainment district that would also include an expanded convention center, a renovated Alamodome and a land bridge over I-37.

Even though many details about the broader Project Marvel proposal — including its funding sources — remain murky or nonexistent, 45% of voters said they approve of its pie-in-the-sky vision, while just 40% oppose it.

UT-San Antonio compiled its data by asking 660 likely Bexar County voters between Oct. 1 and Oct. 3 for their opinion on the ballot proposal using the same language residents will see at their polling places. The survey has a 3.8% margin of error.

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Coyote Ugly: Largest share of voters against public funding for new San Antonio Spurs arena, poll shows

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