<\/p>\n
Cody Davenport, right, CEO of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, speaks on Nov. 4, 2025, to people gathered to watch election results for Proposition A, as\u00a0Derrick Howard,\u00a0Bexar County\u2019s executive director of community arenas, stands next to him. Soon after, Davenport was shown a development proposal that had been in the works and that jeopardizes the success of the Stock Show & Rodeo expansion plan that Proposition A was created to finance.<\/p>\n
Marvin Pfeiffer\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
A conceptual site plan contained in a development proposal from a group led by El Paso-based Hunt Development Group and Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. shows a diminution of San Antonio Livestock Exposition Inc.\u2019s mission and presence on the Bexar County-owned property around the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Hunt Development Group<\/p>\n
A conceptual site plan for the grounds surrounding the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum preserves surface parking space vital to the logistical operations that are integral to San Antonio Livestock Exposition Inc.\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
The Coliseum Advisory Board and the San Antonio Livestock Exposition Inc.<\/p>\n
Bexar County officials need to exit the side street they turned onto \u2014 the one alongside a mixed-use development proposal for county property around the Frost Bank Center \u2014 and get back on the main road that leads to expanding the livestock and rodeo facilities there \u2014\u00a0i.e., the plan sold to voters last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Proposition A, which county voters approved in November, authorized the use of hotel occupancy and vehicle rental taxes to improve the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo grounds, along with renovations to the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The idea conceived by San Antonio Livestock Exposition Inc., which produces the annual Stock Show & Rodeo, was that with the Spurs planning to leave the arena after 2032, the livestock-focused nonprofit could expand its programming from several weeks to year-round.<\/p>\n While the annual rodeo is a beloved tradition, Stock Show & Rodeo CEO Cody Davenport knows that much more livestock-related programming could be produced outside that short annual window, and he worked with his counterpart at the Coliseum Advisory Board on a plan to make it happen.<\/p>\n In doing so, his organization sought to flip the Spurs\u2019 pending departure from a devastating loss to a serendipitous opportunity that could bring the kind of sustained economic activity to the East Side that hasn’t occurred with the NBA team.<\/p>\n Since learning about the plan nearly 14 months ago, we\u2019ve been enthusiastic about its potential to succeed where others have failed, and we supported it and Proposition A<\/a> in multiple editorials<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s been alarming to learn that even as voters were being told about the potential linked to year-round livestock and Western-themed programming, county officials were working behind the scenes<\/a> on a conflicting plan<\/a> that jeopardizes the advertised one.<\/p>\n Unknown to Davenport and his team, the Coliseum Advisory Board issued a request for qualifications seeking a mixed-use developer for what it called the Bexar County Community Arenas Expansion Project.<\/p>\n The way the RFQ ignores the San Antonio Livestock Exposition\u2019s mission and reduces its presence to a sidenote is breathtaking \u2014 with only a passing mention of the livestock show and rodeo in its eight priorities and nothing in its 16 project goals.<\/p>\n Given that, it\u2019s unsurprising that the lone submission, from a group led by El Paso-based Hunt Development Group and Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co., demonstrates little understanding of what the San Antonio Livestock Exposition does and adulterates the plan that county commissioners bought into a year ago.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The conceptual drawing for the overall site in the Hunt-Lincoln proposal includes a hotel and commercial buildings, such as retail and office space, where the San Antonio Livestock Exposition plan shows a new flex building and promenade.<\/p>\n Worse, the developer\u2019s plan envisions eliminating the surface parking lots that lie along the site\u2019s perimeter and which the livestock show and rodeo expansion plan preserves for a reason.<\/p>\n The Hunt-Lincoln site drawing shows commercial and residential structures replacing most of the surface parking, and in an uninformed effort to compensate for lost spaces, it includes a tiny \u201crodeo laydown\u201d structure on the grounds\u2019 northwest corner and three garages.<\/p>\n But merely matching the number of existing parking spaces ignores the logistical requirements. Such garages make the space inaccessible to the kind of trailers used to transport livestock and other essentials to the facilities where they\u2019re needed.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIn essence,\u201d Davenport said, \u201cwe\u2019re off those grounds inside of that plan.\u201d<\/p>\n Per the proposal, rodeo and livestock operations would \u201cbe consolidated on the site\u2019s west side\u201d to make way for \u201cyear-round hotel, retail, entertainment, dining venues, parks, plazas, outdoor flexible event spaces and a connected network of well-lit, walkable streets, and hike-and-bike trails.\u201d<\/p>\n Such development, the proposal states, would \u201camplify the two-week rodeo celebration, creating a thriving destination for residents and visitors alike.\u201d Nowhere does it mention stock show events or other activities beyond the rodeo.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In short, the Hunt-Lincoln plan is like any mixed-use development \u2014 commercial, residential, hospitality \u2014 with a minor rodeo component and no thought about the stock show.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no wonder it was only after the November election that county officials sprung the Hunt-Lincoln proposal on Davenport. And they likely expected \u2014 or should have expected \u2014 that he would object to it.<\/p>\n As such, it\u2019s befuddling that a member of the Coliseum Advisory Board suggested San Antonio Livestock Exposition\u2019s consternation is merely a result of \u201cmiscommunication\u201d and only items approved by voters would be built on the arena grounds.<\/p>\n Similarly, Derrick Howard, the county\u2019s executive director of community arenas, said the county \u201cwould never do anything that would be a negative impact to the rodeo.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Kind of late to say that. Not only has the Hunt-Lincoln plan been allowed to hang around for months, but it also hasn\u2019t officially been taken off the table. And it\u2019s unclear why, although a cue could be taken from those who haven\u2019t publicly rejected it: Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and Precinct 4 County Commissioner Tommy Calvert.<\/p>\n It\u2019s understandable that Calvert, whose East Side constituents have been promised much and received little in terms of positive economic development, might want to explore ways to build on the Stock Show & Rodeo expansion. But building on doesn\u2019t mean bulldozing over.<\/p>\n Killing the goose leaves no gold for anyone.<\/p>\n Moreover, Davenport and his organization would welcome development that springboards from the approved plan, provided it\u2019s on property adjacent to or near the county-owned site, which is subject to covenants that appear to bar such incompatible uses.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n We\u2019re encouraged that at least three county commissioners \u2014\u00a0Rebeca Clay-Flores, Grant Moody and Justin Rodriguez \u2014 have indicated that when it comes to development on the county\u2019s property, they would give deference to the proposal voters approved.<\/p>\n We\u2019re hopeful that means the plan can move forward soon. But if so, it will hardly be a no harm, no foul matter. More than eight months have passed since voters approved Proposition A, during which Davenport has been blocked from executing the plan.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in late June, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced a roughly $300 million plan to build a new arena and agricultural complex a few miles from Reliant Park. The goal is to support \u2026 wait for it \u2026 year-round programming.<\/p>\n \u201cExactly what we\u2019ve been trying to preach and talk about,\u201d Davenport said. \u201cWe\u2019re sitting here postelection November, and I still have no grant and development contract even signed. Once we get that signed, we still have to do the licensing agreement. So there\u2019s still a long ways to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And although Davenport is confident that if the San Antonio and Houston livestock organizations realize their respective visions, they can work together on mutually beneficial programming, it\u2019s nonetheless frustrating.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do we have to be behind Houston?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cody Davenport, right, CEO of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, speaks on Nov. 4, 2025, to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[13760,133187,133188,133189,82,84,61793,83,4968],"class_list":["post-376624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-cody-davenport","tag-coliseum-advisory-board","tag-hunt-development-group","tag-lincoln-property","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-livestock-exposition","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-san-antonio-stock-show-rodeo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n