Now a \u201cmaster planner\u201d has been selected to take the rebranded East Side coliseum district<\/a> and spin it forward into a much broader urban revitalization \u2014 an idea that hinges on western events drawing overnight visitors to support amenities that basketball fans never drew.<\/p>\n \u201cOur ultimate goal it to create a walkable, thriving district that drives generational prosperity, celebrates the East Side\u2019s history and delivers a bold, inclusive vision for San Antonio\u2019s future,\u201d a 48-page application<\/a> from Hunt Development Group and\u00a0Lincoln Property Company states.<\/p>\n It was the only application received in response to a request for qualifications<\/a> over the summer, and gained approval from the Freeman Coliseum\u2019s advisory board earlier this month.<\/p>\n Such\u00a0promises have been made to the East Side<\/a> before, including when the arena, now known as Frost Bank Center, was opened in 2002.<\/p>\n Leaders at the time suggested the eventual surrounding development could look like Southlake Town Square<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Highland Park Village<\/a>\u00a0in the Dallas-Fort Worth area \u2014 something that never materialized.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s plan envisions replacing the expansive surface lots around the Frost Bank Center to expand rodeo events on the west, while creating an \u201cactivated plaza\u201d on the right.<\/p>\n \u201cYear-round hotel, retail, entertainment, dining venues, parks, plaza, outdoor flexible event spaces and a connected network of well-lit walkable streets and hike and bike trails will complement the two-week rodeo celebration, creating a thriving destination for residents and visitors alike,\u201d the application says.<\/p>\n It points to the redeveloped Fort Worth Stockyards and American Airlines Center in Dallas as inspiration, and suggests an implementation timeline of 15 years.<\/p>\n Little is mentioned about the city-owned Willow Springs Golf Course \u2014 once considered a critical piece<\/a> of the county\u2019s redevelopment plan, but that City Council members deemed gifting to them as a nonstarter.<\/p>\n The application says a pedestrian bridge would connect something called the \u201cWillow Springs Park\u201d to the new mixed use development. Meanwhile, an underpass and bike trails would tie in the surrounding neighborhoods.<\/p>\n To pay for the infrastructure and public amenities, the developer suggests a new Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone or TIRZ could capture the increased tax revenue from private development.<\/p>\n That\u2019s combined with a county-affiliated parking authority that would collect revenue from new parking structures replacing the existing surface lots.<\/p>\n County leaders have suggested<\/a> they could also take some of the new property tax revenue from the Spurs\u2019 sports and entertainment district at Hemisfair and apply it to East Side projects \u2014 since the county-funded Frost Bank Center never delivered on the surrounding development promised to Eastside residents<\/a> more than two decades ago.<\/p>\n \u201cJudge [Peter] Sakai has a working group that is helping advise on what they think [East Side redevelopment] should look like,\u201d County Manager David Smith said in a September interview about the new Spurs arena. \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 Prop A\u2019s funding for a year-round rodeo venue actually wound up more popular<\/a> than Prop B\u2019s plan to help fund a new Spurs arena in this November\u2019s election, even though voters at the time had little indication of what East Side redevelopment would look like.<\/p>\n Meanwhile support for paying to help move the Spurs downtown wound up failing to gain support<\/a> among East Side voters.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no surprise that those who\u2019ve been misled about how wonderful life is going to be if they just approve this way too many times already, we\u2019re not buying it again,\u201d said COPS\/Metro Alliance leader Sonia Rodriguez, whose community activist group campaigned hard against Prop B through a political action committee.<\/p>\n As for the existing East Side features the developer plans to play up, the plan points to the business Tucker\u2019s Kozy Korner as an example of the \u201ccultural identity\u201d it wants to capture through partnerships with music venues, art institutions and historic churches.<\/p>\n \u201cOur process begins with a deep respect for the neighborhood\u2019s civil rights legacy,\u201d the application states. \u201cReligious and cultural institutions that have anchored the Eastside for generations will guide the design.\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of the inspirational photos appear to come from San Antonio\u2019s Pearl District and The Rock at La Cantera, as well as the Hotel Drover<\/a> in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n The water amenity is modeled off of Mirada Lagoon<\/a> and Epperson Lagoon<\/a>, both in Florida, and its creator, Metro Development Group, is listed as an associate developer. <\/p>\n The master developer will also be tasked with soliciting community input on the eventual plans.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Willow-Golf-Course-4-scaled-1.jpg\")
A drone shot of Willow Springs Golf Course, located at 202 AT&T Parkway in San Antonio taken in August 2025. Credit: Cooper Mock for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/metro-lagoon.png\")
A new \u201cMetro Lagoon\u201d is part of the vision for new public amenities on the East Side listed in the master planner\u2019s application. Credit: Courtesy<\/p>\n