Released on April 4, 2025
Downtown Sports and Entertainment District Tips Understand Signed Memorandum
San Antonio (April 4, 2025) – The City of San Antonio, Bexar County and San Antonio Spurs have set up a new downtown sports and entertainment district, moving the San Antonio Spurs to the Downtown Arena and taking an important first step towards rethinking the area around the Frost Bank Center. On Friday, the city of San Antonio, Bexar County and San Antonio Spurs demonstrated their desire to work together to plan and achieve these goals.
“This agreement to pursue downtown sports and entertainment districts, including Spurs, represents a common commitment to the future of our community,” Mayor Ron Nilenberg said. “We can also explore what is needed to fund this project, as well as start a process of thoughtful and transparentness, not just by directly engaging with residents to better understand their needs and priorities. San Antonio deserves world-class opportunities, and residents deserve the voices that shape them.”
Sports and entertainment districts combine sports, entertainment, dining, shopping and residential use to attract locals and tourists, boost the economy and create a common space that the entire community can access. The district will include the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, the new Convention Center Hotel and the expansion of the land bridge up to I-37. It will connect the East Side to downtown and includes improvements to John Wood Course House, renovations to live entertainment venues, mixed use development, enhanced infrastructure and a new spurt arena.
“We are pleased to work together to complete this Mou. We look forward to the possibility of a venue tax election in November, allowing voters to express their opinions on the new Spurs Arena, the only component of Project Marvel in which Bexar County is involved,” said Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai. “It is also important that the venue tax redevelops the East Side and use some of these funds to pay for improvements and upgrades to the Frost Bank Centre, Freeman Coliseum and its surrounding areas.”
The San Antonio Spurs are an iconic NBA basketball team with deep economic and cultural roots in San Antonio and Bexar County.
From 1973 to 1993, the Spurs played at Hemis Fair Arena, a downtown facility that was eventually destroyed before moving to the Alamodome. In November 1999, voters approved the county venue tax to fund the construction of the Spurs basketball arena. Spurs left the Alamodome, the county-owned Frost Bank Center, in 2002. Spurs’ lease at Frost Bank Centre expires in 2032.
“We are grateful for the city-county partnership as we take steps together as we explore the future Downtown Spurs Arena,” says Spurs CEO RC Buford. “We believe this is an exciting project and will provide opportunities to energize our economy, strengthen our communities and ensure San Antonio is successful in the long term.”
For more information about the MOU’s copy of the Sports and Entertainment District, visit saspeakup.com/sportsdistrict to sign up for the latest updates.
