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Upgrades in downtown infrastructure of the Marvel Sports & Entertainment District project should cost between $ 220 million and 250 million dollars, according to a municipal council briefing on Wednesday.
A new arena from San Antonio Spurs on the site of the former Institute of Texan Cultures, with an estimated cost of up to 1.5 billion dollars, would be the center of the new district. It, as well as a series of other projects, would require significant improvements in downtown infrastructure to operate.
Obtaining this infrastructure financing depends on the voters of the city approving an infrastructure obligation, which the leaders of San Antonio said hoping to call in November. San Antonio financial director Ben Gorzell said the infrastructure obligation would be largely supported by a new private development guaranteed to the area surrounding the district.
The city should call such a bond election by August 18.
The financing of infrastructure would support 20 infrastructure projects, road improvements and reworked intersections to a new IH-37 ramp, a parking garage at Alamodome and a pedestrian bridge between Alamodome and proposed Spurs Arena.
The city leaders also proposed, including a new housing obligation and an obligation to improve the district for the districts immediately surrounding the district with the infrastructure obligation. They have established a community commitment process for the summer.
The briefing has included no specific amounts or proportion in specific dollars for what the city, the county of Bexar and the Spurs would contribute to a spurs of the Spurs.
Peter Sakai told journalists on Wednesday that he expected that the Spurs, the county and the city were ready to share more details with the voters in a few months, but he warned that he did not speak on behalf of the city.
The member of the District Council 10 Marc Whyte said that he was frustrated that the Council was pushed to approve an election of infrastructure obligations when they did not have the details of financing of the ARENA and as they are in the negotiation of the budget of next year.
“We sit down here today and have not completely pinned it-which part will pay, for which part the city will pay, for which part the county will pay,” he said. “I don’t understand.”
The outgoing mayor Ron Nirenberg said that the process would take time, and he urged his colleagues not to avoid the project of fear in all ways in which he could go wrong.
“This is how the public process works,” he said. “And the reality is that, for us to reach these answers and that we are transparent at the same time, we will have some of these outdoor debates, which we should do.”
Improvements of infrastructure offered
César Chávez Boulevard, Montana Street, Cherry Street, Hoefgen Avenue and Houston Street should all be improved if the infrastructure obligation is adopted. The infrastructure projects offered also include more than a dozen traffic signal improvements in the district and an intersection altered at IH-37 and César Chávez which would resemble the Harry Wurzbach Road and Alamo Highway intersection.
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Pope-Dawson engineers
The civil engineering company PAPE-DAWSON Engineers estimated that the new intersection at IH-37 and César Chávez could increase the number of vehicles which cross it by 60% compared to the current traffic flow.
The city also proposes to build a new parking garage in space on lot A of Alamodome which would have a direct connection to the IH-37 to mitigate the circulation flow of the region when the Alamodome organizes major entertainment events.
Another project is a new IH-37 ramp in northern direction which would jump Street trade.
The City also wishes to add 3,500 Alamodome walking remote parking spaces and facilitate parking with online reservations and dynamic prices to encourage parking payment when someone buys an event ticket.
Housing and neighborhood improvement obligations
The members of the municipal council and the city leaders discussed the potential for setting up a new housing obligation on the November 2025 ballot for several months. As the infrastructure obligation, the municipal council should vote to call such an election of obligation by August 18.
San Antonio adopted its very first housing obligation in 2021 for $ 150 million, but the members of the Council said that more money was necessary to support affordable housing in the city.
The 65 units complex filled in the fastest project in San Antonio.
“I think that is something we should do, whether there is a Marvel project or not,” said the District 5 Council Teri Castillo about a new housing obligation. “This is something that, once again, returns to the public contribution process, that San Antonians Dise is a need for us to invest.”
City leaders also launched a possible obligation to improve the district for the four districts surrounding sports & Entertainment District – Dignowy Hill, King William, Denver Heights and Lavaca – which will be the most affected by the new development of the city center.
Community engagement process
The city has planned two -day community engagement workshops in each of the 10 districts of the municipal council in June and July to discuss the sports and entertainment district.
The first day of the workshops will be divided between day discussion groups and stakeholder meetings, followed by a public meeting in the evening. The second day of the workshops will be divided between another set of day discussion groups and stakeholder meetings and a day open day.
In response to the criticisms and concerns of certain members of the council as to whether the city’s comments obtain tools for community engagement like these are set up in politics, Walsh stressed that it belonged to the Council and the Mayor to decide if and how it is implemented.
“Whether on this project or on the budget, in the end, these are comments that we catalog and give you all to receive as comments on potential changes on everything we do,” said Walsh.
Districts 2, 4, 5 and 7 will have their workshops on June 24 and 25. The District 2 workshop will be held at Wheatley Heights Sports Complex, the District 4 workshop will be held at Palo Alto College, the District 5 workshop has not yet a place, and the district 7 workshop will be held at the Center Community of St. Paul.
Districts 3 and 10 will have their workshops on June 30 and July 1. The District 3 workshop will be held at the Southside Senior Center and the District 10 workshop will take place in Morgan Wonderland.
Districts 1, 6, 8 and 9 will have their workshops on July 8 and 9. The District 1 workshop has no place yet, the District 6 workshop will be held at the headquarters of Darner Parks & Recreation, and the District 8 workshop will be held at the Walker Ranch Senior Center.