Six months after the City of San Antonio unveiled the conceptual plans for a new sports and entertainment district, dubbed “Project Marvel,” the city is unveiling its plans for community engagement.
Six months after the City of San Antonio unveiled the conceptual plans for a new sports and entertainment district around Hemisfair, dubbed “Project Marvel,” the city is expected to start its official process for getting community members’ opinions.
City officials are expected to lay out details during a media briefing at 3 p.m. Thursday. The briefing will be livestreamed in this article. Delays are possible; if there is no livestream available, check back at a later time.
Asked about the engagement process at a city council meeting last week, City Manager Erik Walsh told councilmembers, “ideally, it is meant to be able to solicit feedback from the community around the entire the district, and the concepts, and a number of the other issues.”
Walsh later told reporters the process will be “probably more of a sustained effort about how folks how folks feel about the look, and feel and the attributes and the components of the district.“
The multi-billion-dollar district is anchored by a proposed new Spurs arena but also includes an expansion of the Henry B. González Convention Center, a new convention center hotel, a new music venue made from renovating the former federal courthouse, and dozens of acres of mixed-use and retail development.
One aspect of Project Marvel that could wrap up before the engagement process is the funding plan for the arena.
The city, Spurs, and Bexar County have tentatively agreed to figure out before July how the arena will be paid for, and what proportions of private and public dollars will be used.
Walsh said if people have strong feelings about how the arena should or shouldn’t be funded, they should let the city know now and not necessarily wait for a community engagement meeting.
