Construction is underway on Monarch San Antonio, a hotel Zachry Hospitality is building at Hemisfair. The project is one of many developments in the downtown areaZachry Hospitality
The city of San Antonio’s plan to turn the southeast corner of downtown into a sports and entertainment mecca “could cost billions of dollars,” according to Iszler & Smith of the SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS. The city’s code name for the plan “reflects its aspirations: Project Marvel.” Some of its major components “would be an expansion of the Convention Center, significant upgrades to the Alamodome and potentially a new Spurs arena at Hemisfair.” But the potential district “would be bigger than the sum of those three projects.” Iszler & Smith noted records show that city officials have been “talking for the past year and a half with out-of-town developers, real estate companies, design and engineering firms, and sports and hospitality industry consultants -- possibly with an eye toward padding the area with new restaurants, bars, office space and housing.” Public-private partnerships, with city government and companies "splitting development costs, could be key to the effort.” Iszler & Smith reported it is “not entirely clear,” either, how Project Marvel would be paid for, but they noted taxpayers “would almost certainly pick up part of the tab.” Sources noted that Spurs Sports & Entertainment is “proposing paying about one-fifth of the cost of a new arena” for its part. The city “is in talks” with the Spurs' owner about building an arena at the Institute of Texan Cultures site and “possibly surrounding it with housing, restaurants and stores.” Sources said that such a facility “could cost about” $1.2B. Assistant City Manager Lori Houston said the city would also “facilitate the construction of a reimagined Alamodome” that would “incorporate UTSA’s needs for a home for UTSA football” (
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 7/6).
