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The City of San Antonio will purchase a building and five acres of land near Hemisfair for one of the first steps toward the creation of the sports and entertainment district. The council approved using money from the Spurs for the $30 million purchase.
The building and two parking lots next to the former federal courthouse are owned by the federal government. What will be in the building after the purchase is uncertain, except for a few federal offices for about three years until they relocate. It's next to what will be the site of the proposed basketball arena.
While the Spurs are providing the funds for the purchase, the city will lease the building back to the team.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones tried to delay the vote for a week but did not get the support of council. She said the city could face some reputational harm if there were deviations from the non-binding term sheet on the project that was approved last year.
"I think the other reputational harm, though, that I'm as concerned about is if we don't do things with sufficient due diligence," she said. "Being the third poorest city in the country and continuing to exacerbate some of those inequities at this point. I think it is important that people have trust that we've done our due diligence."
At least two council members brought up the hope that the building and land acquisitions would be used with affordability in mind. District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo said she wants to ensure that public access is part of this building's plan and affordable housing is part of the overall Project Marvel plan.
"This property belongs to the public, and we need to ensure that, again, it's accessible to all folks. If there's a public park, that it's accessible to all, it's not restricted. And of course, if there is development in terms of housing, that it is accessible to the average San Antonio resident."
District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez echoed those sentiments.
"Whatever gets developed is stamped by us, and we've set our needs in terms of sustainability, in terms of affordable housing, in terms of parks and green space, and so I do expect that whatever is developed here ... helps us achieve our goals and is not just some ultra luxury apartment set of condos and whatnot that further cause harm in our community," he said.
The unanimous approval by council on Thursday starts the process of completing the purchase with $3 million payment initially and the rest, including $120,000 in closing costs, paid for after the final sale approval with the U.S. General Services Administration.
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