San Antonio council hears Project Marble briefing; MOU with county and Spurs described as next step amid neighborhood concerns

San Antonio City Manager Eric Walsh and city staff on Wednesday briefed the City Council on Project Marble, a proposed downtown sports and entertainment district that would include a potential new NBA arena, a convention center expansion, a large deck park (the “land bridge”) over IH‑37, and other public‑space and redevelopment projects. Walsh said the three parties — the city, Bexar County and the San Antonio Spurs — have worked toward a nonbinding memorandum of understanding that would set a framework for further negotiations and analysis.

"The MOU is a non binding high level document," Walsh said during the B‑session briefing, adding that the MOU "communicates the willingness of the parties to engage, collaborate, and work together on a proposed sports entertainment district, a new downtown NBA arena, and the redevelopment area around the Frost Bank Center." Walsh also told council that the county considered and approved the MOU yesterday.

Why it matters: staff presented the MOU as an enabling, early step to launch detailed work on financing, community engagement and feasibility studies. Council members pressed staff on several topics the briefing identified as central to whether the district moves forward: how projects would be sequenced and paid for; whether existing public facilities (the Alamodome, Frost Bank Center and convention center) would be prioritized; and how the city would protect East Side neighborhoods from displacement.

Staff outlined the district’s pieces and preliminary cost ranges. Lori (city staff) described public‑space elements and venue sizes staff and the Spurs have discussed: an…