San Antonio council hears nonbinding plan with Spurs for downtown entertainment district; funding, community outreach remain unresolved

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and city staff on Feb. 26 presented a draft, nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bexar County and the San Antonio Spurs to begin planning an entertainment district around Hemisfair, the Frost Bank Center and the Alamodome.

City Manager Eric Walsh said the MOU is intended to “communicate the will of the parties to collaborate” and is not a binding contract. “Este memorándum es un documento no comprometedor,” Walsh said, emphasizing that final agreements and specific financing decisions would return to the council for approval.

City staff framed the proposal around several interdependent projects: expansion of the convention center, a new or renovated arena to house the Spurs, a revised plan for the Alamodome, a potential hotel tied to the convention center, public-space improvements along the Riverwalk/Hemisfair corridor and a “landbridge” to reconnect neighborhoods divided by IH‑37. Laurie Bent, the staff member leading the presentation, described possible uses in the district and said elements…