City officials said they are figuring out parking requirements and costs for a sports and entertainment district they have proposed downtown.
If the city’s plans for a sports and entertainment district pan out, thousands of people could be descending on downtown for conferences at an expanded Henry B. González Convention Center , Spurs games at a new arena and concerts at an upgraded Alamodome and refashioned John H.
Wood Jr. Federal Courthouse. They could also be heading to restaurants, stores, parks and apartments officials say will be threaded around those facilities. But where will everyone park? Few new spaces appear in a conceptual rendering of the district and a city official said the current tally of spots in the area is about 10,000 short of what will be needed. RELATED: At last, details of Spurs-anchored downtown San Antonio sports and entertainment district emerge In fact, many of the parking spots now ensconcing the Alamodome have been replaced with green space in the renderings released in late November. A second Convention Center hotel, one of the projects proposed for the district, could include another 1,040 spaces. Some conventioneers and concertgoers could head to existing garages such as those at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio, Convention Center, Hemisfair and Shops at Rivercenter, across from the Briscoe Western Art Museum and at office buildings and other hotels. There are other options a few more blocks away. The Parking Reform Network, an organization focused on parking policy, estimates that about 29% of land in the downtown area is now devoted to off-street parking. “We already have about 10,000 to 15,000 parking spaces within this area,” Assistant City Manager Lori Houston told City Council members Nov. 21. “We’ll need probably 10,000 more.” She didn’t say where those new spaces could go or who would pay for them, though she raised the possibility of “public-private partnerships” to make that parking a reality. City officials are still working with consultants to come up with estimates for the size and costs of the components of the district, including parking, roads and a potential land bridge connecting the Alamodome to downtown. RELATED: As part of Project Marvel, iconic Hemisfair building could be turned into an event venue When the city eventually puts out a request for mixed-use projects to be built through public-private partnerships, it will require developers to include parking in their proposals, said city spokesperson Brian Chasnoff. That includes the lots around the Alamodome, where proposals will have to encompass parking for the facility, he said. City Manager Erik Walsh said he expects the city would foot the bill for infrastructure through a potential bond program and city staff has floated parking revenue as a possible financing source for the district. Ways to pay for parking could include tax increment financing, private dollars or a parking enterprise fund, Chasnoff said. “The cost of the necessary parking solutions does not have to be entirely publicly funded,” he said. But parking will be key to the success of the proposed district. Some residents are already reluctant to drive downtown because of the cost of parking and navigating a maze of construction on streets to find a spot at a lot or in a garage. “We hear so much from residents … how much they avoid coming downtown because parking is difficult,” Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito said during the Nov. 21 meeting. “I mean, looking at this plan, it’s exciting, but imagining events, games, all of that kind of stuff — we all know what it’s like to be stuck in downtown traffic.” RELATED: Where would people park for Missions games, events at proposed downtown stadium? She suggested city staff talk to VIA Metropolitan Transit about park-and-ride options. The agency’s proposed rapid bus lines, known as the Silver and Green lines, would run through the area. At a separate council meeting last week about expanding the Convention Center to attract more events, Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran also raised concerns about parking. “Do we have the parking capacity? Do we have the technologies at our current garage to make sure how many spaces we do have when we have multiple events going on at the same time?” Viagran said. Walsh said city staff is working on infrastructure estimates, including for parking, that will be shared with council at some point. Houston said figuring out how to get people in and out of the area is “a priority” and the city is discussing plans with VIA. “That is the one thing that can make or break this, if we don’t do it right,” she said. “And parking, that is something that I’ve heard from you many times, that your community doesn’t like to come downtown, so we need to make sure that parking is easy to access, it is affordable, and easy to find.”
City Council VIA Metropolitan Transit VIA Lori Houston Brian Chasnoff Erik Walsh Phyllis Viagran John H. Wood Jr Walsh Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito Silver Green Houston Missions Downtown Alamodome Henry B. González Convention Center Hemisfair San Antonio Grand Hyatt San Antonio Rivercenter Briscoe Western Art Museum Project Marvel Parking Reform Network
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
City to give first public briefing on Spurs arena, ‘Project Marvel’Project Marvel is the city’s code name for a multi-billion dollar downtown sports and entertainment district potentially anchored by a new Spurs arena.
Read more »
Every Disney, Marvel And ‘Star Wars’ Project Releasing In 2025Erik Kain is a writer and critic covering TV shows, movies, video games and books primarily in the 'genre' category including fantasy, science-fiction, mysteries, thrillers, post-apocalytpic stories and more. He was a 2014 Shorty Award finalist. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Mother Jones and The National Review.
Read more »
Spurs, Alamodome would get more than half of 'Project Marvel' fundsSAN ANTONIO - Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the rest of the San Antonio City Council will be briefed Thursday morning by Assistant City Manager Lori Houston about a b
Read more »
As part of Project Marvel, Hemisfair building could become event venueThe empty John H. Wood Jr. Federal Courthouse at Hemisfair was originally erected as the Confluence Theatre.
Read more »
‘Pastime about talking about poverty’: Nirenberg defends Ready to Work, Project Marvel in farewell ‘fireside chat’Amid a 'fireside chat' with the head of a local business group, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg pushed back against criticism of his job-training program and 'naysayers' of Project Marvel.
Read more »
Community activist group comes out swinging against Project MarvelA faith-based group known for formidable organizing efforts plans to fight the city's proposed downtown sports and entertainment district.
Read more »