A new $35 million athletic center at the main campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio is taking shape with funding from the City of San Antonio approved Thursday.
City Council voted in favor of a funding agreement with UTSA valued at $5 million for the basketball and volleyball practice facility, which was approved by voters in the 2022 bond program.
The 52,000-square-foot facility will be built next to the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence on Barshop Boulevard near Loop 1604, and will house the daily operations of the UTSA men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball programs.
It will feature two full-sized practice courts, locker rooms and a team lounge for each program, a weight room, athletic training space, team meeting rooms and coaches’ offices.
Construction is estimated to be complete by fall 2026.
“Providing competitive facilities for our student-athletes is critical to top student recruitment and this basketball and volleyball training facility will be a game-changer for these programs,” stated Lisa Campos, vice president for intercollegiate athletics at UTSA. “This facility will also provide coordinated public access for San Antonians and we appreciate the voters who approved this investment.”
The agreement calls for UTSA to provide public access for organized sporting events and youth programs in coordination with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
UTSA also will provide 15 days for exclusive and prioritized office use by the city with free parking.
Bexar County has also budgeted $5 million for the project, according to city documents.
Open since 2021, the $40 million Roadrunner Athletics Center serves as a hub for student-athletes in the UTSA athletics program. The center was funded through donations, the city’s 2017 bond program and financing from the Roadrunner Foundation, according to a UTSA report.
“I’ve been out there [and] what they’ve got planned for this facility is spectacular, and UTSA deserves our congratulations for executing on yet another fantastic project,” said District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez. “Congratulations. Birds up.”
Other Parks and Rec projects funded through the 2022 bond at a similar level to the planned UTSA Athletics Center include construction of an aquatics facility in Council District 3, work on phase 2 of Classen-Steubeing Park in District 9 and improvements to Sunken Garden Theater.
On Thursday, the council also passed an ordinance approving a construction contract valued at almost $6 million for road infrastructure improvements at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
