This story has been updated.
Almost three months since the last major update to City Council, key aspects of Project Marvel are said to be progressing.
That includes potentially hiring outside consultants to study and coordinate the details, as well as procuring the land for a new $1.3 billion Spurs arena around which the planned downtown project revolves.
“We’re moving forward on key pieces of the downtown Sports and Entertainment District,” stated Ben Gorzell, the city’s chief of financial and administrative services.
Though the grass is not growing under anyone’s feet at City Hall, a vivid green blanket of sod now covers the 13 acres where the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures sat for five decades.
With the building demolished and arena plans approved by council in 2024 — both despite some public consternation — negotiations for the land purchase are underway and the sale is expected to close before Dec. 31.
The City of San Antonio has exclusive first rights to the land through a memorandum of understanding with the University of Texas at San Antonio.
“The city has begun working with UTSA on the acquisition process and expects that process to be completed by the end of 2026,” Gorzell stated.
The transaction is estimated to cost roughly $60 million, with funds coming from the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. The final price will be determined during the appraisal process.
The public university did not respond to multiple requests for information about the site in the shadow of the Tower of the Americas or its maintenance in the interim. UT San Antonio opened a downsized version of the Institute at Frost Tower in January.
More Project Marvel updates are coming, Gorzell said. “The city also anticipates providing an update on the progress of the district in early May.”
In the meantime, the city plans to hire a consultant with a contract of over $316,000 to determine the cost of services for the proposed district, project revenue and identify new revenue opportunities.
On Jan. 16, it released a request for proposals for that consultant work and received four bids. On April 14, an audit committee will review the three proposals that met the requirements before making a recommendation to council on April 30. If approved, that work would begin in May.
The consultant work is estimated to take six to 12 weeks with a draft report due in June or July.
A similar timeline was expected to play out for selecting an executive program manager, a consultant who would coordinate and manage infrastructure improvement and venue construction and oversee mixed-use development projects.
The audit committee will review the eight proposals the city received and make a recommendation to the council on April 30.
That $10 million piece of the overall estimated $3 billion to $4 billion district development is expected to continue through the first phases of the project.
Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect date for when the audit committee plans to meet.
