City officials and the San Antonio Missions want to finish building a brand-new baseball stadium in time for the minor league baseball team’s season opener in April 2028.
At a San Antonio City Council meeting on Wednesday, city officials laid out their timeline for securing funding, finalizing agreements and beginning construction this year to meet that deadline for the 7,500-person minor league stadium.
The city and Missions owners agreed to build and fund a new, $160 million downtown ballpark back in 2024. The new stadium will be controlled by the city through the newly created San Pedro Creek Development Authority.
Funding through the city has been delayed from its initial November 2025 bond release schedule — now the city wants to release the bond this summer, which would provide $126 million to fund stadium construction. Part of the stadium funding will also come from the Missions’ owners, who will help pay rent to use the stadium.
The agreement also covers development around the stadium. Weston Urban, a downtown development company and part-owner of the team, committed to construction that has $575 million to $1 billion in taxable value around the arena.
That development was controversial — it involves tearing down the 50-year-old Soap Factory apartments — a housing complex owned by Weston Urban. The city and Weston Urban did commit $500,000 to help relocate residents.
The stadium and the first phase of surrounding, mixed-use development is still being designed, says Ben Gorzell, the city’s chief of financial and administrative services.
Early estimates show that the stadium could be more expensive than its initial $160 million price tag, he added. The Missions would be on the hook for any costs above that guaranteed maximum price.
Despite that, Gorzell said the project is still on track for its April 2028 opening. The Missions did not comment on the city’s updates.
Next steps to build ballpark
There’s a chain of dominoes that still need to fall before construction can begin on a new baseball stadium.
The Missions agreed to put $34 million upfront for construction. The other $126 million will be borrowed by the San Pedro Creek Development Authority through a bond, which it will cover using annual rent from the Missions and money from the Houston Street tax increment reinvestment zone, which captures local tax dollars and can spend them on development.
The city needs to go out for that $126 million bond, Gorzell said, but it has requirements it needs to get there.
The agreement for funding and constructing the stadium laid out by the city and team officials last year is not yet binding. Gorzell said the city plans to negotiate definitive agreements in time to present to the council in June.
The city also won’t issue a bond until Weston Urban starts construction on its first phase of construction — development with roughly $300 million of taxable value. The first two phases of development would include a hotel and housing units, he added.
Bonds had originally been scheduled for November 2025. Gorzell said delays in acquiring land from San Antonio Independent School District for the stadium had pushed back the bond date to 2026.
“There was a lot that went into that, but that was about four or five months that changed (the timeline), and then the rest of it has been just continuing our due diligence,” Gorzell said. “The ultimate goal has always been to try to get to spring of 2028 for opening day. We’re still on track to do that.”
Future of Nelson Wolff Stadium
The existing 32-year-old city-owned stadium is between U.S. Highway 90 and Levi Strauss Park on San Antonio’s West Side.
The city plans to redevelop the site, Gorzell said, and will figure out what, exactly, that will look like later this year. There are county parks northwest of the site and it’s also near Leon Creek.
Gorzell said the city is planning to hire a consultant in June to create a concept for redevelopment and present a draft report in either September or October.
Councilman Ric Galvan (D6) represents the area around Nelson Wolff Stadium. He was cautious about hiring a consultant and said his office could take the lead.
“We can continue talking about a consultant,” Galvan said. “But in terms of leading the community engagement and having this conversation, it’ll be my office that makes sure we’re delivering it, and makes sure we’re building trust in the community regarding this conversation. I just want to be clear on that.”
Mayor weighs in for the first time
The agreement to fund and build the new ballpark predates several new city council members as well as the mayor, who was sworn into office in June 2025.
“We all weren’t around when some of these things were negotiated, but now we are certainly all going to be responsible and accountable to people to make sure that these investments reflect the best [return on investment] for our community,” Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said on Wednesday.
Jones took the opportunity to ask questions about the planned development, resident relocation and the city’s costs.
“I’d welcome some understanding of how what we are putting in at least gets us to breaking even considering all the revenue that they are getting and what we are putting in,” she said, noting that the city would contribute $500,000 annually to the planned ballpark’s maintenance.
She’s taken a similar approach with proposals for a new downtown Spurs arena — trying to understand the project and the city’s investment.
“It’s essentially the same construct,” she said of the city’s deals for the Spurs’ arena and the Missions’ ballpark.
COMMENTARY BY MAYOR JONES: The people deserve our due diligence
Jones asked about Weston Urban’s guaranteed development, noting that the company was only obligated to build $575 million of development in its first two phases. Phases three and four, around $425 million of taxable development, were optional under the agreement between the team and the city.
“Are there any lessons learned in terms of the incorporation of our feedback, in terms of what’s included in phase one of guaranteed development here? Have we provided any feedback in terms of what we’d like to see other than the value?” she asked.
Downtown traffic plans
The San Antonio Missions will also begin conducting a feasibility study to look at the projected value of the new development and how much tax revenue the city might generate. A final report could be produced in June.
Gorzell also said city staff are going to conduct a traffic security plan for, potentially, thousands of attendees and a displacement impact assessment for publication in the spring. The traffic plan would consider using local parking lots and 5,000 parking spots within walking distance of the proposed stadium.
Gorzell said the city has also planned to make $5 million to $6 million in changes to the intersection of Flores and Martin streets, closing a part of Pecan street, a one-way, and making improvements to Flores Street.
