San Antonio Voters Approve $1.3B Plan For New Downtown Spurs Arena

SAN ANTONIO — The city of San Antonio took a defining step toward its future on Tuesday night. On a highly contested election night, voters approved a plan for a new downtown arena that will serve as the next home of the Spurs — a decision that could shape the future of the city for decades to come.

“The community has spoken,” Spurs chairman Peter J. Holt said at an election party at River North Icehouse. “We love this city, we love this county, and the county and the city love us back.”

In Bexar County, a significant majority of voters, 56%, cast their ballots in favor of Proposition A, while 44% opposed it. For Prop B, 52.1% voted for and 47.8% voted against.

The proposal, which includes a mix of public and private investment, will replace the Frost Bank Center, the team’s home since 2003. The new arena is expected to anchor a broader downtown revitalization plan that includes restaurants, housing, and public gathering spaces. City officials described the project as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to link San Antonio’s sports legacy with its urban future.

Prop A will increase the hotel occupancy tax to 2 percent and extend the car rental tax to help fund the planning, acquisition, establishment, development, construction, renovation, and financing of the Freeman Coliseum, Frost Bank Center, and the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo facilities, according to the ballot.

With its approval, Prop B increases the hotel tax from 1.75 percent to 2 percent starting as early as 2026. It also authorizes the use of an existing car rental tax to go towards financing the new Spurs arena.

For supporters, the measure represents confidence that the Spurs — and by extension, San Antonio — can compete with larger markets for growth. For those against the measure, it raised difficult questions about public spending and priorities.

“I love the Spurs, but I just don’t think public money should go toward building arenas,” said Karen Torres, a local school teacher who voted against the measure. “There are other priorities the city needs to focus on first.”

Local business owners, meanwhile, are already anticipating the ripple effect.

“A new downtown arena changes everything for us,” said Rosa Martinez, who owns a cafe two blocks from the proposed site. “It means more people walking these streets, more life, more energy — that’s good for everyone.”

City Manager Erik Walsh has projected a 60-month timeline for designing and constructing the arena. Holt said the Spurs were just starting the design process for a sports and entertainment district in the planned area.

“We’re at the very beginning of the design stage,” Holt said. “We’re open to anything that makes the sports and entertainment district successful.”

Now, with funding secured and design work expected to begin in the future, San Antonio faces the challenge of turning optimism into reality. The new arena will not only reshape the skyline — it will test how far a city can go when sports, identity, and vision align.