District 5 Councilmember Issues Statement on Sports District

Published on August 22, 2025

District 5 Councilmember Issues Statement on Sports & Entertainment District Negotiations

SAN ANTONIO (August 22, 2025) – The following is a statement from the Councilmember. 

“We all want the Spurs to remain in San Antonio, and we all want a fair deal. Where we differ is in defining what ‘fair’ truly means. As negotiations move forward, it is critical that the City, County, and Spurs work collaboratively to ensure that any deal prioritizes union labor, affordable housing, and other community needs.

“Right now, the City of San Antonio is discussing the FY2026 Budget. That proposal already includes reductions in parks programming and other essential resources. The question is: how can we be certain that the Sports & Entertainment District will not further impact the City’s General Fund, the very funding that supports our streets, sidewalks, parks, drainage, and so much more?

“That is why it is my responsibility to fully understand how this proposed stadium could affect City services and our General Fund.

“The public has a right to know all the costs that are associated with public investment in a new Spurs arena – especially unknown costs. The unknown costs were not presented in the recent economic analyses for the Sports & Entertainment District, but they negatively impact residents by diverting basic services and staff away from their community, increasing their utility rates, and using up general funds. 

“Throughout several Council meetings on the arena, I discussed a number of concerns: 

• The relocation of the SAWS Chilling Plant 
• Public safety needs for the arena
• Displacement of residents living in nearby homes and apartments
• Maintenance of the arena grounds by Parks and Solid Waste workers 
• Health, traffic, and pollution impacts to the community
• The public costs to maintain the infrastructure built around the arena
• The privatization of public property near the arena for private events 

“What we move forward with today also includes a landmark Community Benefits Agreement, with roughly $75 million of investment from the Spurs. Most importantly, it will be the community, not developers or outside interests, who will decide how those dollars are invested. This ensures that the Sports & Entertainment District delivers real, tangible benefits to San Antonio families, neighborhoods, and future generations. As the City moves forward with negotiations for the Spurs arena, I fully support a more holistic impact analysis, which factors in these unknown costs, and look forward to the City making this additional information available to the public.”