Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
Bexar County commissioners this week voted to tweak a financing deal with Designated Bidders as part of a $160 million San Antonio Missions ballpark downtown, set to open in 2028.
The deal restructuring will see Designated Bidders, the owners of the Missions, pay 4% annually on a $10 million county loan to them, while the county will receive two parcels of land in the San Pedro Creek Culture Park area, near existing and planned county parking garages.
The county also agreed to release its share of guarantee from the Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone.
The ballpark space is located at North Flores, Camaron, and Kingsbury streets. It will seat 4,500 fans with nearly an equal number of fans in standing or lounging areas.
Daniel Ortiz, an attorney for the Missions, said the county will be paid back 100% on the loan, plus interest to go into the county's general fund.
Commissioners in 2024 signed a memorandum of understanding with Designated Bidders, developer Weston Urban, and the San Antonio Independent School District that included a financing agreement. Designated Bidders' investment in the ballpark is $34 million. The San Pedro Creek Development Authority, which includes Weston Urban, the county, and the city, is financing much of the project through bonds and a tax increment reinvestment zone.
The ballpark space is located in Bexar County Precinct 2, led by Commissioner Justin Rodrguez, who said the restructuring deal helps cover a funding shortfall for the ballpark project.
"The county is essentially loaning some money, but we're also getting a public park space in exchange," he said during Tuesday's commissioners meeting.
Commissioners praised Weston Urban for working to bring affordable housing downtown as part of its many developments in the city center. Weston Urban CEO Randy Smith returned the compliment to commissioners' court.
"Working with the court and staff on the Continental to provide mixed-income affordable housing in the core of downtown ... is the project we're most proud of," Smith said of the residential high rise on West Commerce on San Pedro Creek. He added they will continue to work with the county to deliver more affordable housing where opportunities arise.
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai summed up working on the ballpark with all the parties.
"I think we have an agreement, at least from the county perspective, that engages issues of housing and economic development and the ability to revitalize the downtown, and it's been my pleasure to lead this with the baseball ownership, along with the City of San Antonio," he said.
The new downtown ballpark will replace Nelson Wolff Stadium on U.S. Highway 90 West on the West Side as the home of the Missions. Major League Baseball deemed the park, built in 1994, as below league standards and required action to keep the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres in the Alamo City.
