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The City of San Antonio continues a series of public meetings on what to do with Nelson Wolff Stadium, located on U.S. 90 West, once the Missions have their last crack of the bat there in 2028.
The next public meeting on the stadium's proposed master plan will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Cuellar Community Center at 5626 San Fernando St. And a fourth and final meeting is being planned. All the meetings are conducted in English and Spanish. Information is provided at their website.
The Double A minor league farm club of the San Diego Padres is expected to start playing in a new $160 million stadium on the west end of downtown on opening day in April 2029. The ballpark project on San Pedro Creek had to be postponed for a year due to financing issues and a tight construction labor market, according to its ownership group, Designated Bidders.
San Antonio Missions President Burl Yarbrough told Texas Public Radio last year that the team is looking forward to a new home.
"We're very excited to, you know, be moving into a new ballpark downtown," he said. "I think it's going to change the dynamics of professional baseball here in San Antonio.
Designated Bidders pledged $34 million for the new stadium and up to $1 million in annual lease payments and yearly payments of $250,000 for facility maintenance, according to a draft agreement with the city, county and San Antonio Independent School District.
The vast majority of the new stadium will be paid for by the team’s contribution, ticket fees and team revenue, city and county property tax increment dollars and a guaranteed municipal management assessment from the first two of four planned new developments in the area.
San Pedro Creek Development Authority, which owns the ballpark, will also issue a private revenue bond with a pledge from the Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). The county gave the Authority a $10 million bridge loan in April to help close a funding gap.
Bordered by North Flores, Kingsbury, and Camaron Streets downtown, the new stadium will seat 4,500 and have total capacity of around 7,500. "The Wolff," as it is nicknamed, seats 6,200 and has a total capacity of around 9,000. Major League Baseball deemed the 1994 ballpark not up to league standards and required major upgrades or a new stadium if San Antonio wanted to keep its team.
In 2022, a new ownership group called "Designated Bidders" agreed to acquire the team for an undisclosed amount from Dave Elmore and the Elmore Group.
Designated Bidders included Graham Weston, Peter J. Holt, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, Henry Cisneros, Nolan Ryan, and Roger Clemens, among others.
The San Antonio Missions franchise was established in 1888 as a charter member of the Texas League. Over that time, the club has won 13 Texas League Titles — the last one was in 2013.
The Missions have called Nelson Wolff Stadium home since 1994. During this time, they have been affiliated with four major league teams: Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. During the 2019 season, they were promoted to Triple-A under the Milwaukee Brewers.
"The Wolff," named for former county judge, San Antonio mayor and state legislator Nelson Wolff, himself a former minor league player, evokes a nostalgic yesteryear baseball feel with its cozy size and twin towers with pennant-shaped flags.
Its alter ego Flying Chanclas team, Puffy Taco mascot, fireworks, family-friendly side entertainment, and beer and nachos are crowd pleasers.
"The Wolff" opened on April 18, 1994, to a crowd of 9,336 as the Missions took on the El Paso Diablos. The team had played in prior years at stadium.
