On Thursday the San Antonio City Council will be presented with two incompatible ways forward on Project Marvel and a new downtown home for the San Antonio Spurs. Which could result in a bitter showdown on the dais between two factions divided on the proposed multibillion-dollar sports and entertainment district.
One option is to adopt a term sheet agreement with the Spurs. The other option is Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ preference—which is to adopt a “strategic pause” and wait for an independent economic analysis before making a deal with the local NBA basketball team.
Appearing on TPR’s The Source on Monday, Jones made her case for waiting.
“We have yet to have an independent economic impact study to help us understand even just on the arena, much less the entire downtown effort. So, we still need that. And I think it's also really important that before we vote on anything on the terms sheet, that we have a conversation with the voters,” Jones said.
Jones wants the council to agree to delaying a vote on the term sheet until each council member hosts in-person public meetings in their districts about Project Marvel, the completed independent economic impact study and a proposed term sheet.
“This is what I've asked my colleagues to vote on because I understand there's a lot of pressure. Folks want to get this done fast, but I am always weary and leery of folks that want to move fast on something so significant,” Jones said.
“The people deserve to be heard on this. They have not thus far. I think sufficiently frankly, based on all the emails I get based on many, many much outreach from the community, I'm amazed at the number of emails and outreach I get that start with, 'Hey, I didn't vote for you, but I'm with you on this. What's the rush and where's the data?'” she said.
Jones reacted to the op-ed published this weekend in the San Antonio Express-News, co-authored by former mayor Ron Nirenberg and former Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. The piece was titled “City Council should seize the moment with a generational investment in downtown,” and endorsed moving forward on the ambitious downtown development.
“The projected long-term economic impact, including billions of dollars that will stay in San Antonio rather than go to other communities across the state, will translate into more resources for streets, sidewalks, drainage improvements and essential services citywide,” the Nirenberg/Wolff op-ed read.
Jones disagreed with that assessment and was critical of Nirenberg’s handling of Project Marvel while he was in office.
“Let's be clear about the reason we are in the situation we are currently in. If the previous mayor and the previous City Council had asked for better due diligence and had given City Manager Eric Walsh better direction in terms of the data that was needed to make this decision, then we wouldn't be in the situation we are now. So I can certainly appreciate the former mayor's thoughts now, but I would've appreciated his due diligence previously,” she said.
Jones made clear her lack of confidence in the abilities of the three council members who recently challenged her on a new policy-making procedure. Council members Teri Castillo (D5), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) and Marc Whyte (D10) were overlooked for leadership roles when Jones assigned committee assignments.
“I have full confidence in the people that I have appointed to chairmanships,” Jones said.
David Martin Davies, host of The Source pressed Jones on that and asked, “And so you're saying you don't have confidence in those council members?”
Jones replied, “I'm saying I think I have selected the best people to lead those committees.”
Jones later implied that there is a connection between the council members who opposed her efforts to re-route how items made it to the agenda and the council members who want to move forward on Project Marvel.
“Because it's interesting, some of the folks that are pushing for, 'Hey, let's vote on this on Thursday,' those are the same folks on that CCR process that were like, 'oh, it's lacking transparency. It's removing democracy, or whatever.'”
Guest:
Gina Ortiz Jones is the mayor of San Antonio.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.
This interview was recorded on Monday August 18, 2025.
