‘At best tepid’: Polling shows ‘limited’ support for downtown San Antonio sports stadiums for Spurs, Missions

SAN ANTONIO – This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

A pair of possible downtown San Antonio sports stadiums are neither a slam dunk nor a home run with Bexar County voters.

A new poll by University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Public Opinion Research surveyed 692 Bexar County voters between Sep. 11-16 on a variety of subjects, including the 2024 presidential election, San Antonio charter amendments, and possible downtown stadiums for the San Antonio Spurs and the San Antonio Missions.

A news release described the support for both stadium ideas as “limited.”

“We see at best tepid support for these new plans and not overwhelming support for the construction of new facilities downtown and close to downtown,” said UTSA CPOR director Bryan Gervais.

The poll found 41% of likely Bexar County voters oppose moving the Spurs to a downtown San Antonio arena. Though nearly 36% of respondents were in favor, another 23% were either unsure or had no opinion.

The polling showed a slight rise in opposition to an arena compared to CPOR’s June polling results. That poll, conducted between Jun. 18 and Jul. 1, found 36% of respondents weren’t in favor of a move and nearly 37% were in favor.

A new stadium for the San Antonio Missions polled slightly better, with just shy of 40% support. However, nearly 35% still weren’t in favor, and another 26% were unsure or had no opinion.

Gervais said they believed the Missions ballpark plan had more support due to concerns over funding.

The June polling on a possible downtown Spurs arena, he said, had found the possible cost to taxpayers for a Spurs stadium was one of the largest drivers of opposition.

Meanwhile, respondents in the September survey were told the Missions ballpark’s costs “would be offset be the development of land surrounding the stadium.”

“So it’s not going to be taxpayers footing the whole bill. Of course, it’s a lot more complicated than that. But we think that’s why it’s a little bit more support,” Gervais told reporters.

However, he noted that pollsters were surprised a plurality of people were still in favor of the project, given the attention the deal was getting at the time of the poll. City council approved the broadstrokes of the ballpark plan on Sept. 12.

The plan was vocally opposed by residents of the Soap Factory Apartments, who would be displaced by the surrounding development.

The Missions stadium isn’t a done deal yet. The plan also needs Bexar County Commissioners’ approval, and the San Antonio Independent School District still owns a key piece of property.

Neither the City of San Antonio nor Spurs have officially spoken about specific plans to create a downtown stadium for the city’s marquee franchise, and the city has used non-disclosure agreements to try to keep information on a “Project Marvel” from leaking out. However, records requests for “Project Marvel” have revealed the city has contacted real estate and consulting companies about a “$3-4 billion sports and entertainment district.”

The former Institute of Texan Culture building at Hemisfair, near the intersection of Interstate 37 and Cesar Chavez Boulevard, appears to be the likely site. The city obtained an exclusive option from UTSA to buy or lease 1.36 acres on the Hemisfair campus in February.

The Spurs have a lease agreement for the county-owned Frost Bank Center on the East Side that runs through 2032.

The UTSA CPOR September polling was conducted online and offered in both English and Spanish. CPOR said the margin of error is 3.7%.

FULL RESULTS

You can read the full results and questions for the September polling HERE.

Previous UTSA CPOR polling from June is available HERE.