SAN ANTONIO — In a Tuesday conversation with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Ron Nirenberg talked about his vision for the Alamo City as he nears the end of his time in office.
"This community deserves its highest aspirations and what we need to be able to do is achieve them together," he said. "So that's the work that we have been doing over the last eight years in terms of finally investing in mass transit again, working on education, educational pathways, our housing efforts—all the hard work that we're doing is about achieving those aspirations of our community."
The mayor also briefly discussed the plans to transform downtown into a sports and entertainment hub. Nicknamed Project Marvel, it's one of the largest endeavors the mayor is undertaking in his last months in office. His tenure will end in June after serving eight years, the maximum allowed for San Antonio mayors by the city charter.
"I think, again, it enhances what is one of the most unique historic downtowns in America, one of the most visited downtowns in America," the mayor said of the sports and entertainment district plan. "To a level, that makes it the best in America. Not just for visitors, but also for locals."
The project, expected to cost billions, is still in its early stages. The mayor explained the project is being broken down to smaller pieces.
"There's a lot of due diligence," Nirenberg said. "There's lots of pieces to this one bigger vision. And I hope to advance as much of it as I can over the next six to seven months.”
On Wednesday, San Antonio City Council is discussing the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion, an early priority of the project. According to the memo, each of the developments require a feasibility study to determine their viability. The Convention Center feasibility study, according to the memo, is in its final draft form.
While the project itself is expected to take years, Nirenberg is confident that Project Marvel will be a San Antonio vision even when he leaves office.
"I don't think, just because we have new council members and [a] new mayor, that those visions, those aspirations that the community has had are going to change," he said. "You know, my hope is that we can combine that aspiration with a willingness to accomplish it in the new council.”