SAN ANTONIO – On the heels of an announcement to revitalize San Antonio’s city center, council members are figuring out the potential of some of those plans.
The City Council held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the expansion of the Henry B. González Convention Center and the area around Hemisfair.
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During the meeting, Michael Lockwood — an architect with the firm Populous — presented the feasibility of the convention center’s expansion to the council.
The presentation included a series of statistics that compared San Antonio’s convention center across Texas and the country.
While the convention center already brings a lot of business to San Antonio, Lockwood suggested that it is not big enough.
Currently, the convention center is about 514,000 square feet. The city is looking to expand the facility by an additional 200,000 square feet.
Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and Houston are all working on investing in their convention centers.
Nirenberg inquires about dollars and cents
During the meeting, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg asked City Manager Erik Walsh about the cost of the proposed renovations.
Walsh told Nirenberg that nailing down an exact cost remains a work in progress.
First, the city would need to confirm the size of the expanded convention center to develop a timeline of the construction and costs.
“I think this will be important to share with our residents. (I am) looking forward to the funding analysis,” Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) said.
Potential impact on residents, businesses
While the investment in an updated convention center could create more jobs, Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) said the city would also need to consider nearby residents and prioritize small businesses in the area.
“They are the heart and soul of what makes San Antonio so special,” Cabello Havrda said.
How and where to park downtown
Multiple council members shared their concerns about the importance of prioritizing what parking would look like with a potentially larger convention center and its impact on established parking in and around Hemisfair.
Walsh said the city needs more time to put together a timeline for the project and gather costs.
“As we get into next year, mid-spring, we should have an idea,” Walsh said.
