The San Antonio City Council has approved allocating $60 million toward purchasing land for a future San Antonio Spurs arena and sports complex. According to the city, a total of $115 million is required to assemble all of the parcels needed for the project. The site is the former home of the Institute of Texan Cultures at Hemisfair, and officials expect the land transaction to close by the end of the year.
The planned arena would be located in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, and is being designed to accommodate between 17,000 and 18,000 spectators. The Spurs intend for the new facility to be ready in time for the 2030-31 NBA season, positioning the project on a multi-year development and construction timeline once the land acquisition is completed. The new venue is envisioned as part of a broader sports complex program on the repurposed Hemisfair site.
Construction management for the arena is set to be led jointly by Mortenson and Bartlett Cocke. The two firms are combining Mortenson’s national sports and entertainment construction experience with Bartlett Cocke’s long-standing presence in San Antonio and across Texas. Their role will span planning and execution on the vertical construction once the project moves beyond the land acquisition and predevelopment phase.
Mortenson brings a track record that includes recently completed and in-progress professional sports facilities across multiple U.S. markets. Its portfolio cited for this assignment includes Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors; Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders; Energizer Park for St. Louis CITY SC; Climate Pledge Arena, home of the Seattle Kraken; U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings; Continental Coliseum, planned home of the Oklahoma City Thunder; and Athletics Ballpark for the Las Vegas Athletics. This experience underscores the scale and technical complexity anticipated for the Spurs’ new arena.
The partnership with Bartlett Cocke, which has more than six decades of experience building in San Antonio and throughout Texas, adds local market expertise and familiarity with regional construction conditions, codes, and stakeholders. Together, the firms will coordinate construction management for the project once the city completes its land purchase and the arena program advances into detailed design, permitting, and eventual build-out.
For the local commercial real estate landscape, the city’s decision to commit significant capital toward land assembly at Hemisfair marks a notable public investment in Downtown San Antonio’s future development pipeline. While specific development costs, financing structures, and adjacent uses have not been disclosed, the deal signals a long-term plan to reposition the former Institute of Texan Cultures site as a major sports and entertainment destination anchored by the Spurs’ proposed arena.
