Plans for the reimagined baseball stadium property on San Antonio’s Southwest Side — held up by city staff as one example of the kind of “place-based” economic development projects it’s undertaking — scored a home run with council members.
City staff presented to council on Thursday the redevelopment plans alongside an updated economic development “strategic framework” and incentives guidelines.
The proposed bond-funded redevelopment of Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium appeared to have the unanimous support of the council as it also considered changes to guidelines meant to attract and retain business and jobs in San Antonio, and to compete with other cities trying to do the same.
State law requires municipalities to reauthorize their incentive guidelines every two years. San Antonio’s guidelines expire at the end of 2026.
Economic Development Department Director Brenda Hicks-Sorensen said the city’s tax abatements for businesses in its current portfolio average about $5 million to $6 million a year.
In a briefing to council, she outlined a complex set of proposed guidelines similar to the existing ones, with a few new elements that she said improve upon San Antonio’s economic development strategies.
Changes to the framework centered on bringing what she called “balance” to the jobs and wage calculations that incentivized businesses must comply with, establishing abatements for certain kinds of investment like research and development, and updating where economic development would be incentivized.
Hicks-Sorensen recommended directing more incentives specifically to transit-oriented development corridors, in areas where VIA Metropolitan Transit is building the advanced rapid transit Green and Silver Lines.
A business settling in the corridors and investing at least $5 million could be eligible for a 50% tax abatement or rebate under the proposal. And small businesses could also access added incentives, such as reduced rent and fees and preference points in procurement.
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) enthusiastically supported the incentive proposals for projects in transit-oriented development corridors, but suggested working with Neighborhood and Housing Services to also incentivize residential development, especially affordable housing.
Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5) said the place-based emphasis in economic development makes sense, but wants to see more support for the residents and businesses already in those areas.
“In alignment with the incentives, I would like to see stronger displacement strategies because we know these incentives are going to likely increase values in the surrounding area,” she said. “How can we support the established small businesses through incentives like the facade grant program?”
The council is expected to vote on adopting the economic development plan at its Nov. 5 meeting.
From ballpark to mixed-use
Wolff Stadium at 5757 U.S. Hwy. 90 will go dark in 2029 when the Double-A minor-league team moves to a new $160 million ballpark in the urban core.
The move, announced in 2024, raised questions early on about how the 32-year-old ballpark and surrounding city-owned property could be repurposed.
Hicks-Sorensen’s team has been leading public input sessions and consultants to do analysis and come up with a redevelopment plan.
“The site best supports a mix of uses, including single-family housing priced under $250,000, medical office, light, industrial, retail, and community recreation elements,” Hicks-Sorensen said, describing a first-phase rendering.
The first development on the site could be retail surrounding a plaza built where the Wolff Stadium infield exists now. Much of the site plan features parks and green space with another part of the site slated for affordable senior housing, medical clinics and offices and some retail.
The team has been working on the “what,” she said of what could be built in place of the ballpark.
“The next conversation is the how,” she said, which could involve public-private partnerships, selling some of the property or creating a community development authority. Those decisions will be tackled in early 2027.
Most council members applauded the work that’s been done so far and praised Councilman Ric Galvan from District 6 where the ballpark is located for leading the charge.
“This is beautiful, and it’s going to help us as we continue to pursue industries and companies to come here to San Antonio,” said Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9).
Kaur also praised the project and suggested the plans demonstrate there’s space for more “missing middle” housing.
“Whether it’s duplexes or quadplexes, you could help serve a lot more community members and it could be affordable,” she said. “I know having more folks being able to use it will help with the retail component.”
Galvan said he was excited to see the plans presented to council.
“I think at the heart of all of this is the importance of public investment, whether it’s in redevelopment or development, in a space of our city that is aging, that has had trends of disinvestment … but frankly deserves some reconfiguration, support, and addressing the needs that are there now,” he said.
Much of what is showing up in the plans is what area residents have requested, he said.
Construction on the downtown baseball stadium is expected to start in summer 2027 and be ready for the team’s season opener in 2029.
Decommissioning of the stadium and construction on phase 1 of the project would occur through 2031, according to the timeline presented Thursday. The entire project as currently envisioned is expected to be fully completed by 2040-46.
