San Antonio is standing at a crossroads, and I fear too few of us understand just how important and fragile this moment is. The decision we make on the future of our downtown arena is not just about basketball, and not just about billionaires—it is about who we are, how we see ourselves, and whether we secure a thriving future or watch it slip away.
I write this as the fourth generation of a San Antonio family business that sits in the heart of downtown. My great-grandfather opened Casa Rio in 1946 after several floods and Joske’s made his appliance store unsustainable. It was a risk—a leap of faith. The River Walk was not yet a sure thing. He poured himself into it, nearly went broke twice, and kept the lights on until Hemisfair in 1968 finally gave San Antonio the showcase it deserved. That event revealed our city to the world and, in many ways, to ourselves.
This is our Hemisfair.
San Antonio is again being given the chance to shine, to remind the world of the richness of our Central Texan, Mexican, German, and many other heritages blended together. We’ve seen how downtown spaces, when reimagined, can serve us all—from my own childhood memories of climbing the old wooden playscape at Hemisfair to watching my young boys discover the Magik Theatre like I did at their age, which brings the arts to children from every walk of life. These are treasures, but they only remain treasures if we tend them.
That is why I’ve been devastated reading recent articles and comments dismissing this proposal. I’m shocked anyone could see it as anything but a chance to keep the Spurs here, attract new visitors, and energize our entire city. This is not just a downtown issue. This is a San Antonio issue. I recognize the position I’m putting myself in by writing this article. I risk being ridiculed, but this decision is too important.
Yes, construction will be uncomfortable. Yes, we must tackle real issues—traffic, parking, affordability. Why not create a plan for affordable parking for hospitality workers and locals who want to enjoy downtown? If more people are coming to the vicinity, there are more people likely to visit surrounding districts. I agree that walkability and micro-transportation need to have a bigger role in the conversation. These are solvable problems if we address them together.
Our own family’s two restaurants employ more than 200 people across the city. We cover health insurance, 401(k), profit match, bonuses, and even a new travel program for long-serving employees—because we believe exploration builds happier, more inspired people who bring that inspiration back home. When I mapped our employees’ addresses recently, I found they live in every single one of San Antonio’s ten districts, with the largest share in D5, followed by D2. Our longest-serving employee has been with us for 48 years. That is the kind of impact our downtown businesses are weaving into the community.This is the kind of comprehensive plan that can help secure the livelihood of the thousands of hospitality employees downtown along with opening opportunities for future growth.
What isn’t solvable is losing the Spurs. If we fail to act, if we get stuck in misinformation about billionaires and financing rather than looking at the long-term civic benefit, we may lose more than a team. We may lose part of ourselves.
This is about our children. This is about creating spaces where we, and generations to come, can gather, celebrate, and show the world what San Antonio is made of.
We’ve done it before. We can do it again. Let’s put aside divisions, look clearly at what is at stake, and vote so that together, we secure the future San Antonio deserves.
