A sweeping plan to redevelop San Antonio’s East Side is finally taking shape after decades of talk, and two major developers are leading the charge.
Hunt Development Group and Lincoln Property Company were selected as master developers for the 400-acre site surrounding the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum, the San Antonio Business Journal reported.
The partnership was the only respondent to a request for proposals issued by Bexar County’s Coliseum Advisory Board this summer.
Their proposal envisions a 15-year buildout with 3.6 million square feet of development — a mix of housing, retail, entertainment, hotel and green space woven around the Freeman’s year-round rodeo operations. The plan aims to create a destination that links to the nearby Willow Springs Golf Course and anchors long-promised reinvestment in the historically underdeveloped East Side.
Bexar County voters recently approved funnelling $311 million in county hotel occupancy and rental car taxes toward the project.Voters also approved using $500 million in visitor tax revenue for a new Spurs arena and renovations to the Frost Bank Center, the current home of the Spurs.
The developers are also proposing a tax increment reinvestment zone and a municipal management district to help finance infrastructure and operations, both of which require county approval. Parking revenues and ground leases could generate additional funds for Bexar County.
Freeman Coliseum Executive Director Derrick Howard called the board’s approval “an opportunity to finally look at this from a holistic perspective.” The plan, he said, reflects a shift toward community-centered development long championed by county leaders.
The developers are now entering a months-long community engagement and master planning phase. The vision draws inspiration from the Fort Worth Stockyards, Dickies Arena and Dallas’ American Airlines Center — entertainment-driven districts that blend sports, dining and public space.
Overland Partners will lead design, with Joeris General Contractors, Metro Development Group and EBF Development & Design Studio also on the team.
— Eric Weilbacher
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