City Of San Antonio: Councilwoman Sandoval's Remarks On New Spurs Campus

Press release from the City of San Antonio:

Friday, October 8, 2021

CONTACT: Matteo Treviño
matteo.trevino@sanantonio.gov

SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 7, 2021) — City Council approved an economic incentive agreement with the San Antonio Spurs Sports & Entertainment to develop a Human Performance Campus. Councilwoman Sandoval voted to support and released the following statements:

“I was initially not ready to support a tax abatement agreement in an area of the city that already has booming development. San Antonio faces many challenges; it is hard to justify expenditures like this unless they address the most pressing issues our City faces, including climate change.”

“Working with the Spurs organization, we were able to come to agreements that make the project more sustainable and supportive of the workers who build the campus. Those agreements include commitments to:

• Reviewing the Better Builder Program championed by LiUNA and the Workers Defense Project, which protects the health and safety of labor;
• Protecting homes and properties downstream and prevent excess stormwater runoff by limiting how much concrete they will pour (a.k.a “impervious cover”);
• Keeping many more trees on the property by exceeding the 2010 tree ordinance;
• Tracking their energy use and benchmark their performance;
• Designing the campus to make it easier for employees to carpool or use ride-share.

“With those commitments, I was happy to support the agreement. Now, all San Antonio residents own a piece of the Spurs.”

This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author’s own.