AT A GLANCE
- City Council approved an 8–1 rezoning vote converting nearly 500 acres near the Frost Bank Center from heavy industrial to residential and community-friendly use.
- Districts 7 and 10 were absent, and D9 voted no, despite all three strongly supporting Project Marvel and the Spurs arena during election season. D7’s Alderete Gavino expressed support for the majority despite her absence.
- Public testimony revealed behind-the-scenes opposition, including allegations that a zoning commissioner called business owners to rally against the rezoning.
- The article calls out the contradictions of conservative, “Pro-Marvel”, leaders who backed billion-dollar arena projects promising revitalization but failed to support the very neighborhoods some of those promises were built on.
Conservatives & Pro-Marvel Supporters Show No Team Spirit as Majority Backs the East Side
For the East Side, Project Marvel was pitched as another way to bring long-promised investment. Yet Thursday’s zoning session offered a glimpse of what that may look like. Council members who rallied for the Spurs stopped short of standing with the people. When those same officials vote “no” or go absent on measures that would actually make that vision real, it feels like the community was bamboozled all over again.
Despite one “no” vote and two members missing at the moment of decision, City Council moved forward with an 8–1 approval to rezone nearly 500 acres around the Frost Bank Center. Shifting it from heavy industrial use to residential and neighborhood-friendly zoning.
District 9’s Misty Spears cast the lone “no” vote. District 7 was absent, and although District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte was present earlier, he left about an hour before the vote.
During Thursday’s session a behind-the-scenes push was exposed to undermine the United Homeowners Improvement Association (UHIA) and the community’s rezoning efforts.
Cliff Cedeno, a UHIA member, told council:
“What kind of partnership is that? What kind of relationship avoids the councilman, avoids the residents, and then shows up only to threaten with [a] lawsuit?” Cedeno said.
A zoning commissioner allegedly called business owners in the area to rally against UHIA and the community, leading some to turn uncooperative and threaten lawsuits. Even though UHIA held open meetings for the local businesses and worked closely with them to reach an agreement.
RELATED: Neighbors Celebrate the Vote to Rezone
“You’re an appointed [commissioner] person making personal phone calls to business owners, trying to rally them to oppose the rezoning, spreading misinformation, and disrespecting the community’s integrity.” Cedeno said.
The official in question? D10 Zoning Commissioner John Emmett Whitsett, appointed by Councilman Marc Whyte. Whitsett has faced similar allegations before, including a 2024 complaint accusing him of contacting Toyota employees on a pending Commission matter.
I reached out to Councilman Whyte regarding his absence, his position on the matter and Commissioner Whitsett allegations.
Whitsett did not respond to comment. Councilman Whyte’s office, however, issued the following statement:
“Councilman Whyte was present at Thursday’s Zoning and Land Use session and was prepared to vote on the item. However, due to time constraints, the Councilman was unable to cast his vote as he had a previously scheduled doctor’s appointment.”
Scheduled- like the zoning session itself and like Whyte’s CCR the next day, which he was present for. His schedule never conflicted with the non-binding term sheet vote in August or any Project Marvel rallies.
I also reached out to D7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavino regarding her absence and position on the issue, her office replied:
“Councilmember Alderete Gavito had a prior out of town commitment scheduled before the meeting date was set and was therefore unable to attend Thursday’s vote. Had she been present, she would have supported the majority of the residents who voiced their support.” D7 spokesperson said.
District 9’s conservative Misty Spears is quick to respond to what she believes is crap. Labeling graffiti from the ‘No Kings’ rally such as, “America Unite” and “No More Trump”, as hate speech. You’d think that urgency would help her understand what it’s like to live in what District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez described as, “literal shit filling the air of your neighborhood.”
Though, she still voted no and we did not receive a response from her or her office in regards to her vote.
‘Literal shit’ it is not meant figuratively either. Eastside residents of the same neighborhoods spent years fighting a porta-potty storage yard 20 yards from their homes, enduring stench and runoff until it was finally shut down last year.
However, this zoning and land use vote confronted decades of zoning that trapped East Side residents in heavy industrial corridors, burdening the neighborhoods with pollution conditions residents described as:
“Human excrement.”
“Diesel trucks blocking sidewalks.”
“Gas tanks parked beside homes.”
“Heavy industrial traffic, noise, dust, and air pollution.”
“Routes for 18-wheelers.”
“Diesel fumes.”
Their testimony painted a clear picture and why the vote carries such weight.
Districts 9 and 10 are both strong proponents of Project Marvel. So strong that both were named in a complaint filed by the Vote Against Prop B campaign. Alleging that city officials illegally participated in a rally promoting the $1.3 billion Spurs arena deal.
This vote was the perfect chance to show the skeptics of Project Marvel good-faith efforts toward the East Side and the project itself. They lost that chance.
Even Council members D1 Sukh Kaur and D8 Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, who were outspoken in support of the Spurs arena and were also listed in the ethics complaint, voted in favor of the rezoning.
City Council Signals Support for East Side Post–Project Marvel
Amid the discrepancies, it’s worth noting the council members and Mayor Jones who stood with the community– and those, like Alderete Gavino (D7), who expressed support despite being absent.
Whether they backed or questioned Project Marvel, they listened to residents and took a needed step toward repairing decades of environmental and economic harm. Their support means a lot to the families and community who fight everyday to be seen and heard.
Cedeno said it best:
“This vote will be remembered. Your names will appear beside that vote, and one day history will ask — did you stand with the people, or did you protect the polluters?”
