AT A GLANCE
- Bexar County commissioners approved changes to a financing deal tied to the planned $160 million downtown San Antonio Missions ballpark.
- The downtown stadium is expected to open in 2028 and replace Nelson Wolff Stadium, which Major League Baseball said no longer meets league standards.
- Graham Weston is part of Designated Bidders and is also tied to Weston Urban, the downtown development firm involved in the broader redevelopment vision around the stadium site.
- The deal adds to ongoing concerns about public financing, downtown development and whether San Antonio’s major civic projects continue to benefit the same circle of well connected business leaders.
Bexar County Revises Stadium Financing Deal As Downtown Missions Ballpark Moves Toward 2028 Opening
Bexar County commissioners have approved changes to a financing agreement connected to the planned downtown San Antonio Missions ballpark, adding another major step to the $160 million project expected to reshape part of the city’s urban core.
According to TPR, commissioners voted this week to revise the county’s agreement with Designated Bidders, the ownership group behind the Missions, as the project continues moving toward a planned 2028 opening.
Under the updated deal, Designated Bidders will pay 4% annual interest on a $10 million county loan. In return, Bexar County will receive two parcels of land in the San Pedro Creek Culture Park area, near existing and future county parking garages.
County officials also agreed to release the county’s share of a guarantee connected to the Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, which is part of the broader financing structure supporting the ballpark.
New Ballpark Planned Near San Pedro Creek
The proposed stadium site is located near North Flores, Camaron and Kingsbury streets. The ballpark is expected to include 4,500 fixed seats, with nearly the same number of additional fans accommodated through standing room and lounge areas.
Daniel Ortiz, an attorney representing the Missions, told commissioners the county will be repaid in full on the loan, with interest going into Bexar County’s general fund.
The revised agreement follows a 2024 memorandum of understanding involving Bexar County, Designated Bidders, Weston Urban and the San Antonio Independent School District. That agreement laid out the larger framework for financing and developing the downtown stadium.
Designated Bidders is expected to contribute $34 million toward the project. A significant portion of the ballpark financing will also come through bonds and the tax increment reinvestment zone tied to the San Pedro Creek Development Authority, which includes Weston Urban, Bexar County and the City of San Antonio.
Also Read: San Antonio Missions Stadium Gets Initial Approval for Downtown Project
County Says Deal Helps Address “Funding Gap”
The stadium site sits in Precinct 2, represented by Commissioner Justin Rodriguez. During Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, Rodriguez said the revised agreement helps close a funding gap in the ballpark project while also giving the county public land in return.
“The county is essentially loaning some money, but we’re also getting a public park space in exchange,” Rodriguez said.
Commissioners also pointed to Weston Urban’s downtown development work, including mixed income housing efforts near San Pedro Creek. Weston Urban CEO Randy Smith said the company’s work with the county on the Continental, a residential high rise on West Commerce Street, remains one of the projects the company is most proud of.
Smith said Weston Urban intends to continue working with the county on future affordable housing opportunities where possible.
County Judge Peter Sakai said the stadium agreement brings together several priorities, including housing, economic development and downtown revitalization.
“I think we have an agreement, at least from the county perspective, that engages issues of housing and economic development and the ability to revitalize the downtown, and it’s been my pleasure to lead this with the baseball ownership, along with the City of San Antonio,” Sakai said.
Missions Set To Leave Nelson Wolff Stadium
The downtown ballpark is expected to replace Nelson Wolff Stadium, the longtime home of the Missions on U.S. Highway 90 West.
Nelson Wolff Stadium opened in 1994, but Major League Baseball later determined the facility no longer met league standards. That finding placed pressure on local officials and team ownership to find a new stadium solution to keep the Double A affiliate of the San Diego Padres in San Antonio.
The latest county action does not end the larger public conversation around Project Marvel, downtown redevelopment, public financing and who benefits from these major deals. But it does show the stadium plan is continuing to move through local government channels, with county leaders now tying the deal to repayment, land acquisition and public park space as part of the broader downtown package.
Who Is Graham Weston?
Graham Weston is not just a name floating around the downtown stadium conversation. He is one of the major business figures tied to the ownership, development and public financing side of the project. Weston is a cofounder of Rackspace and one of the founders of Weston Urban, the downtown development firm connected to major San Antonio properties including the Weston Centre, Frost Tower and the Rand Building.
Weston also founded Geekdom and established the 80/20 Foundation, which describes its mission as investing in San Antonio’s future workforce and job creating entrepreneurs.
Weston is also part of Designated Bidders LLC, the investor group that purchased the San Antonio Missions in 2022 from longtime owner Dave Elmore and the Elmore Group. The ownership group includes several high profile San Antonio business, civic and sports figures, including Peter J. Holt, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Hill, Randy Smith and others.
Weston Urban is also heavily involved in the development vision around the new downtown ballpark near San Pedro Creek.
The ballpark itself is one piece of a much larger redevelopment plan that includes apartments, hotel space, parking and surrounding real estate activity. Recent reporting has noted that Weston Urban, whose cofounders Graham Weston and Randy Smith are part of the Missions ownership group, is expected to build hundreds of apartments and a hotel around the stadium site.
Also Read: How Your ‘Beloved’ Former County Judge Nelson Wolff and His Rich Friends Profited from Covid-19 To Boost Their Business
For critics of Project Marvel and the downtown stadium push, Weston’s role is central because it reflects a familiar San Antonio pattern: private developers and well connected civic leaders helping shape major public projects that also sit near or inside their broader business interests.
Public dollars, tax increment financing, bond revenue and county backed agreements are all part of the stadium discussion. In one related financing move, properties owned by Weston Urban or its affiliates were moved from the Westside TIRZ into the Houston Street TIRZ to help finance the new Missions ballpark, a decision criticized by some West Side residents and Councilwoman Teri Castillo over concerns about diverting investment from historically underserved neighborhoods.
Weston’s name has also appeared in other public money conversations beyond real estate. Last year it was reported on Community Labs, a COVID testing nonprofit co owned by Graham Weston, late Bruce Bugg and Jay Tullos Wells, and raised concerns about how pandemic era public contracts were awarded under then Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.
Taken together, Weston’s role in the Missions stadium deal is not just about baseball. It is about who owns the team, who owns or develops land near the project, who benefits from downtown redevelopment, and how often San Antonio’s biggest public initiatives appear to run through the same small circle of business and civic power players.
