San Antonio officials continue to refine a plan for a new Missions ballpark set to open in April 2028, as the Double-A Texas League team owners eye serious development to go along with the 7,500-seat facility.
Planning for the new Missions ballpark has taken place since 2024, when the city and team ownership agreed on a funding plan for the $160-million, 7,500-seat facility, with the city-run San Pedro Creek Development Authority administering the new Missions ballpark. But bonding for the project was delayed, and now the city is looking at a summer release for the bonds; $126 million will be used for ballpark construction, with the San Antonio Missions owners picking up the rest of the construction costs as well as commit to construction with $575 million to $1 billion in taxable value in the area. We’ll see whether $160 million is enough: city officials warn it could be more, but the Missions are on the hook to cost any overruns. However, we don’t have a firm ballpark plan or renderings yet, so a final price tag is a matter of conjecture at this point.
And there’s one elephant in the room: The agreement isn’t technically a final one, per San Antonio Report:
The Missions agreed to put $34 million upfront for construction. The other $126 million will be borrowed by the San Pedro Creek Development Authority through a bond, which it will cover using annual rent from the Missions and money from the Houston Street tax increment reinvestment zone, which captures local tax dollars and can spend them on development.
The city needs to go out for that $126 million bond, said [Ben Gorzell, the city’s chief of financial and administrative services], but it has requirements it needs to get there.
The agreement for funding and constructing the stadium laid out by the city and team officials last year is not yet binding. Gorzell said the city plans to negotiate definitive agreements in time to present to the council in June.
The city also won’t issue a bond until Weston Urban starts construction on its first phase of construction — development with roughly $300 million of taxable value. The first two phases of development would include a hotel and housing units, he added.
Bonds being issued in summer 2026 for a ballpark set to open in April 2028 will make for a right construction schedule, to be sure.
Meanwhile, the Missions have made some changes in the team’s front office. President Burl Yarbrough will transition to a new role as senior advisor for the club. Yarbrough, a Texas League Hall of Famer, will assist with various special projects, including the Missions’ upcoming move to a new downtown ballpark. The Fort Worth, Texas native joined the Missions as general manager in 1987 before being named team president in 1998. During Yarbrough’s tenure with the organization, the Missions have won six Texas League championships. They also led the Texas League in attendance five times, including a then-Texas League record of 411,989 in 1994, the first season the team played Nelson Wolff Stadium.
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