

Story Added January 20, 1999 - courtesy of ESPN.com







Spurs might get new arena



SAN ANTONIO -- After a failed attempt to build a publicly funded arena in an abandoned rock quarry, the San Antonio Spurs now may get an arena downtown next to the Alamodome.



Saying a new basketball arena should be downtown "where it belongs," San Antonio Mayor Howard Peak said he wants to meet with Spurs executives by the end of the month to discuss the site.



"This is a pleasant surprise," Spurs vice president Leo Gomez told the San Antonio Express-News after hearing of Peak's proposal Tuesday. "We've said all along we will listen to all ideas. If the mayor has an idea, we're ready to visit with the mayor and anyone else from the city."



Peak favors building a 20,000-seat center on the Alamodome's south parking lot, where it can share staff and maintenance costs with the dome, he told the Downtown Residents Association.



"This site makes the most sense from the city's standpoint, because it complements the infrastructure of major hotels, the dome and the convention center expansion that are nearby," Peak said.



The Spurs currently play in the 65,000-seat Alamodome. Team officials insist they need a smaller arena more suitable for basketball with lucrative luxury suites.



The mayor wouldn't say where the money would come from for a new arena, but he said one option could be a temporary sales tax increase. Any funding decision must go before the voters, Peak said.



The plan for a publicly funded arena on the city's northeast side was killed last month when North East School District trustees rejected the Spurs' tax-increment financing proposal.



Spurs owners offered to pay $20 million toward the $157 million arena. The rest of the project would have been financed over 30 years by property taxes on new development within a specified zone.



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