SAN ANTONIO - A baseball stadium in downtown San Antonio may no longer be just a field of dreams.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said in recent months the idea of relocating Wolff Stadium, the home of the AA minor league team San Antonio Missions, has been gaining traction.
Wolff said there are at least two developers that are actively exploring the idea of building a stadium downtown.
Land near Fox Tech High School as well as land owned by UTSA’s Institute of Texan Cultures near the Alamodome are both being looked at as possible sites for a ballpark.
Wolff said in the past he had doubts about such a venture, but the success of the University of Texas - San Antonio football team had in attracting fans downtown to the Alamodome this fall he said gave him reason to believe the project may be economically feasible.
While still on in an exploring stage, Wolff said the project would likely have to be a public - private partnership.
Under such a plan, taxpayers would pay for the land and infrastructure, and a private developer would build the stadium.
The stadium would probably be a part of a larger development project that would include downtown condos.
"I think it's one more piece of the pie that would really encourage people to live in the downtown area," Wolff said.
However, Bob Martin, president of the Bexar County Homeowners Taxpayers Association, questions the idea.
He said it would be a waste of money.
"Why would the public want to fund any of it?” he asks. “We already have a baseball venue."
Wolff Stadium was built in 1994 west of downtown off of U.S. Highway 90.
The closures of nearby industrial plants and Kelly Air Force Base have been blamed for a decline in attendance at Missions games over the years.
Wolff said the 40-acre site where Wolff Stadium currently sits could be sold to help offset what could be more than $25 million to build a downtown stadium.
