SAN ANTONIO — A City Hall stalemate over the immediate future of Project Marvel and its headlining component of a downtown San Antonio Spurs arena ended with council members voting Thursday afternoon to approve a financing framework between the city and the team.

The 7-4 vote – a major checkpoint in the continuing process to realize a multibillion-dollar downtown sports and entertainment district – resets the focus to Nov. 4, when Bexar County voters will be asked to approve a venue tax representing the county's contribution to the arena, estimated to cost $1.3 billion.

But it also marks a defeat for Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, who has spent the last two weeks calling for a "strategic pause" on arena talks so that the city could conduct an independent economic impact study. Just before 2

See Full Page