SAN ANTONIO – Icon Experiences’ plan to develop a new elevated entertainment experience in downtown San Antonio anchored by a 200-foot-tall observation wheel is a step closer to reality.
The City of San Antonio approved on April 2 a zoning change for the E. Houston Street site that would allow for such development. City staff had recommended approval of the change prior to the zoning commission’s decision.
“It’s another step forward,” Icon Experiences partner Eli Stovall said.
The company has not disclosed expected development costs, but Stovall said City Council will consider the Florida-based company’s plan in early May.
I first reported on Icon Experiences’ plan on March 29. Stovall said the observation wheel, branded Grandisimo, would feature more than 40 climate-controlled gondolas providing riders rare views of the Alamo City spanning more than 20 miles.
“We will have other complementary experiences,” he said, noting that plans also call for a custom-crafted carousel ride and a miniature golf course, as well as food and beverage offerings featuring some of the tastes of Texas.
The site in question, previously a Days Inn, is immediately west of Interstate 37 and east of the Alamo. It’s near the Shops at Rivercenter and a large surface parking lot where the University of Texas at San Antonio is exploring the possible development of a new Institute of Texan Cultures museum to replace its aging Hemisfair structure.
Read the full story in the San Antonio Business Journal.
Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.