Houston City Council approved $2 billion in bonds to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center. (Courtesy Visit Houston)
Houston City Council unanimously passed $2 billion in bonds Feb. 11 to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center over the next 12 years.
The bonds would fund transformation projects for the GRB that include new event halls, restaurant and retail spaces, and “the largest ballroom in Texas."
Some context
The project is expected to be paid through the state's portion of incremental hotel occupancy tax revenue growth. The funding mechanism is the result of Senate Bill 1057 from the 88th Texas Legislature, which authorizes local government to collect a portion of hotel occupancy taxes in excess of the amount collected in the previous year for up to 30 years.
The expansion will include a 100,000-square-foot pedestrian plaza that will connect the convention center to the Toyota Center, and a southward extension of the Avenida Plaza that will connect Discovery Green to GRB’s new Central Plaza, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The George R. Brown Convention Center is set to undergo a major expansion in the next three years. (Rendering courtesy Houston First Corporation)
Public input
The bonds passed without discussion during the City Council meeting. However, during a Feb. 10 public session, members of the public voiced their concerns with the expansion.
Amy Erickson, a co-founder of People for Polk, a grassroots effort to prevent the closure of Polk Street, said residents will be the ones affected by the upcoming construction because of the project’s plan to take over several streets to support the expansion, including Polk Street, which is currently closed to vehicles.
“These are not abstract lines on a map,” Erickson said to council. “They are public assets connecting people to jobs, schools and transit. Houstonians are now navigating long and consistent detours that add minutes and miles to their daily commutes.”
Since November, Polk Street has been closed as demolition takes place for the expansion. According to People for Polk’s website, advocates are concerned because it is one of the few streets that provides connections between the East End and Downtown Houston.
What else?
The first phase of the expansion is expected to be completed by 2028, and the entire project is expected to be completed by 2038, according to the Houston First website.
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