Fort Bend Epicenter may see an adjacent full-service hotel and convention center in the future.
The overview
At the March 26 Fort Bend County Commissioners Court, commissioners gave the go-ahead for the county and city of Rosenberg to enter into a nonbinding memorandum of understanding to attract a hotel developer on land adjacent to the Fort Bend Epicenter near I-69 and Hwy. 36.
“The point of this is to eventually come up with an interlocal agreement, a binding agreement, to activate the site further [near] the Epicenter to be a full-service hotel that will bring more tourism, more dollars to the county,” said Carlos Guzman, director of the county’s internal Economic Opportunity and Development department.
The vision for the hotel is to have approximately 225 rooms and a parking structure, according to agenda documents.
The conditions
The MOU states the county and city plan to offer a tax incentive to a future hotel developer, which includes a 10-year rebate on the state’s portion of hotel occupancy taxes collected at the property, according to agenda documents.
According to the documents, some provisions of the MOU include:
- Rosenberg would own the land under the hotel, but the county could acquire the property after the 10-year period.
- The city could use the Epicenter for three city-sponsored events.
- The city would receive 10 club-level tickets for five events per year with VIP parking for 10 vehicles.
- Officials could consider relocating the Central Fort Bend Chamber offices and Convention and Visitors Bureau offices within the hotel and convention center.
Next steps
Fort Bend County and city of Rosenberg representatives must meet to discuss their respective roles and responsibilities in an open regular session on or before May 7 before entering into a binding interlocal agreement, according to agenda documents.
