What is happening
A large part of the process has been finding a location for a building, officials said. While no location has been identified, the board has talked about three potential locations, board member Cindy Heiser said.
Those locations are the GE Betz site, an 11-acre property the township purchased in 2015; the former location of the South County Library on Lake Robbins Drive; and a third site that is adjacent to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, which was The Woodlands founder George Mitchell's intended site for a performing arts center, Heiser said.
The background
A memorandum of understanding developed between the township and the Pavilion in 2019 proposed a 1,500-seat venue that was estimated to cost $71 million at the time, according to official documents.
In November 2024, the board approved a contract with a consulting firm specializing in performing arts and cultural centers in communities, AMS Planning and Research. The study cost $43,090 to complete and provided the cost analysis for the construction and operation of the performing arts center, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
Since then, the estimated cost has grown to about $200 million, and the board is now looking at the potential for a smaller facility, Heiser told Community Impact.
While the township has not yet developed a plan for funding the performing arts center, officials said a private partnership might be needed to move it forward due to growing costs.
Looking ahead
The board is carefully considering all options before building the arts center, which board members said would help complete Mitchell's original vision, Heiser said.
“It's the last piece, really, of The Woodlands that he [George Mitchell] had intended for us to have as an amenity. So we're in year 50, and I think that is really what got the discussion started,” Heiser said.
The board has requested another study and will further discuss the timeline for the performing arts center early next year, Heiser said.
