Houston City Council has approved $2 billion in bond financing to advance a major revamp of the George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center.
The bond packages — valued at $250 million, $150 million, $1.3 billion, and $300 million — were approved unanimously by the City Council last week. The debt will be supported not by local property taxes but by the state’s share of hotel occupancy tax revenue generated by visitors.
Plans call for construction of a new 700,000-square-foot GRB Houston South building featuring two exhibition halls, as well as retail and restaurant space. The addition will connect to the Toyota Center via a 100,000-square-foot pedestrian plaza. The main expansion is expected to open in 2028, with additional components built out through 2038.
Houston First Corp., the city’s tourism and convention arm, is leading the effort and estimates the project could generate $20 billion in economic activity over the next three decades.
