Plans for a hotel or residential tower as part of the $1.6 billion redevelopment of the Austin Convention Center have been cancelled. The city will begin reconstruction on the downtown exhibition hall in April, with plans to shut down and demolish it.
According to Community Impact, previous proposals from the convention center team included partnering with a private entity to develop two blocks of land for a tower project that could have included housing or a hotel. However, recent reports indicate that these options are no longer feasible as development progresses due to financial constraints.
Despite this setback, cancelling these plans will allow for an expanded footprint for the new convention center which is expected to open before spring festival season in 2029. The complex will feature over 700,000 square feet of underground exhibition space and several stories above ground level.
