Feature Illustration: Artist rendering of the convention center overhaul. Image: Greater Houston Partnership.

Posted: 2-15-2026

by Art Benavidez

Houston (Travis County) — City leaders have authorized $2 billion in bond financing to advance a sweeping expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center, a project aimed at reshaping downtown and strengthening the city’s ability to compete for major national and international events.

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, an approach tied to legislation championed by Mayor John Whitmire during his tenure in the Texas Senate.

Plans call for the construction of a new 700,000-square-foot GRB Houston South building featuring two exhibition halls, retail, and restaurant space. The addition would link to the Toyota Center through a 100,000-square-foot pedestrian plaza, effectively extending Avenida Plaza toward Discovery Green. Officials anticipate the main expansion opening 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. The plan has drawn months of pushback from some downtown and East End residents, and earlier council actions cleared the way for street closures and property acquisitions while also requiring bilingual community engagement and the formation of a 13-member advisory board that will meet quarterly during development.

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