Convention Center Arms Race Heats Up in Texas

Austin joins other major cities in Texas in considering substantial upgrades to its convention center this month, as the City Council contemplated a master plan to add 321,680 square feet of leasable space, a private hotel, and a three-acre roof-top park. Joe Lanane reports that after considering the master plan, the City Council decided to postpone approval of the project o study "what alternative projects, including a potential arena, could be funded using the city’s hotel occupancy tax, or HOT tax, revenue."

In total, the "expansion would cost $405.3 million and another $45 million to $50 million for land acquisition." The convention center was last upgraded in 2002.

Making the case for the expansion is Mark Tester, the director of the convention center. Lanane paraphrases Tester's case for investing in upgrades for the facility: "Until a convention center expansion occurs, the facility risks losing new and existing events because of lack of availability and space."

If that argument sounds familiar, it's because convention center officials in Dallas are hitting similar points in arguing for an upgrade of that city's convention center. Dallas officials, in fact, invoked Austin's efforts in an article by Karen Robinson-Jacobs earlier this month.

Lest we leave any cities in Texas out of this arms race. San Antonio is wrapping up a $325 million expansion of its convention center, recently moving up the opening date from February to January 2016. Houston is also spending $175 million to spiff up some of the on-site facilities at its convention center.