The Convention Center is critical to Austin’s tourism, hospitality, culture, and small business economy. It brings hundreds of thousands of visitors for conventions, festivals, and live events. However, the former Convention Center lacked sufficient space to accommodate the growth in event demand, and created a barrier between east and west, with no ground level interaction for the local community and visitors. Therefore, after a decade of study, the Convention Center has begun the process of redeveloping and expanding its existing facility to provide a larger, more efficient facility that will open up the street grid and be a more active and pedestrian-friendly event space in the heart of downtown Austin.
Here are a few key reasons why this expansion and redevelopment are essential for Austin’s future:
The rentable space of the new Convention Center is growing from 365,000 sq. ft. to 620,000 sq. ft, a nearly 70% increase. We’re also preserving the ability to add an additional 140,000 sq. ft. of rentable space onsite in the future. All of this will be achieved while opening the street grid by moving our loading docks and exhibit halls underground. It’s important to note that the total square footage of the building is much larger, as it includes the loading docks and all the support space that is not included in the rentable square footage.
The total estimated cost of the project is $1.6 billion. Approximately $1.2 billion is for construction, while the remainder funds are “soft costs,” which are for things like architectural and engineering consultants, project management, quality assurance and control, and site and building permits.
The expansion and redevelopment will be paid for by the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT)—a tax paid by guests who stay at Austin hotels—Project Financing Zone revenues, which is a rebate of an increment of certain state HOT and sales taxes from hotels near the Convention Center for a period of 30 years, as well as Convention Center revenues.
Beyond significantly increasing rentable square footage while reducing our above-ground footprint, the expansion and redevelopment will:
The completed expansion and redevelopment project is estimated to generate an additional $285 million in yearly economic impact within the local community, bringing the total annual economic impact of the Convention Center to $750 million. Additionally, the expansion and redevelopment will provide nearly $13 million in additional annual tax revenue to the city, and support over 1,600 additional tourism-related jobs.
Local artists and cultural organizations will also benefit from increased visitor dollars and increased HOT collections, which also flow to the Live Music Fund, Cultural Arts Fund, and Historic Preservation Fund.
The current Convention Center officially closed in April 2025, and demolition began shortly after. Full demolition and site preparation will continue through late 2025. Construction is expected to begin in early 2026, immediately following demolition and mid excavation. Excavation is expected to end mid-2026.
Throughout the deconstruction, crews are recycling materials from the original structure as part of the project’s zero-carbon commitment.
The project remains on track for a four-year build with construction substantially complete by the end of December 2028 in time for the 2029 spring festival season.
Kufikiria upya Kituo cha Mikutano cha Austin cha siku zijazo.
