Howard Hughes, Texans Reveal Details Of 83-Acre Toro District
Howard Hughes secured a partnership to develop the giant mixed-use Toro District with the Houston Texans and Harris County because it initiated conversations and shared a vision with the NFL team.
The developer showed the Texans what is possible to build alongside its new headquarters and practice facility, Texans President Mike Tomon said at an event Wednesday in Howard Hughes’ Bridgeland. The master-planned community in northwest Harris County will be home to the Toro District, expected to open in 2029.
The Texans will occupy 22 of the Toro District’s 83 acres, anchoring it with a 175K SF building that will bring together its football and business operations.
Plans for the rest of the district include 1M SF of office space, 300K SF of retail and restaurants, 250K SF of regional healthcare and sports medicine, two hotels totaling 300 keys, and 1,300 multifamily units, the development partners announced.
Howard Hughes initiated conversations with the Texans because of “well-publicized” rumors that the team was seeking a new corporate home, Howard Hughes CEO David O’Reilly told Bisnow.
“We thought no better place for a new home than right on the Grand Parkway with a community builder that is committed to the long-term interest of building a great place,” O’Reilly said.
The development vision aligned with that of the McNair family, the Texans' owners, to build a place that could give back to the community, he said.
The development is the Houston Texans’ biggest move since the team's inception in October 1999.
The Texans' facilities will include training, weight and recovery rooms, coaches’ offices, meeting spaces, health and wellness resources, three NFL-sized outdoor fields and a 150K SF indoor fieldhouse. The fieldhouse will feature three indoor flag football fields or up to 21 volleyball courts, with a capacity of 16,000 people, making it suitable for youth programming and community events.
“We can host multiple different types of events, from graduations to NFL-scale events,” Tomon said. “We can host private events there for businesses to … showcase this region.”
The district will also be home to a 25K SF Harris County annex, meaning northwest Harris County residents won’t have to drive all the way to Downtown Houston for certain government services, Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones said.
“We could not be more excited to make this a 365-day-a-year destination for our partners, for our fans and families alike,” Tomon said.
It always made sense for Howard Hughes to develop a mixed-use district alongside the new Texans facilities, O’Reilly said. The developer has seen the sports-focused district model succeed in its other projects, like the stadium for the Las Vegas AAA baseball team and practice facility for the Vegas Golden Knights in Downtown Summerlin.
“That changed the million square feet of retail, the 600 apartments that we built right down the street,” he said. “When you bring those aspects together, one plus one is really five.”
