HOUSTON – A major redevelopment project in downtown Houston has reached another milestone, with a new parking garage completed as construction continues on the $1.14 billion first phase of the city’s Convention District Transformation Project.
Mayor John Whitmire joined Houston First Corporation on Thursday to celebrate the completion of the GRB South Garage, a 1,000-space facility at 1835 Bell Street near Chenevert Street.
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The garage is already being used for Houston Rockets games, concerts and other events at Toyota Center. It will eventually serve guests of the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel and other visitors as construction progresses.
“Houston is a can-do city, and this is demonstration of Houston going forward,” Whitmire said. “The Convention District Transformation has been a priority of my administration since day one and I’m pleased to see the progress that we celebrate today.”
What does the new garage mean for downtown visitors?
The opening comes six months after the demolition of the Avenida South Garage, which eliminated more than 1,400 parking spaces near the convention center.
KPRC 2 previously reported that the closure raised concerns among downtown visitors and nearby businesses about parking availability during construction.
The new garage replaces 1,000 of those spaces, although access remains limited while work continues.
Its completion has also allowed the 660-space Avenida Central Garage beneath Discovery Green to reopen for public parking.
That garage had been reserved for Hilton valet operations following the earlier demolition. Houston First says the hotel will continue using some of those spaces during peak periods until a new tunnel connecting the Hilton to GRB South Garage is completed next year.
A much larger transformation is underway
The garage is just one component of a project intended to reshape the area surrounding the George R. Brown Convention Center.
The first phase includes a 700,000-square-foot expansion known as GRB South, which will connect directly to the existing convention center.
Plans also call for a 100,000-square-foot outdoor event plaza linking the expanded convention center to Toyota Center.
The expansion is designed to accommodate larger conventions and simultaneous events, with additional exhibition halls, meeting spaces, retail and restaurants.
Future phases will include renovations to the existing convention center and the development of a broader entertainment district intended to better connect downtown Houston with East Downtown.
Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman said completing the replacement garage quickly was an important part of minimizing disruptions.
“It was important that we minimized the time between the demolition of the previous Avenida South Garage and the opening of this new GRB South facility,” Heckman said.
How much progress has been made?
According to Houston First, construction on the first phase began in April 2025.
As of its latest update, the project has recorded more than 730,000 labor hours, with approximately $389 million spent through September.
Crews have also erected more than 8,100 tons of steel and poured more than 33,000 cubic yards of concrete.
The first phase remains scheduled to open in May 2028, ahead of Houston hosting the Republican National Convention that summer.
The broader redevelopment is expected to continue in phases through 2038.
How is the project being paid for?
The redevelopment is supported by Senate Bill 1057, legislation authored by Whitmire when he served in the Texas Senate and signed into law in 2023.
The law allows Houston to capture growth in the state’s portion of hotel occupancy tax revenue generated within a three-mile radius of the convention center over 30 years.
That revenue is projected to provide nearly $2 billion for convention center improvements and related development.
City officials have said the arrangement does not require an additional local tax to fund the project.
The goal is to strengthen Houston’s ability to compete for major conventions and entertainment events while encouraging additional development in the surrounding area.
For now, visitors will see the changes taking shape one project at a time, beginning with the newly completed garage.
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