How Texans, Howard Hughes arrived on ‘best of collection’ vision for Toro District plans: ‘create best ever built’

HOUSTON – The path that the Texans and Howard Hughes Holdings traveled to create plans for a world-class training facility and team headquarters involved crisscrossing the nation.

How the Texans and Howard Hughes, their real estate partner, created a vision for ‘Toro District,’ an 83-acre sports and entertainment complex development set for Bridgeland in Northwest Harris County with a projected move-in date of 2029, involved a significant amount of market research.

Over the past year, the Texans and Howard Hughes visited multiple sports facilities and multi-purpose developments. That included The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ practice hub in Frisco and adjacent retail and entertainment center Legacy West, The Battery, which the training center for the Atlanta Braves, the New England Patriots’ team facility and stadium, in Foxborough, Mass and other venues. Cal McNair, Hannah McNair and the Texans envision an ultra-modern destination for the team and staff to work under the same roof all year long along with a fun destination for fans.

‘There’s the good, the bad and the ugly of all the other mixed-use developments around sports-anchored catalysts," Howard Hughes CEO David O’Reilly told KPRC 2. “Both the Howard Hughes team and the Houston Texans team have spent a lot of time over the past several months on airplanes touring all of the above. The way we’ve thought about the Toro District is that we’re going to do our own best-of collection, and we’re going to take the best of each one of those mixed-use entertainment districts that are around sports catalysts and create one that is authentic to us, authentic to Bridgeland, authentic to Harris County, and pure Texans all the way.

“From that perspective, we’re going to be able to create probably the best sports and entertainment district in terms of places to live, work, play, shop, dine, and experience that’s ever been built. I think that the McNairs and the Texans had a choice of any location in Houston where they would want to do this. And I am humbled and honored that they chose to partner with Howard Hughes. It’s unique when you’re able to align public leadership with a long-term community builder like Howard Hughes and a world-class NFL franchise. You can really build something that’s both economically powerful and community-centered. That’s exactly what we’ve done here.”

Howard Hughes Holdings has significant experience in this type of mixed-used project.

They built the headquarters for the Las Vegas Knights at City National Arena in Summerlin, which operates as the NHL’s practice facility and community ice rink that opened in 2017 as a 145,000 square-foot facility with two NHL-regulation rinks, a team store and other features.

The partnership includes the Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Las Vegas Aviators, a Triple A baseball franchise that’s the affiliate of the Oakland A’s. Howard Hughes are the owners of the Aviators.

Summerlin is a master-planned community in the Las Vegas Valley adjacent to Red Rock Canyon built by Howard Hughes, which also developed The Woodlands, Woodland Hills, Bridgeland in Texas, West Valley in Phoenix, Arizona, Merriweather District in Columbia, Maryland and Ward Village in Honolulu, Hawaii.

O’Reilly said several retailers are already looking to engage with a construction project projected to create $34 billion in economic growth over 30 years as well as 17,000 in jobs.

“Retailers as well as people that are looking for opportunities to find their next home nearby this incredible activation,” O’Reilly said. “Las Vegas, one of our master planned communities, where we built a practice facility for the Golden Knights as well as the full-time stadium for the Las Vegas Aviators, those two are anchored about a mixed-use entertainment district that’s consistently ranked as one of the best places to be in the Las Vegas Valley.

“This is tremendous. It brings the best of both together in terms of economic output, growth to the region, infrastructure, restaurant shopping, workforce opportunities, youth programming, an incredible civic gathering place, and a community activation that makes the lives of the residents in that area even more fulfilled and better. I’m as excited as I can be in my career here of building communities. At the end of the day, this is about building Houston’s future, not just the headquarters.”

The project is being built through a public-private partnership approved unanimously by Harris County officials. A projected $150 million share will be paid for through a tax increment reinvestment zone with a portion of country property taxes allocated annually for infrastructure in the area for the project, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones told KPRC 2 in a telephone interview.

The Texans plan to break ground this year and move into their new digs during the summer of 2029.

“It starts with being thoughtful, and it starts with understanding what the mission is and the focus and the main thing is football,” Texans team president Mike Tomon told KPRC 2 during an interview at NRG Stadium. “How do we put our team and the overall organization in a position to make their job of becoming world-class and focused in on the goal, how do you make sure, as all of this is going on, how do you make sure it’s the main thing? And that’s been the driver that we started with is how do we create a competitive advantage for the football team? And everything else kind of falling in line thereafter. Starting top down, it’s a commitment to win championships.

“Through Cal’s vision, we started to narrow in on that area. We wanted to make sure we have a competitive advantage for the team. It was also making sure we make a really positive impact on the community. We have some great programs that we’re working in partnership with the county to roll out that will benefit high school students as well as colleges and local residents from a jobs perspective. All those pieces were really important to the McNairs. We’re really excited to land in this spot.”

The Texans had clearly outgrown NRG Stadium and needed more space to operate.

“There’s friction on how we go through our day,” Tomon said. “This puts us in a position where we can all be together in this world-class training facility and headquarters and focus in on our goal. We have big aspirations. The organization is growing.

“And this is a great representation of where we’re going and how the best way to get there. I think it feels perfect because it’s identifiable. It’s academic. We can see how we get there. We have the ability to plan and be really thoughtful along the way. We really looked at this as a unique opportunity.”

There will be 175,000 square feet set aside for team headquarters, and an indoor fieldhouse of roughly 150,000 square feet. This will allow the team to practice indoors to account for the Houston heat and unpredictable weather patterns.

“I think it’s a really fortunate situation,” Tomon said. “We have a lot of confidence in the experience we have, being able to lean on that. From the McNair’s standpoint and the Texans overall, we have a really great comfort in who we are. When you go into these projects, there’s a tactical piece and there’s a strategic piece. It’s the best of both worlds with that.

“It was really important for us to have the right real estate development partner. Howard Hughes is world-class. Not only did you need a world-class partner, but you needed one that understood two main components Houston and what a sports-anchored environment needs to look like and how it best works. And they have a fantastic credibility sheet, especially highlighted by what they did in Summerlin in Las Vegas with the Golden Knights. And so we really felt like they were the right partners to go do something special.”

The Texans would hold training camp in Bridgeland along with hosting community events and youth sports activities, including girls flag football.

The development in the community is expected to include hotel, entertainment, commercial, medical space, retail and restaurants.

“The Texans, since they’ve been around, have been about community, about giving back,” Hughes said. “I think there’s no better example of that than building this facility in the Northwest Harris County area that is truly engaging with fans and within a three-hour drive time of this location, you have 5% of the United States population.

“There’s so many landmarks and milestones between here and there, it’s going to be a consistent drumbeat over the next 18 to 24 months of great events that bring us closer and closer to that day where we’ll be moving the McNairs and the entire team in for their new home.”

The AFC South franchise shares NRG Stadium, the site of their games, with the rodeo along with concerts and other events held there throughout the year. And that has created frequent spacing and scheduling conflicts as they conducted practices during the season along with training camp and offseason activities. Tomon emphasized to KPRC 2 that the focus remains on finding workable, financially viable solutions to upgrade NRG Stadium. They are under a lease that expires in 2032.

The priority for the Texans regarding the multi-use, 72,220 capacity stadium built in 2002 at a cost of $352 million is to renovate the facility, which is in need of extensive and expensive repairs and general improvements, in partnership with Harris County, the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Relocation to a new stadium isn’t the Texans’ stated goal. They want to refurbish the stadium.

Negotiations are active and ongoing with lots of time left on the current lease. The Texans are attempting to be proactive about the stadium situation.

Contractually, the Texans are not responsible for the repair and upkeep of the stadium. That task lies with Harris County under the terms of the lease arrangement. The Texans have contributed millions of dollars, though, toward multiple repairs and maintenance of the stadium since the launch of the franchise in 2002 by the late founder Bob McNair, Cal McNair’s father.

“Absolutely, our focus is to be here,” Tomon said. “Our focus is to be at NRG Park. As we like to say, ‘You want to see us on our biggest moments? Come to NRG. You want to see us on our day-to-day, the other 350 days a year? Come to Bridgeland. And so that’s kind of how we look at the Toro District. And our focus remains making this our competitive advantage here at NRG.”

The project, a multiple-year collaboration, passed unanimously during county commissioners’ court, a 5-0 balloting, that approves the project.

“This is going to be a major impact for Bridgeland and the neighboring communities,” Briones said. “I was very pleased that unanimously at court we passed the framework for a landmark public-private partnership that will spur transformative economic development for Northwest Harris County, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. In the next 25 years, Harris County is projected to grow by 40 percent. In this Northwest area, we’re expecting to see approximately 300 percent growth. This is just astronomical.

“This Toro District will catalyze economic development and growth. Seventeen thousand of the 60,000 jobs created in the next decade will be directly attributed to the Toro District. I used to be a teacher and I’m a mom of three little girls. I am thrilled that there will be internships for students. There will be sports programming. There will be opportunities for the school districts to use the stadium there for things like graduations. I’m also very thrilled that the development will be done with public dollars will adhere to all of our county policies. We’re creating economic opportunity. There’s huge wins on the infrastructure front as well.”

Texans principal team owner and CEO Cal McNair is a Cy-Fair High School graduate

Now, the Texans are going to train around the year in the Cypress area in a fancy training facility and team headquarters.

“Today is a historic day for the Houston Texans, our fans, and the Greater Houston area as we partner with Howard Hughes and Harris County on a world-class sports and entertainment destination, including our new headquarters and training facility,” Cal McNair said. “Our organization continues to grow and this aligns with our goals of bringing a championship to Houston, enhancing community services and making sports more accessible.

“This project reinforces our long-term commitment to Harris County and our focus on driving growth and opportunity for the community. It will set the new standard for the global sports and entertainment industry and it’s the most significant evolution for our organization since our inception.”

The Texans worked closely with Briones and Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey on the project. This undertaking will include expanded parks and trails, infrastructure improvements and a future community center.

Toro District is expected to significantly boost economic development in the area.

“This is not just a headquarters, it is a statement about where Houston is going,” O’Reilly said. “When you bring together visionary public leadership, a world-class NFL franchise, and a long-term development partner, you can do something far bigger than any one organization alone.

“Toro District will create jobs, strengthen infrastructure, expand access to services, and deliver a gathering place that families will enjoy for generations. We are incredibly proud to partner with the Texans and Harris County to build something that reflects the ambition and energy of this region.”

The Texans, under the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio, have qualified for the postseason each of the past three seasons and won one playoff game annually. They lost in the AFC divisional round each of the past three seasons, falling to the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens.

The Texans, including the top-ranked defense in the NFL, are expected to have back the core of their roster for next season.

“We feel really fortunate,” Tomon said. ”We have such great leadership, from ownership to coach to Nick. We have a really special locker room. This is a special time in Houston right now, so we’re excited for the future."

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com