The Houston Texans are setting up shop in Bridgeland.The NFL franchise is collaborating with Harris County Precincts 3 and 4 and Howard Hughes Holdings to invest $83 million into a new “Toro District” in Cypress, which will include a new Texans headquarters and training facilities. Harris County commissioners approved the public-private partnership Feb. 12 following a closed-session meeting.In addition to expanding the team’s presence beyond Houston’s Inner Loop, the multimillion-dollar investment includes development of roadways, pedestrian crossings and park space throughout northwest Harris County.
**What we know**
Spanning 83 acres, the mixed-use [Toro District](http://www.torodistrict.com/) will create a destination hub of sports, entertainment, retail, dining, hotels and medical office space in [Bridgeland Central](https://www.bridgeland.com/village/bridgeland-central/), a rapidly growing 925 acres within the Cypress master-planned community.
Portions of the project will be funded through a newly created tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, which commissioners authorized during the Feb. 12 meeting. Harris County taxpayer dollars will not be used to fund construction of the Texans’ facilities, Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said.Briones and Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey are spearheading the county’s side of the partnership, pledging to improve infrastructure and increase access to high-paying jobs in the region of unincorporated Harris County.The development is expected to generate a regional economic impact of approximately $34 billion and create more than 17,000 jobs, per the announcement. The commercial and entertainment hub will encompass 61 acres, with the new Texans facilities spanning 22 acres."The reality is that other counties and other areas absolutely want our beloved Texans, and they’re always trying to woo them away, but they will be staying here at home,” Briones told reporters during a news conference. “To have their headquarters and practice facility in the heart of one of the fastest growing areas—not only in the county, but in the country—is incredibly energetic.”
**More details**
On top of the Texans' expansion, the multimillion-dollar investment aims to strengthen community programming, access to county administrative services and mobility within the northwest region of unincorporated Harris County, including:
* Building outdoor sports fields available for community use
* Offering programming in collaboration with Cy-Fair and Waller ISDs, as well as Lone Star College
* Increasing access to youth sports events, including Friday Night Lights and flag football
* Expanding public green space with the creation of four new parks
* Opening a Harris County Community Services Center for voter registration, tax filing and other needs
The initiative also aims to improve roads and pedestrian infrastructure near the Grand Parkway and Hwy. 290 in anticipation of increased visitation and population growth.
When asked about traffic congestion concerns in the Cy-Fair and Cypress areas, Ramsey told _Community Impact_ the investment will help accelerate local improvements to infrastructure, transportation and mobility “by decades” rather than first waiting for more home development.
“There’s more people that live in unincorporated Harris County than live in the city of Houston, " Ramsey said. “They need to have access to services near where they live. I hope this can be a template of what else we can do in other parts of the county.”
**What's next**
While an exact timeline for the project has not been established, Ramsey and Briones said the community can expect plans to move forward rapidly. The two commissioners also said they are excited for future discussions about how the Texans’ current practice facility at NRG Stadium can be utilized once the team moves to the Toro District.
Ramsey said the next step will be fine-tuning details of the Texans’ practice facility. Officials from Howard Hughes and the Houston Texans are expected to release more information in the coming weeks, the commissioners said.