Allen council authorizes city to negotiate Kalahari hotel, convention center leases and incentive agreement

The Allen City Council on an initial vote authorized the city manager to negotiate and execute a suite of agreements with Kalahari Allen Texas LLC that would enable a 900–950 million dollar indoor resort and convention center on a vacant parcel at Stacy Road and U.S. Highway 121.

Dan Bowman, executive director of the Allen Economic Development Corporation, told the council the action is an early, required step in a multi-stage process that still must pass zoning, technical review and public hearings. “We are here at this kind of first step,” Bowman said, describing the agreements as documents that put benchmarks on paper while the developer completes site selection and required analyses.

The project the developer presented would include roughly 1.1 million square feet under roof including a 912-room hotel, indoor and outdoor water parks, a 65,000-square-foot convention center and family entertainment space. Bowman said the developer expects a roughly Feb. 2030 opening target and a minimum of 500 full‑time equivalent jobs, with the developer projecting closer to 1,000 positions. The company budget for the project was described as about $900…