Austin Convention Center redevelopment progresses; city says project on budget and on track to reopen in 2029

Acting deputy director Katie Zmeznick and Austin Convention Center staff told the Economic Opportunity Committee on May 16 that demolition and design are underway for the downtown Convention Center redevelopment and that the project remains on schedule and on budget for a 2029 reopening.

Zmeznick said the project has a construction budget of $1,260,000,000 and will increase rentable exhibit and meeting square footage from about 365,000 square feet to roughly 620,000 square feet, with the ability to add an additional 140,000 square feet later. The city estimates the expanded center will add about $285,000,000 in annual economic impact — bringing the center’s projected total to about $750,000,000 per year — and roughly $12,000,000 a year in tax revenue. Zmeznick said the expanded facility will support additional jobs (the presentation described an increase in employment but did not specify an exact final tally beyond the estimated tax and economic impact figures).

The project team named JE Dunn and Turner (construction joint venture) and Element and Page (design) among firms under contract, said the city closed the existing facility on April 1, 2025, and described a fast‑track process in which demolition and ongoing design work overlap. Zmeznick said excavation and deeper construction work will begin later this year and that the city will start booking large events for 2029 and beyond.

Sustainability and art: Zmeznick said the city intends the new center to be the world’s first zero‑carbon certified convention center and is targeting LEED Gold. The project includes a nearly $18,000,000 investment in art in public places; staff said 10 artists have been selected to design integrated architectural artwork. The team also described efforts to salvage and reuse roughly 80–90% of the existing building fabric and to create a local market for low‑carbon concrete.

Construction and business impacts: Staff showed renderings of the reconnected street grid, multimodal access, public plazas and underground exhibit loading docks. Zmeznick said the site team is conducting outreach to nearby businesses and has a targeted mitigation plan for businesses within a 0.5‑mile radius, including communications, wayfinding and coordination during road closures. She said Visit Austin and project partners are assisting with business outreach and that staff are working on additional materials to share with council and affected stakeholders.

Food waste and reuse: Committee members asked about food donation, composting and reuse during events. Zmeznick said the convention center already operates a food donation program and plans to add a walk‑in refrigerated storage unit to facilitate donations; she said staff also plan kitchen upgrades and equipment such as pulped extractors to increase composting and reduce waste.

Next steps: Zmeznick said retail vendor selection and specific activation plans will come later in the design phase, with community engagement and vendor selection expected as retail footprints are finalized. She said final vendor selections are likely around 2027 but the process will include community input.

Ending: Committee members asked for additional materials on business mitigation and requested ongoing updates as the project advances.