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Brownwood council ratifies $620,000 incentive package and 25% hotel-tax rebate for proposed XForge development
Summary
The Brownwood City Council unanimously approved a $620,000 incentive package and a 25% hotel occupancy tax rebate over seven years to support a proposed XForge hotel-and-retail development on CC Woodson Road; the package includes BMDD land and payments tied to project completion and annual disbursements.
Mayor Stephen E. Haynes and the Brownwood City Council unanimously approved an incentive package for a proposed XForge multi-use development on CC Woodson Road during the council’s May 26 meeting.
Deputy City Manager Ray Tipton described the project as sited on 2.9 acres, consisting of a hotel and approximately 15,000 square feet of retail. Tipton told the council the Brownwood Municipal Development District (BMDD) had approved a three-part incentive package that staff recommended ratifying. The package includes a $200,000 payment upon project completion and issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, then $60,000 annually for seven years to offset site-development costs; use of 3.27 acres of BMDD-owned land known as the dirt borrowing pit for construction fill; and a 25% Hotel Occupancy Tax rebate for seven years, estimated to total $421,415.
Tipton also noted the project site lies inside the floodplain, which will increase the amount of site work required before construction can begin. He said the estimated total project cost exceeds $20 million.
Councilmember Walker Willey moved to approve the package and ratify BMDD’s action; Councilmember Ed McMillian seconded. The motion approved a $620,000 incentive package to XForge to be paid out over seven years and authorized conveyance or use of 3.27 acres of BMDD land through the Brownwood Civic Improvement Foundation under the independent foundation exception. The motion carried unanimously.
The action is a ratification of BMDD board action and does not itself finalize construction financing or permits. The council’s approval directs the city to proceed with the agreed incentives and the tax-rebate structure; further project steps (permits, site work, and final disbursements) remain subject to the city’s permitting process and the developer meeting the conditions described by staff.
Council members did not record any dissent during the vote. No public comment was recorded on the item during the meeting.
