Houston TIRZ Nearing Deal to buy 17 Acres for Concert Venue

The planned effort to transform a former Shell research facility into an outdoor music venue appears ready to become reality.

While the deal is not closed, a handshake deal to purchase the land has been made, according to the Houston Business Journal. Officials representing Southwest Houston’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 20 told the outlet that the deal isn’t finalized and still needs to go before the Houston City Council, but there are agreements to purchase the 17 acres earmarked for the project.

Naina Magon, the managing principal of Hawes Hill & Associates, told the outlet that the City Council will review the deal in the next few months. Hawes Hill manages the specific TIRZ the planned music venue is within.

The venue is set to be named the Levitt Pavilion Houston, and is funded by the Levitt Family Foundation nonprofit. The nonprofit was founded in 1966 by Mortimer and Mimi Levitt, who were art patrons dedicated to providing free concerts across the nation. There are currently seven Levitt Pavilions that stretch across the United States, from Los Angeles to Westport, Connecticut.

Houston bought the land the new venue is set for in 2019 for $3.4 million. Magon told the outlet that the agreed price for the 17 acres is $5.4 million. TIRZ No. 20 officials are expected to begin soliciting community opinions on what kinds of amenities they’d like to see at the venue. A designer has not yet been selected for the project, according to the outlet.

The new Levitt Pavilion at 5521 Gasmer Drive is right next to a sprawling 291-acre green space called the Willow Waterhole Greenway. The space is filled with a networked series of lakes, prairies, islands and wildlife. Officials with the Willow Waterhole Greenway told the publication that they expect the concert venue moving in next door to be a spark for new developments in the area.

— Hunter Cooke