The City of Brownwood and Municipal Development District have been developing plans for a new multipurpose event center for over four years. This project was one of the primary reasons Brownwood converted to a municipal development district in 2016, with the intent to use economic development sales tax for a multipurpose event center. After researching numerous event centers in cities across the state, City leadership decided to focus on preserving and redeveloping existing buildings in the Historic Depot Civic and Cultural Complex to embrace the rich history of the area, coordinate with existing meeting facilities, and reduce the cost of building from the ground up.
In March, 2022, Brownwood City Council and the Brownwood Municipal Development District (BMDD) formally approved the construction of a new multipurpose event center. Council awarded the construction contract to Waldrop Construction for the project, with an estimated completion of fall 2023. Total construction cost will be $14,267,000 with the BMDD funding approximately 85% through economic development sales tax funds. These funds are generated by an existing ½ cent sales tax and do not come out of the city’s general fund.
Just a couple of months later, tremendous work has already been accomplished on the project.
Once complete, the new facility will be available to the public as a rentable event space. City staff has identified and will be recruiting out-of-town events, conferences, and concerts to the facility to further compliment tourism and the revitalization of Downtown Brownwood.
