Houston’s NRG Park to Put Dent in $1 Billion Renovations

12 November 2025

NRG Park’s landlord is finally putting money toward upgrades at Houston’s massive entertainment and sports complex.

The Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation approved a draft capital improvement plan last month, outlining $55 million in projects meant to chip away at a staggering $1.9 billion backlog of deferred maintenance identified last year, the Houston Business Journal reported.

The board also greenlit $2.5 million for design proposals tied to the highest-priority items, HCSCC’s director of projects Jacob Frazelle said during the meeting.

“Our goal was not just to have a report — we want to have a plan of action behind it,” said executive director and CEO Matye Kendrick.

The first project will focus on repairing elevators and escalators ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans of the NFL as well as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, is slated to host seven matches during the international tournament, drawing tens of thousands of fans to a facility that’s now more than 20 years old.

Beyond that, officials have offered few details.

HCSCC declined the outlet’s interview requests, saying only that “planning is continuing to progress” and that more information will be shared once the plan is finalized. The organization referred public records requests to the Texas attorney general’s office.

Funding is a key question.

Frazelle told the board that HCSCC’s budget can only handle short-term projects, and that the group will need to petition Harris County Commissioners Court for money to complete the plan.

The move comes amid lease negotiations between the county, the Texans and the rodeo and a broader master-planning effort for NRG Park’s future. Both tenants’ leases expire in 2032, putting pressure on the county to clarify long-term renovation and redevelopment goals.

Earlier this year, HCSCC hired legal and consulting firms to assist with a design prioritization study meant to assess the profitability and feasibility of potential upgrades to NRG Stadium and NRG Center. That work, initially expected to wrap by August, has been delayed.

Two separate studies for the long dormant Astrodome next door to NRG Stadium, including one evaluating minimal restoration costs and another weighing demolition, have also fallen behind schedule.

While the capital plan represents early momentum, HCSCC’s challenge is vast: transforming an aging complex into a modern, revenue-generating campus before its next big deadline arrives, and that could be soon: the first Houston group stage matches for the 2026 World Cup slated for NRG Park begin mid-June.

— Eric Weilbacher