KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — The Houston Texans are coming to Bridgeland, and they’re bringing Friday night lights with them — just down the road from Katy.

When the franchise opens its new Toro District facility, Waller ISD and Cy-Fair ISD high school teams will play football games inside the Texans’ NFL-quality training facility in front of 6,000 fans. The 83-acre mixed-use development will be built at Bridgeland Creek Parkway and Peek Road in northwest Harris County, just off the Grand Parkway, within the Bridgeland master-planned community that spans Harris and Waller counties.

A Community, Not Just a Headquarters

Scott Shepherd of the Houston Texans offered one of the most detailed public descriptions yet of the Toro District — the team’s planned 83-acre mixed-use development — during the Katy Area Economic Outlook Summit on Friday, June 26, at the Merrell Center in Katy.

“This isn’t just a corporate headquarters,” Shepherd told summit attendees gathered by the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce and the Katy Area Economic Development Council. “There are some foundational, real key foundational principles for us that are super important.”

Shepherd said the first 20 to 23 acres will be anchored by the team’s new corporate offices and a 175,000-square-foot indoor training facility. The remaining 60-plus acres will eventually include multifamily residential units, medical office space, commercial office space, destination retail, restaurants, a food hall and at least two hotels.

Howard Hughes Chosen as Development Partner

The project is being developed in partnership with Howard Hughes Corp., which owns and developed Bridgeland, the master-planned community in Cypress where the Toro District is being built at Bridgeland Creek Parkway and Peek Road, just west of the Grand Parkway in northwest Harris County. Shepherd said the team specifically sought a development partner with both Houston roots and experience in mixed-use projects.

“For our particular project, Howard Hughes was the absolute best partner for us,” he said. “They own The Woodlands. They know mixed-use developments. They know community planning.”

$34 Billion Economic Impact, 17,000 Jobs Projected

Organizers estimate the project will generate $34 billion in economic impact and create 17,000 jobs. Shepherd described the development as a “live, work, stay and play” destination and said the site will be larger than Disneyland.

For Katy-area businesses and residents, the project represents a significant new economic engine just minutes away — one the Texans say is designed to generate opportunity across the entire region.

Official Groundbreaking Planned This Year, Facility Opens in 2029

On Feb. 25, the Texans unveiled renderings of their new headquarters and training facility. The team said construction remains on schedule, with a formal groundbreaking expected in the fourth quarter of this year and the facility scheduled to open in time for training camp in July 2029.

Youth Sports, Flag Football Central to Toro District Vision

Youth access to sports is a central pillar of the project. Shepherd said the development will include dedicated flag football fields — including one designated the “She’s Next” flag football field, a reference to an initiative championed by Hannah McNair, the Texans’ chief community officer and vice president of the Houston Texans Foundation.

The team is working to get flag football sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League for both boys and girls at the high school level.

First Sports Apprenticeship Program in Pro Sports Planned

Shepherd said the Toro District will also launch what the franchise believes is the first sports apprenticeship program in professional sports, offering high school and college students hands-on experience across business functions, including finance, operations and communications.

Texans Remain Committed to NRG Park Through 2032–33

On the stadium question that has long swirled around the franchise, Shepherd was direct: the Texans remain committed to NRG Park, which is expected to be renamed Reliant Stadium, its original name. The team’s lease expires after the 2032–33 season, and Shepherd said leadership is focused on the future of the 350-acre NRG footprint in partnership with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

“We are laser focused on the 350 acres there,” he said, drawing a clear distinction between that longer-term conversation and the Toro District’s corporate campus.

Northwest Houston Called ‘New Capital of American Growth’

Shepherd described the broader Houston region in expansive terms to the economic development audience, calling it “the new capital of American growth” and noting that 5% of the U.S. population lives within a couple of hours’ drive of Bridgeland. He cited Houston as the fourth-largest city in the country and said it is on track to become the third largest, pointing to the northwest corridor as one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States.

He also highlighted the Texans’ acquisition of a League One Volleyball franchise, which currently plays at the Berry Center in Cypress, as another example of the organization’s effort to anchor professional women’s sports in the region.

Asked about connectivity to Bridgeland’s extensive trail network, Shepherd confirmed the Toro District is designed to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding master plan.

“We want that to be a great experience for our employees,” he said. “We want that to be a great experience for our players, coaches, etc.”

Texans Aim to Set National Benchmark for Sports-Anchored Development

Shepherd said the McNairs made clear from the start that the Toro District had to be more than an address for the franchise — it had to be a genuine contribution to the community around it.

“Rising tides lift all boats,” he said.

Shepherd set an ambitious benchmark, saying the Texans want the Toro District to be the gold standard against which every future sports-anchored development is measured.

“Our goal is you’re going to go visit three,” he said. “Number one is you’re going to come to Toro District. Number two, you’re going to go up the road and see Frisco and The Star. And then you’re going to get on a plane and go see The Battery in Atlanta. And after you visit those three, you should walk away and say, ‘Wow, they thought of everything.'”