City commissioners approved the city's $14.8 million convention center site layout featuring a Hilton Garden Inn hotel. As part of an agreement, the city will fund construction of the convention center while the developer will build the attached 150-room hotel.

El Paso County approved a new PACE program. The programs relies on the county to guarantee the provisions and requirements of the program, but does not require any county funding. The loan is put into place as a lien on the land itself, and would be transferred to any new owner.

At a City Council budget work session, Mayor Steve Adler acknowledged that "incentives have become a bad word in this city," perhaps due to the perception that Austin will attract businesses and skilled workers regardless of government assistance. But he stated firmly that he wanted a more aggressive economic development program aimed at addressing inequities in the local economy.

A rural Texas county along the route of a proposed high-speed rail link between Dallas and Houston voted in restrictions that could throttle the $10 billion private project. Grimes County officials voted Tuesday to require that bullet train builder Texas Central Partners prove it has eminent domain powers under state law before the tracks can cross the county.

The Austin City Council is deciding on a transportation bond which includes seven "smart corridor" projects that include sidewalks, bicycle lanes and urban trails, and spot improvements like railroad crossings.

The Coppell City Council approved on Tuesday the issuance of new bonds of up to $11.8 million for street and drainage projects. The money from the bonds will be used to improve and rebuild Freeport Parkway and S. Belt Line Road and storm water drains. 

The Harlingen Community Improvement Board will maintain some of its revenues while it pays off the $14.8M convention center. This will allow for the funding of more "quality-of-life" projects as the debt is being paid off.

Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) announced that it has arranged a total of $210 million in first lien financing for Westwood Financial Corp comprising 10 multi-tenant retail centers totaling 973,985 square feet in Arizona, California, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas markets.

A $2.8 million project to reconstruct the intersections at Robinson Road, Woodlands Parkway and Interstate 45 is expected to provide traffic relief for motorists. Financing will come from a previous bond package approved last November.

Join CDFA in New Orleans, Louisiana for the 2016 National Development Finance Summit! Hosted by the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA), the CDFA National Summit brings together the leaders and dealmakers in the development finance industry to discuss best practices, trends, and project financing solutions.

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