The EpiCenter, a 195,000-square-foot multiuse complex in Fort Bend County, will break ground in the next 1-2 months, officials engaged in the project stated during Fort Bend Economic Development Council meeting. The EpiCenter will be built in Rosenberg, near the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds on Highway 59, and will take 20 months to complete, according to Kevin Matocha, president and CEO of Stonehenge Holdings LLC, the project’s site developer. “In this area of the region, there isn’t a high-quality facility that can house the personnel we need while also accommodating all of the trucks, trailers, and staging.” “The existing fairground facilities would undoubtedly benefit from this,” he continued.
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What the EpiCenter entails
According to Matocha, this is a key site for the facility, which will serve as a staging place and venue for Fort Bend County Fair & Rodeo and Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo events, among other things. The Fort Bend EpiCenter will also be able to hold athletic events and competitions, as well as graduations, and will serve as an emergency shelter in the case of a natural disaster, according to Matocha. He stated that the structure will accommodate 10,400 people in a graduation-style setting.
“Because of the size and construction of the building, we have the option to stage a regional NCAA event here if necessary,” Matocha said. According to Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales, during the EDC meeting, the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court ordered a study in 2017 to assess the need and feasibility for a multifunctional facility. Morales stated that the EpiCenter will be developed and operated as a public-private partnership, with expenditures split between the county and the site developer to lessen the financial load on taxpayers and the county’s risk. The whole cost of the project, including the cost of the land, is estimated to be over $120 million.
