There’s a New $800M Ball Game in Hutto, TX
The public-private partnership is set to transform the City of Hutto into one of the top scouting destinations in the U.S.
Perfect Game, the country’s largest baseball scouting organization, is relocating its national headquarters to Hutto, Texas, a city located some 30 miles north of Austin. The organization is moving from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The project—a partnership between Perfect Game, developer Wolverine Interests, Sports Facility Advisory and Sports Facilities Management and the City of Hutto—will bring $800 million in private investment.
The partnership marks the single-largest economic development deal in Hutto’s history. It will bring with it an indoor sports and events center designed to seat 13,000 people, a convention hotel and a combined demand for more than 150,000 hotel room nights annually, further boosting Austin’s hospitality sector, which expanded by 3,700 jobs in 2018, according to Yardi Matrix.
The site will comprise 24 turf baseball fields, 10 of which the City will develop for public use, along with four multi-purpose fields and other recreational opportunities. The sports complex will feature office, commercial, residential, medical and physical therapy services, as well as sports and clothing apparel.
The grand opening tournament is slated to take place no later than Memorial Day 2021, with all fields finished. Also by that time, Wolverine Interests expects the first residential project to be ready for residents.
Win, win, win
Perfect Game has entered a 30-year lease with the City of Hutto. The property tax totals are expected to be $5.1 million, while sales tax totals are estimated to be $1.5 million. The City is reinvesting 60 percent of ad valorem taxes back into the project for 30 years through a tax increment reinvestment zone. The funds will be used to pay for public infrastructure to include fields, roads, utilities and garages. The City will also generate additional revenue from gate entry fees and will receive revenue from the use of hotel room occupancy, local sponsorships and a hotel rebate program.
“We are getting a substantial investment into our community and will be able to leverage our bond dollars to go above and beyond for our residents,” City of Hutto Mayor Doug Gaul said in prepared remarks.
“Perfect Game’s decision to locate in Hutto, just 25 minutes from Austin, is one of the most significant events in the sports tourism industry in the last 20 years. Combining an SFM events center and hotel was a natural fit and will turn Hutto into one of the top scouting destinations in America. … It is a true win, win, win,” said Dev Pathik, Founder & CEO of Sports Facilities Advisory.
