Midtown Redevelopment Authority

Who we are

The Midtown Redevelopment Authority (MRA)/Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2 (TIRZ) are parallel organizations; the Boards of Directors for MRA and TIRZ consist of the same nine members. The TIRZ was created on December 14, 1994 by Ordinance No. 94-1345 and enlarged by Ordinance No. 95-1322. The MRA was created by City Resolution No. 95-96 in January 1995. They were created to redevelop the area; aid, assist, and act on behalf of the City in governmental functions; and to provide an operating and financing vehicle for implementing the TIRZ Project and Financing Plan. Efforts to create the TIRZ/MRA started from the community; individual property owners and neighborhood institutions petitioned for its existence in order to foster economic development and revitalize Midtown Houston with new construction and the preservation and restoration of existing structures. The current TIRZ includes approximately 771 acres of land including all annexations within its boundaries, and are all within the City. The MRA/TIRZ have been responsible for physical and capital improvements in Midtown Houston. From the baseline appraised value of $211 million, every increase in value and the taxes it generated is committed to Midtown Houston for 30 years. Today, the appraised value of property in the district is over $1.6 billion. This gives the MRA/TIRZ the ability to issue bonds based on the current and anticipated increase in value.

What we do

MRA uses incremental taxes generated in Midtown Houston to provide basic infrastructure improvements and public right of way enhancements as well as financing and management necessary to alleviate deteriorated site conditions and obsolete platting, and encourage growth of residential, commercial/industrial, retail, and institutional uses. The multi-use nature of the MRA/TIRZ is intended to provide new housing choices as well as employment, education, entertainment, and retail opportunities to residents in Midtown Houston.

The MRA solicits new developments and coordinates with City departments and private developers to implement Midtown Houston’s Redevelopment Master Plan. The TIRZ funds are used for public projects such as public parks, improved street lighting, capital improvements and landscaping enhancements. Since its inception, the Board of Directors of the MRA/TIRZ and its staff have continued to pursue the goal of a rejuvenated Midtown Houston by:

  • Assisting property owners in negotiations with potential financiers/developers for the creation of new development projects.
  • Providing new capital for necessary infrastructure, funding for attractive security enhancing streetscapes, new capital for building schools, parks, recreation spaces and hike and bike trails, the ability to adopt land use controls similar to those available to suburban developers, and significant new tax revenues for the City of Houston, HISD, and Harris County.
  • Working with the city of Houston, HISD, Houston Community College, Harris County, the Houston Housing Finance Corporation, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Texas Department of Transportation, numerous local, state, and federal organizations and institutions, property owners, realtors, builders and developers to provide a responsible, responsive, comprehensive planning environment in Midtown Houston.
  • Maintaining an office with a full-time Executive Director and staff to answer inquiries, solicit new businesses and homes, and coordinate activities in the area.
  • Retaining professional consultants in the fields of finance and accounting, planning, engineering, law, and landscape architecture to assist with the daily business of running the district and attracting new development.
  • Initiating a program to clean up the area and demolish dangerous buildings, rid the area of illegal businesses.
  • Annexing additional property into the district to come closer to covering the entire area considered to be Midtown Houston.