Proposed Land Acquisition for Ben Taub Expansion Project

It is a multi-step process. The first step, which requires approval from the Harris Health Board of Trustees, has already occurred. Next, if approved by the Harris County Commissioners Court, following a Chapter 26 public hearing, Harris Health would purchase the property at fair market value through eminent domain in accordance with Chapter 21 of the Texas Property Code. As part of the process, Harris Health will coordinate with the City of Houston, the Hermann Park Conservancy, the Houston Zoo and other stakeholders to ensure that the expansion of Ben Taub Hospital includes all reasonable planning to minimize impact to the remainder of Hermann Park, including exercising its best efforts to preserve and enhance the public’s ability to safely and conveniently access the park’s amenities.

Until the legal proceedings are complete and ownership is transferred, this land will continue to be used for park purposes by the City of Houston.

At its September 2025 meeting, the Harris Health Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution containing the determinations and findings required by Chapter 26 of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Code and authorized the purchase at fair market value through eminent domain of three parcels within Hermann Park consisting of approximately 8.9 acres. Formal notification to any holders of a property interest will follow any decision by Harris County Commissioners Court to approve eminent domain. The purchase through eminent domain also will adhere to the provisions of Chapter 21 of the Texas Property Code, Chapter 26 of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code and in accordance with Section 281.050 of the Texas Health and Safety Code and all other applicable legal requirements.

The September 23, 2025 Harris Health Board action has initiated a multi-step process, which includes Harris County Commissioners Court holding a Chapter 26 public hearing to consider approving eminent domain potentially on March 19, 2026. If approved, notification of all property interest holders — including all holders of a reversionary interest in these parcels — will commence according to statutory requirements.  Harris Health remains committed to continuing discussions and working with relevant stakeholders to keep them informed throughout the process.

In Texas, eminent domain allows certain public entities like Harris Health to acquire property for a public necessity, even if the owner doesn’t want to sell, provided the owner is adequately compensated. This process does not require a public election.

Any person or entity that has a property interest in the land that is subject to eminent domain, including any holders of reversionary interests, will be notified in accordance with Chapter 21 of the Texas Property Code if both the Harris Health Board of Trustees and the Harris County Commissioners Court approve the acquisition of the land. Review and approval by Harris County Commissioners Court remains pending at the time of this writing.

If Harris County Commissioners Court decides in January 2026 to hold a public hearing (TBD: March 19, 2026) and, after the public hearing, finds that a public necessity exists to approve acquiring the land by purchase through eminent domain, only then will the reversionary interest holders be formally notified.  Any efforts to notify those with reversionary interests at this early stage would be inappropriate until all approvals have occurred.

This is not correct. The bond proposition language clearly allows Harris Health to purchase land for the Ben Taub Hospital expansion and in no way limits the use of bond funds to facility improvements only inside the existing hospital. Our priority is facility expansion as it is the only way to meet the region’s growing demand for trauma and acute medical care. Harris Health will evaluate the most financially responsible decision on how to complete the eminent domain purchase acquisition of the Hermann Park tracts at fair market value.  

What ideas do you have to address and minimize park impact while maximizing benefit to the overall community? 

This expansion project does not affect access to Hermann Park’s core park attractions. For the Hermann Park tracts of land Harris Health is pursuing, we intend to preserve some key features on the land such as trees and walking trails, until such a time we can begin construction of a Ben Taub Hospital replacement facility in 20-25 years. All efforts will be made to minimize traffic disruptions and address flooding concerns through appropriate studies and mitigation measures. 

Also, Harris Health’s intent is to collaborate extensively with the City and Hermann Park Conservancy and to get guidance from park experts to ensure there are no impacts on the park’s main amenities or the zoo, and to beautify the future hospital site by developing a healing garden and enhancing other public areas to aesthetically fit the overall park environment.

Ben Taub Hospital operates under a single Texas Health and Human Services Commission license, covering all the services provided on the hospital campus. By ensuring physical connectivity, a new inpatient expansion facility would qualify as an extension of the hospital license, thus avoiding regulatory complexity and delays. The Ben Taub Hospital expansion land must be in close proximity to the existing hospital to allow it to connect via a sky bridge so that it can operate as part of Ben Taub Hospital under the same Level I trauma designation and hospital license under state law. The proximity of this property to Ben Taub Hospital makes it uniquely suitable for construction of much-needed patient beds in a potential hospital addition to be directly connected to Ben Taub Hospital via a sky bridge. 

The proximity and physical connection of the expansion facility to Ben Taub Hospital also ensures critical services like diagnostic radiology, phlebotomy, lab, pathology, security and specialty services and staff are available to patients treated in the expansion facility.

For example, if a patient in the expansion facility requires an immediate surgical procedure, the skybridge provides the quick connection to surgical suites in the hospital and the necessary recovery areas. Likewise, if a patient in the expansion facility requires an emergency CT scan, the skybridge provides the quick and safe connection to the hospital’s radiology department to perform the test. 

If the expansion facility was built anywhere else, within or outside of the Texas Medical Center, it would be cost prohibitive to duplicate these, and other services, as well as the necessary staff who provide these services. An expansion facility elsewhere would have to independently meet all hospital licensure standards relating to physical space and ancillary services, such as maintaining a pharmacy suite, an emergency department, and imaging and clinical laboratory departments and would be cost prohibitive. Harris Health is not in a financial position to do this today. In 2023, voters approved a $2.5 billion bond to add a new hospital to the LBJ Hospital campus, expand Ben Taub Hospital inpatient bed capacity, and add community clinics. This bond represents Harris Health’s maximum borrowing capacity. Approximately $410 million from the voter-approved bond package allows Harris Health to expand patient bed capacity at Ben Taub Hospital until a full replacement hospital can be constructed. When Harris Health has completed paying for its current bond, the system may consider asking voters for potential funding for a replacement facility for Ben Taub Hospital. 

Texas regulations, including the Life and Safety Code, regarding the maximum distance of a skybridge or walkway connecting the inpatient expansion to the main hospital do not specify an exact number, but the general principle is that the distance should be driven by optimal operations for patients transfers and clinical logistics, particularly in case of emergencies. Additionally, the skybridge must meet fire and life safety standards, accessibility requirements and extend the Inpatient/Hospital occupancy to include the new tower. Maximum distance is driven by life safety, distance between rated structures, views and windows requirements for new and existing patient rooms. 

As the only public safety-net hospital in the Texas Medical Center, maintaining Ben Taub Hospital in the Texas Medical Center sends a clear message to the community that in Houston and Harris County, equitable healthcare is available to everyone regardless of economic or insurance considerations. Patients at Ben Taub Hospital will continue to have access to advances in technology, research and care available through the collaborations with medical school partners Baylor College of Medicine and other Texas Medical Center hospitals and institutions. Rotations, research projects, and cross-institutional programs benefit from this shared location, allowing seamless movement of students, residents and medical faculty. Patients will also benefit from the TMC’s significant infrastructure resiliency plan that supports the continued operation of TMC hospitals and their ability to provide essential services to patients during and after extreme weather events such as hurricanes.  

Harris Health met with the Hermann Park Conservancy Board on December 1, 2025, and with Hermann Park Conservancy administrative staff on December 18, 2025. Harris Health has also accepted an invitation to participate in the Hermann Park Conservancy’s Town Hall meeting on January 7, 2026.  Harris Health looks forward to continuing to meet with the Hermann Park Conservancy Board to learn more about their concerns and is committed to listening to the conservancy board and possibly collaborating on ideas that can mutually benefit both organizations and all County residents. 

Harris Health also continues to engage in conversations with the City of Houston, the legal owner of the land, who will be a critical partner in these collaborations with Hermann Park.