County OKs plan to spare Astrodome
An indoor park, a hotel, a pile of rubble — ever since Major League Baseball left the Astrodome more than 16 years ago, ideas of what to do with the stadium have abounded.
That’s all they have been, however — ideas without traction, each one tossed aside over concerns about legality or cost or politics while the Dome’s fate remained in limbo.
On Tuesday, for the first time in years something different happened — one idea actually moved forward. Harris County commissioners approved the first piece of a $105 million plan to transform the stadium into part parking garage and part event space for things like concerts and trade shows.
After years of indecision, advocates for preserving the Dome are hail-
ing the move as one that might breath new life into the stadium’s future long after many Houstonians had written its obituary.
“We’re really happy to see some concrete action taken,” said David Bush, acting executive director of Preservation Houston, which has been advocating for the Dome’s preservation for 16 years. “This is a significant first step.”
The $105 million plan, first unveiled by county officials in June, calls for the floor of the Astrodome to be raised two floors, or 30 feet, to ground level. Two levels of parking or 1,400 spaces will be installed underneath.
The new ground floor could be used by conferences like the Offshore Technology Conference, or for music festivals or other events. Officials from OTC wrote a letter earlier this month in support of the plan with the Houston Auto Show, Houston International Boat, Sport and Travel Show and the Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market, a ballet fundraiser, among others.
In the future, the 550,000 square feet that surrounds the core could be used for retail, commercial or other options, though none have been determined yet.
No events have yet made any formal commitments to use the repurposed dome, a point acknowledged by Precinct 1 Commissioner Gene Locke whose precinct includes the Astrodome.
“I’m more confident that doing this is better than doing nothing,” he said.
‘The most logical’
Without any discussion, commissioners on Tuesday unanimously voted to approve $10.5 million to pay for the architecture and engineering for the overall plan, which is expected to take at least a year. After that’s done, they will vote on the remainder of the fund, estimated to be $94.5 million now, though that number could change as the engineering gets underway.
“I think what we did today is the most logical, common sense approach,” said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, who has long championed repurposing the dome.
The county expects overall funding to be divided evenly between the county’s general fund, made up largely of property tax revenue; hotel taxes; and parking fees.
The hotel taxes are expected to bring in close to $40 million this year for the county and parking fees bring in around $6 million, according to county budget officials. They expect both numbers to go up over the years as more hotels and parking are constructed.
The vote Tuesday follows a string of proposals for the Dome’s future since the Astros played their last game there in December 1999.
It’s the Dome’s history and connection to Houston that John Stephens, a retired engineer, understands. But, Stephens who was the only one to show up to Tuesday’s commissioners meeting to speak on the Astrodome proposal, said he was against the vote because he said significant money was being spent “without voter approval.”
“It’s a public issue,” Stephens said. “I’m surprised at the apathy that I’m the only person here that is knowledgeable about that or concerned about that.”
His concerns echoed many others that took to social media Tuesday, several who said they had voted in 2013 against the bond issue and believed the Astrodome would be demolished. Many consider the plan a waste of taxpayer money.
Rodeo to weigh in
Despite Tuesday’s vote, not everything is final. Emmett and other county officials believe as the $105 million project enters the design phase, the overall price tag will go down, especially if other funding sources like Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone funds or tax credits can apply.
But the cost also could go beyond $105 million, something several commissioners have said they will watch out for.
Regardless, commissioners will have to vote again likely next year to spend the rest of the money on the actual construction.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Houston Texans, tenants of NRG Park, both will likely weigh in on the county’s plan over the next several months. Both have said any plan pursued by the county should not come at the expense of maintaining other buildings in NRG Park.
The plan still would have to be approved by the The Texas Historical Commission.