As a native Houstonian, it's more like 8 months. There's a reason Astroworld and plenty of other places used to advertise "Free Air Conditioning!" all over town. I'd definitely go there to see venues.
In January 2017 the Texas Historical Commission unanimously voted to designate the Dome a state antiquities landmark, meaning that along with other all-time classics including the Alamo and the State Capitol, you can’t knock down or even alter the stadium without a THC permit. And even if such a permit were granted, a teardown would prove challenging. For one, the Dome sits too close to NRG Stadium to safely implode, so the thing would have to be dismantled piece by piece. Then you would have to truck in enough dirt to fill the 25-foot-deep hole where the sunken playing field sits. Low-end estimates for the entire process start at about $40 million and skyrocket from there. Add the fact that flattening the Dome into a parking lot would yield roughly a third as many revenue-generating spaces as the current plan, and the county makes a logical case that renovation would prove more cost-effective in the long run. Not to mention Hidalgo will certainly lose in the next election. https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2019/3/25/whats-going-on-with-the-astrodome
Yeah yeah yeah, and I'm aware it's now under the protection of the Texas Historical Commission. Neither of which I will ever be able to comprehend why.
As somebody who was born/raised here for 40 years... Outdoor Houston is pleasant enough from mid September to mid May, and downright heaven in October and March. I've seen Memorial Park and Hermann park grow/expand/flourish, and Buffalo Bayou park as well.... plenty of avid outdoor enthusiasts now frequent the parks daily (even in the summer), and its downright crowded in the nicer months. Yes, there are a lot of native Houstonians who simply aren't conditioned to go outside... never walked anywhere, always presumed it wasn't possible to enjoy the outdoors... simply drove in cars from work to the suburbs, nothing in between. There's a reason why shopping malls are no longer being built... why every new shopping development is actually an outdoor setup... why dilapidated indoor places (including the Astrodome) no longer will look to be built.
Try coming back inside the loop.... where real Houston is. Next you're going to bring up the plight of Alief or something... Westbury square... lol... thanks for the laugh. The bellfort/gessner area suffered a little more than just from the Galleria being built...
Just saying it isn't going anywhere. I'm surprised how many people are against it being renovated, especially with all the REAL waste the City of Houston Spends. "Tolerance" statues? Really?
Welp, people would park in the garage and head to NRG for the Rodeo. It could possibly also make the Astroarena unnecessary.
