This Thursday (10/13) at 10 AM the East End Chamber Of Commerce, East End Management District, and the East Downtown Management District will be having a press conference at Dowling and Texas Ave to show their support for the Dynamo stadium to be built in the East End near downtown. If you're able to get down there to show your support it would be great, the more citizens that show up the better. Currently the city of Houston owns the land and have begun tearing down the warehouses located there. The city is supporting the plan and the team and city are asking Harris County to set up a TIRZ that will use any increased revenue from taxes in the area as contributions to the stadium. Here's contact information for the involved politicians: Ed Emmett: Harris County Judge judge.emmett@cjo.hctx.net 713-755-4000 El Franco Lee: Harris County Commissioner Precinct 1 Janet_Duran@cp1.hctx.net (exec. assistant's email) 713-755-6111 Sylvia Garcia: Harris County Commissioner Precinct 2 sylvia_garcia@pct2.co.harris.tx.us 713-755-6220 Steve Radack: Harris County Commissioner Precinct 3 pct3@hctx.net 713-755-6306 Jerry Eversole: Harris County Commissioner Precinct 4 JerryEversole@hcp4.net 713-755-6444 Bill White mayor@cityofhouston.net 832-393-1000
Well we did just get eliminated in the playoffs. That will be the first test. But I still doubt people will stop going. I mean, supporter groups were formed from day 1 and more and more are popping up....and it didn't take free tickets from the organization to start em either.
If you aren't able to make it in person here's a petition you can sign to show your support for the proposed deal. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/keepthedynamoinhouston/?e
I guess it's a good thing they're built for the long haul and haven't wasted money on any of the overaged Euros. Funny. It's the same thing they said about the Astros this past year and they still drew better than 3,000,000 fans.
True.. but there is still a fundemental difference between Major League Baseball and the MLS. There is a long-term viability issue with MLS that may scare off some investors. Hell, that's a problem with ALL the leagues not MLB, NBA, or NFL... and the NHL is literally skating on thin ice as far as viability in its southern markets.
MLB may be a bigger league than MLS but that doesn't have much to do with if fans will still go to Dynamo games or not. The only way anybody will know how the fan base will react to the team going through bad years is to wait until it happens.
Wow, what a terrible analysis. I personally find baseball to be like watching paint dry. So I can turn your statement around and say. The Dynamo won the past MLS Cups - our highest domestic soccer award - and are exciting to watch. Anything else you care to add to argument?
With the growing Hispanic population in Houston plus our proximity to Mexico and, by extension, South America, MLS and Houston are a natural fit. As much as I dislike the corporate welfare of the stadium deals, they do generate hotel/motel taxes and also sales taxes within the city core. This time, though force Anschutz to keep the team in Houston and in their own hands in order to receive any funding, unlike the deal with Le$, where he was able to leverage the Comets as partial bait for funding Toyota Center and securing the exclusive operating lease and then sold them with NO LEASE PENALTY from the Sports Authority. Lame. - DB
Not when it has no basis in reason other than personal preference. I've lived in the East End my entire life and know that the stadium would really help a blighted side of town. Although that area has some cool bars, this would really enable lots of business there and bring more people into the area. You say soccer sucks. Fine. I say cricket sucks, but that doesn't mean that it's totally invalid to people the world over that love it. And when the Dynamo consistently pull in 17,000+ to their games - at a stadium that forces odd start times at UH's whim and has terrible playing conditions and revenue sharing - you can't just write it off. As others have said, a Dynamo Stadium would bring in friendlies with international teams from the Americas and Europe - not that I'd expect you to know any of them - that many people would pay many dollars to see. The World Cup will probably come back to the US at some point and this would help us in that regard. And MLS has more presence on television than the NHL and smart businesspeople are getting in on the game. Oscar De La Hoya's involvement with the Dynamo is an example of that. Cities such as Vancouver, Philadelphia, Portland, and Montreal are clamoring to get in on the action. Have you seen the mock-ups for Red Bull Arena in New York? So please, refute what I say with things other than audience size. We know that. Please gives us rational reasons why you're against this.
From my understanding of the funding the city and county are being asked for is that they will set up a tax increment zone (TIRZ) which means that the money that is contributed will be taken out of any increased tax revenue in that area. No money from people or businesses not in that particular area will be used for it, and the area that the money will come from isn't very large so not many people will be affected by it. And I completely agree that the city and county should make sure that the team makes a commitment to staying here.
I doubt that's going to happen, I have a strange feeling his whole counter argument revolves around "soccer sucks".
Because this city has recently given millions of dollars for 3 new major leage facilities accumulating massive debt and has a rotting older dome that still has debt but no use. Also I think the "payback" on these deals is mostly in "city status" than actual funds. And the part where people claim it will improve an area is overblown because as can be seen in other areas all it does is create a very small bubble of development that is about half the radius of the walking distance people have to go to walk to the stadium.
By using a TIRZ there is a system already in place to have the money returned to the city/county, they are just fronting the money to help improve one particular area. And the TIRZ system is designed to target a small area, by setting up small TIRZs around the city development can be focused on specific areas. Here's the city's page on TIRZs which has information on what they are and what they are used for, there's also a link to a map showing what TIRZs have been established. The stadium will be located in TIRZ 15. http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/economic_dev/tirz.htm
