Thanks for the tips on Ed Emmett. I've already sent my email earlier but will keep this in mind when and if I get a response.
Emmett Turf, Mulch and Landscaping Incorporated, funded with loan guarantees from the Water division of Public Works.
So who will pay for Emmett's proposal? Does he have a buyer lined up or will it be funded by taxes? Or will there be no money lined up and this is ultimately just another person giving his opinion?
The most interesting part of the presentation was that apparently we've been lied to with huge exaggerations regarding the cost of maintaining the Dome all the time since it's been vacant. I've also read repeatedly that we're still paying loans for Bud's improvements to the Dome....and apparently that's not true, either.
According to his note the dome costs $166,000 to maintain. According to Rodeo and Texans it would cost 29mil to blow up. Taking that 29 mil and putting it 1% bonds yield 290,000. It makes no economic sense to blow it up.
That's the way I read it too. The idea that it was more economical to demolish it than maintain it got blown out of the water yesterday...assuming his numbers are correct. That shifts the narrative on this thing entirely.
I mentioned this earlier in the thread. I doubt the Astrodome can be imploded for $29 Mil. It is less than 300 ft from Reliant Stadium and 400 ft from Reliant Center. Given that neither structure is likely designed for significant seismic loads it will be a risk to implode it. Also with an implosion that size there is still the risk of flying debris. Also earlier estimates put the cost of just filling in the hole at about $20 - $30 mil. I go over these factors in my own proposal I did last fall here. http://c3homedesign.com/sishir/astrodome/Mixed Use Proposal for Renovation of the Astrodome.pdf
My question is considering it is currently condemned, what are we getting for 166K? A few guys driving around it in a golf cart?
But you'd still have to factor in the cost of the renovation (whatever they're planning on doing with it), along with the increased maintenance cost of that. Also, not sure what they would expect people to pay to go sit in an indoor park... and if its free, they're not really going to recoup any of this money anyways. And, if the project "fails" or simply doesn't work out, we're right back at square one. In the end, this whole thing feels like fitting a square peg into a round hole... Houston doesn't "need" an indoor park, but they have no other viable way to make use of an old stadium... thus its being proposed. I've said it before... if there was a great way to make use of the Astrodome, it would have been proposed/enacted by now. There is nothing its good for... and there's far better way's to memorialize it than what's being discussed.
A space like that can still generate revenue from businesses paying to advertise in it and concessionaire fees for vendors. It also will likely be rented out for events around Reliant Stadium and center. That is why my own feeling is that a mixed use proposal that provides hotel, retail / office space, convention space and even parking is the best solution. I admit to not knowing the major developer players in Houston but I've worked on projects like this before and just last week was working as part of the architectural team for a mixed use project for a large vacant department store space. These type of projects happen all the time so I don't know why this hasn't been put forward or passed for the Astrodome.
I just don't understand why you would go when you can go to a real park. No kid is going to get excited about drive 30 minutes to go to an indoor park. The Texans/Rodeo was way better. A more casual hangout plaza.
I live right behind Memorial Park, I'm a 5 minute drive to any park inner loop and I'm stoked about the new Doggie Bowl near downtown to open back up this fall. Why in the hell would I drive to that area, pay to park to go to an indoor park? I go to parks to be OUTDOORS, mensa.
If I had to vote between the 2 recent proposals, Texans/HLSR Plaza/Memorial/Museum vs Emmett's Indoor/Outdoor park, I would vote for Texans/HLSR proposal.
I guess I can see a few situations where it would be better. - 95+ temperature days. Yes, they're kids and probably don't mind but it's really easy to get heat issues above that. - Rainy days. You promise your kid a day at the park and it rains instead. So you go to the indoor one where they can eat corn dogs. - Your kid is an albino. The sun kills them dead.
If only Landry's would develop it into one of their small niche parks like Kemah or Pleasure Pier. They could have a coaster go around on the outside and up on the roof. Maybe install millions of LED lights on the roof and do like a light show like Fremont in Vegas. Then Landry's could make tons of money selling their season passes.
They could make it into a super-mall with a few rides in the middle, but shops along the perimeter, but Houston already has a ton of malls.
