Astrodome Redevelopment Plans Dead

Brando2101 · Oct 31, 2007

The Texans and Rodeo don't want any commerce moving in to the dome. I wish they could have said this years ago when the county started looking for something to do with the building.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5259827.html

The $450 million plan to reinvent the Reliant Astrodome as an upscale convention hotel may have hit a wall Tuesday when the Texans and Houston rodeo officials came out against it.

The Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's contracts may give them veto power over new development at Reliant Park. Also, a letter of intent signed by the county and Astrodome Redevelopment Corp. requires the company to get the Texans and the rodeo to sign off on the project.

An official with the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., which oversees operations at Reliant Park, said Tuesday that the county attorney's office was researching that provision.

Officials with the rodeo and the Houston Texans said they opposed the Astrodome Redevelopment Co.'s proposal for a 1,300-room hotel, restaurants, a food court and amusement rides because it could hurt their operations.

"Not until we saw their plans recently did we realize that this project has the ability to cannibalize our operations," said Leroy Shafer, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's chief operating officer. "Every dollar spent that is spent there is one that might not be spent at the rodeo."

Jamey Rootes, president of the Houston Texans, said the team was worried that the hotel would hamper the flow of fans in and out of Reliant Park on the team's 10 game days.

Scott Hanson, president of Astrodome Redevelopment, held out hope that the project would not die.

Astrodome Redevelopment may be willing to compromise with the rodeo on current sticking points, he said, adding that the developer may be willing to curtail food and merchandise sales during the annual event.

"Frankly, we are quite shocked by the Rodeo's position," Hanson said in an e-mail. "We have been working with the Rodeo organization for quite some time and were hopeful that our proposed redevelopment would only enhance their month-long event."

Sentimental value
Members of Commissioners Court have been reluctant to order the razing of the dome because of the sentimental value it holds for those who attended their first sporting events there or took in a major game.

In a poll commissioned by County Judge Ed Emmett's office earlier this year, 84 percent of county residents opposed the razing of the dome, Emmett said.

"Clearly, we have to do something with the Astrodome," he said. "The choices are: Do we tear it down and absorb the loss? Or do we redevelop it, and what do we redevelop it as? The worst thing would be for the dome to be redeveloped and have it fail."

Last month, Astrodome Redevelopment announced it had scrapped a best-of-historic-Texas theme for a modern, streamlined look.

The complex would have as many as 1,300 hotel rooms, ballrooms, convention meeting rooms, multiple restaurants, upscale shopping, one or more music venues and some amusement rides.

Swaths of AstroTurf would be replaced by a series of ponds, fountains and tall trees.

Shafer said restaurants that pay to operate at the rodeo could stop leasing if business was siphoned off by the hotel's food court.

He also expressed concern that the hotel would decrease the value of exclusivity rights bought by some companies selling their wares at the rodeo.

"It became obvious to us that a tremendous amount of our revenue will be lost at our show," he said.

Rootes said the Texans are worried that traffic to and from the hotel would worsen congestion on the South Loop and Kirby Drive on game days.

Astrodome Redevelopment would build a 2,100-space parking garage around two-thirds of the dome. The Texans would like to use the garage on game days and keep the revenue, Rootes said.

The Texans also share the rodeo's concerns over sponsorship and deals for exclusive sales rights, he said.

But Rootes said the Texans may be willing to reopen negotiations if Astrodome Redevelopment can meet its demands.

Hanson said he understands that the hotel would derive some of its business from the rodeo and the football team.

Astrodome Redevelopment has been trying to negotiate deals with the Texans and the rodeo and was willing to give both organizations a cut of its business, Hanson has said.

Willie Loston, director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp., said the county attorney's office is researching whether the county could approve the project over the objections of the Texans and the rodeo if the sports corporation determined the development would not hurt their operations.

'An icon'
If Commissioners Court were to go forward with the project under those circumstances, its members would have to be willing to be at odds with members of the rodeo's board, among the city's biggest movers and shakers.

"The dome is an icon," Emmett said. "The livestock and rodeo show is an institution. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out."
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The thing is an eyesore. They need to take it down. It was an awful place to watch a baseball or football game. (Only 28,000 seats were on the sidelines)

It ushered in the dark ages of domes/multi-purpose sports venues. I'm not sure we need a monument to that.

All good things must come to an end. Blow it up.

MadMax · Oct 31, 2007

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Yaozer · Oct 31, 2007

It is kinda an eye sore nowadays. I always thought when they were building the Toybox that they were actually remodeling the Astrodome. Because when you really think about it, the Toybox is just a better and more colorful version of the dome.

RocketMan Tex · Oct 31, 2007

How about this....if they don't want commerce...

Redevelop half of the Dome into a Houston history museum that's free to enter. Run the gamut of Houston history....from before the city was born, through modern day, sports history, oil bidness history, etc.

Redevelop the other half into indoor parking for Reliant Stadium and Reliant Arena, maybe with a concourse that leads to the stadium.

Seperate the two sections with a giant wall to keep the car exhaust out.

Then you could open up more of the existing parking for tailgating, pregame activities, etc.

It sucks that the Texans and Rodeo wield so much sway in this, but sometimes you have to dance with the devil.

Sound like a good idea, or does it sound like I have my thumb up my keyster?

MadMax · Oct 31, 2007

Thinking about this more...this is about negotiation. If the Texans/HLS&R didn't think about this before, they're just idiots. So I have to believe they simply want something to make this go forward. Greasing the wheels, I guess.

tested911 · Oct 31, 2007

Just make it a damn Casino.

updawg · Oct 31, 2007

MadMax said:

Thinking about this more...this is about negotiation. If the Texans/HLS&R didn't think about this before, they're just idiots. So I have to believe they simply want something to make this go forward. Greasing the wheels, I guess.
Click to expand...

I think they were hoping all plans would fizzle out on their own so they didn't have to be the bad guys killing the dome. Now that something is looking realistic they are being forced to kill it.

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