[Dynamo] Stadium deal a little bit closer to being done

good job city. now let's get that thing built.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5595007.html

 

I just don't get the huge amount of public funds used. With reliant it is understood that superbowls, rodeo, and other large events will bring in revenue. Toyota center brings in concerts, minor league hockey, all star games, final four (i think).

What does this dinky stadium bring to houston? If they play Team Mexico it will be at reliant.

 

the funds are only for the land, not the stadium itself. the benefits of this transaction, as i see it:

1) keeps the dynamo in houston instead of losing them to katy or sugarland
2) it provides land for another stadium to be located downtown, and will continue the revitalization process
3) it will be another stadium in the houston metro area, possibly helping for a future olympics bid

 

I dont think the City of Houston will ever get an summer olympics in my lifetime. The weather during the summer is unbearable and the mass transportation system is severely lacking, the rail would have to be expanded or something.

It's a nice pipe dream though, I think they have the facilities to host one.

 

if metro gets the federal matching funds and is able to built up the light rail i'd like to think we would have the improvements necessary. look for a serious bid in the 2020s.

 

actually:

1. temperature isn't much different than it is in hotlanta during the summer;

2. the strength of our bid was how compact the area was where major stadiums were....all which were connected by light rail.

 

i was under the impression our bid fell short because of

1) the lack of beautification
2) lack of transportation to and from the various venues

i think addressing #2 is well underway, but what about #1? the new billboard ordinance is a start i guess?

 

Well, my company had bids on the new 14,000 foot mountain just east of downtown, and the 8.650 foot peak northeast of that, but we were turned down.

 

I cannot speak to the value of point 1 so I will leave it

2) It seems the money could be better spent on other projects if revitalization is the main concern.


3) You don't build stadiums to HOPE to get the olympics. Not only are the olympics hurting (greece and sydney were disapointed in actual revenue brought in) but you have almost a decade before them come to build all the facilities you need. Plus we already have 3 much nicer stadiums that can hold a ton of events.

 

the bid fell short because we weren't nyc.

with weather and "beautification," how in the world did hotlanta ever host?

no..the strength of the houston bid was the proximity. the majority of the venues were within 8 miles of each other, including the Olympic Village they had planned. and the light rail connected the major venues.

the standard line was the heat and very little recognition on the world scene were the factors. and the fact that the summer olympics had been held in the american south so recently. the truth is, i don't think anyone was beating out NYC.

 

It will hold more people than the Toyota Center. It will have at least 14 home MLS regular season games...plus playoff games...plus CONCACAF Champions league games...plus Superliga games typically played at Robertson...plus more potential National team games when they aren't playing Mexico...plus potentially concerts...plus many other events that a stadium of this size can be used for.

In other words, there's plenty of potential for this stadium that can't be done any where else in the city. The Champions League games have to be played outside of Houston because UH won't let the Dynamo play home games during the week.

FYI...Toyota Center doesn't get the Final 4. The regional is being played at Reliant.

 

good point. and a ton of the typical arena events, like ice shows and circuses, are at reliant and reliant center, as well.

 

Why is that? Easier parking and traffic access? It's so goofy to enter a 70,000 seat facility for a 12,000 spectator event.

 

good question..i'm not sure.

we ended up with free passes to Monsters, Inc. on ice for my kids. the whole time i was thinking that this was the sort of event that would absolutely, positively have been at the summit with no questions asked. it was definitely easy to get in and out of the event at reliant, i'll say that.

 

I never thought about that before but the circus was always at the Summit and now is in reliant. I guess they chose Reliant over toyota center.

 

yeah, went to the circus last year at reliant. it's actually better there, i think...there's a pre-show and exhibits where you can walk around before the circus. i don't think they could pull that off at toyota center given the space.

 

Final Fours are to be held in Stadiums.

 

I think if I recall, the money would be used to fix streets and pipes and crap like that in the stadiums area.

 

one thing that i believe the city (municipality and business both) has missed out on, specifically with discovery green, and would like to see them address in the future is a class music venue.

it pains me to say this, but dallas has both the house of blues and nokia theater. they also have concerts in the aac, and the outdoor "Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheatre/Smirnoff Music/Superpages.com Center"

we have the CWM pavillion and it's way up in the woodlands. is there any venue downtown? i guess there will be music on jones lawn or wherever, but there isn't an indoor music specific venue is there?

points well taken caseyh, i got ahead of myself with the olympics talk.

 

We are building a HOB if i recall in downtown.