COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE PROBLEM WITH ALL NON-OUTRAGEOUS ASTRODOME REDEVELOPMENT CONCEPTS “I’m not attached to the Dome and I don’t know that many people are. When I read this report, like other commentators, I’m thinking . . . thats a lot of money for ‘another venue.’ My impression is that some of the really cool ideas have been suppressed by the Rodeo, which disgusts me. I think a lot of money might be well spent if you are building a unique facility . . . something truly different that would make me load up my family and go there just for that experience. . . . but I don’t want to spend a lot of money just to build ‘another venue’ . . . who’s real purpose is to somehow ‘save the dome.'” [dara childs, commenting on New Life — or Death — for the Astrodome, Now at a Discount]
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What ideas are being supressed? I have yet to see an idea that truly impresses me and gets me excited.
I tried to look up some of the ideas that have been seriously presented in the past few years, but could not find them; I remember some of them sounding very entertaining. I do know that the Rodeo has been an obstacle to anything that has day in day out operations. They don’t want anything going on over there that will impact their little 3 week event. So basically we sacrifice 49 weeks of a potentially viable attraction that incidentally would save the dome and the demo costs. If you allowed the free market to operate and essentially gave the dome away provided you were ok with whatever a private investor wanted to do with the facility then who knows what kind of venue it would evolve into. But no, of course that kind of reasonable, pragmatic approach that would benefit the majority is repressed at the be quest of a minority, special interest.
my Mini Storage idea is being supressed!! Worlds largest mini/maxi storage
The economic impact of the Rodeo is huge.
“While the primary benefit of the Rodeo is the unparalleled entertainment opportunities it provides the region and the large distribution of charitable giving, the Rodeo also provides a bonus economic stimulus to the overall economy that is significant. This stimulus is almost certainly greater than any other sports or arts production in Houston and is comparable to the presence of a major economic base corporation with local employment in excess of 3,000 employees.” Dr. Barton Smith
http://www.rodeohouston.com/about/economic-impact.aspx
Museum of Modern Technology. Airplanes and rockets inside.
There is a past issue of “CITE” from Rice School of Architecture that presented some interesting ideas to re-use the Dome about 5-6 years ago. My favorite was gutting it and turning it into an indoor alpine park-scape with waterfalls, creeks, and rocks to climb along with hiking trails. That would be something that would cost plenty of money, but why not do something grand?
The other alternative is more parking, and a hotel…as if anyone wants to stay right there!
What the Rodeo does is great, but they are not the sole stakeholder. We should not let our policymaking be held hostage by their influence.
For instance, I tend to think that a hotel concept for the Astrodome along with a permanent medical exhibition and conference venue was the best possible idea, and that a 12-acre TOD project between the Dome and the Holly Hall entrance that includes office space, apartments, and entertainment-oriented retail could have been a valuable addition to Reliant Park.
By drawing in the TMC and giving them such a large stage within which to showcase their human talent and research capabilities, I think that this other hugely beneficial institution would be benefitted in a way that easily outweighs some lost drink sales to the Rodeo or the Texans. (And if that’s a breach of contract, then fine. Pay the penalty.)
Casino. That is all.
uh, Usual Free Market Is King Suspects…the Rodeo is a private entity and a major tenant of that development. Its “little three week event” puts more bodies in seats than any use of the Dome ever did, including when baseball was there too. So it’s a legitimate stakeholder, even if one doesn’t agree with its particular direction. (disclosure: I’ve been a life member for almost 20 years, though I went inactive for a while because I objected to how much HLSR resources went to their somewhat over the top facilities when they built Reliant Center).