11 News is showing some rough images of that new Dynamo soccer stadium planned for a site just east of Downtown, bordering Texas, Dowling, Hutchens, and Walker:
“We think it’s about an $80 to $85 million stadium. (It will have) 21,000 seats, but nothing fancy though. It’s very functional,†said Dynamo GM Oliver Luck. . . . “It’s gonna be much more fan friendly in terms of concessions and restrooms and some of those things that we just don’t really have over at Robertson Stadium. Most importantly, it’s going to be much easier to get to in terms of the parking and access. A rail line will literally run right next to the stadium,†said Luck.
***
The stadium would be funded in part by revenues from a new TIRZ. TSU would also play its football games in the facility, kicking in $2.5 million in return:
“We’re gonna have our own locker rooms. We’re gonna share the sales for concessions, on ticket sales so it’s gonna be the home of the Texas Southern University Fighting Tigers,†said [TSU Athletic Director Charles] McClelland.
The players should take to the new field in the first part of 2011.
- Look at the new Dynamo stadium [11 News, via Swamplot Inbox]
Images: KHOU.com
We had a couple of corner lots over there about 8 blocks away that we just sold last Spring. Do the swamplot readers think this stadium will raise or lower the property values over there?
Depends if riots form after games….
Anyone have an overview map of the location with respect to downtown?
The easiest way to picture it is:
Immediately east of US 59, and between Minutemaid Park and the GRB.
Search HAIF or Christof Speiler’s Intermodality blog.
I hope ths stadium looks like the last 3 renderings or changes soon. The first rendering looks like a High School stadium.
Try this http://preview.tinyurl.com/d7w4ws
As a Dynamo season ticket holder I have to admit to a little bias here, but I believe this stadium will enrich the community and should have an overall positive impact on its surrounding area. In addition, soccer is the fastest growing youth sport among boys and girls, and having a soccer stadium is a forward thinking move by the city. Let’s just hope the parking lots are tail-gate friendly – the collegial atmosphere in the parking lots around Robertson stadium is one of the best parts of game day!
I hate to say it, but soccer has always been huge for young kids. For some reason though, they seem to grow out it when they get older, or maybe there is just less opportunity for them to show their fandom?
Do we know who the architect is?
This whole thing is a sham from paying 4 times the price to a formal city councilman for the land, to being dishonest about the city will bring in revenue from the whole project….. not to mention Oliver Luck promising the city wouldn’t have to cough up any money when they were in the negotiating process to come here. I have nothing against major league soccer, but this isn’t major league soccer either.
I know who is on the shortlist. no selections yet.
gotta love those soccer naysayers. I’ve been playing soccer my whole life and still amazes me how people react to a global sport.
Maybe you can explain how it works that there are alerady renderings but no one has been chosen as the architect yet?
Thanks
everybody on the shortlist has to provide some concept/visuals for what they think the stadium could be like to get selected.
these images could be from the selected architect, and it looks all preliminary to get a feel for massing, site studies, material studies.
for how crude it looks, I’m surprised that these were released because now everybody thinks this is what its going to look like.
the lead time on getting drawings done, this is going to be a fast track project to get done by 2011.
Thanks for the explanation!
Jessie M –
Kids do seem to stop playing club soccer around high school. Part of this owes to the fact that, until the last decade or so, there was no viable option for American youth players hoping to take their game to the next level(s).
An even bigger, and more reprehensible reason, is that there are only two division I mens’ soccer programs in Texas – Houston Baptist and SMU. Kids who are good enough to earn scholarships seek those opportunities outside the state.
And I suspect you could find a contra-point to this whole discussion any night of the week at Kicks.
In any event, Dynamo Field is going to be awesome. International nights downtown, with the skyline in the backdrop…Dale Dynamo.
these images are HORRIBLE!!! why would they release this to the public.. i do better work in my sleep!
Seems like the Dynamo are going in the hole during a major recession and allowing a less than 1-AA football team to play on the field!
Yes I want a soccer stadium in this town and I like/support the Dynamo (in moderation) but I am not in favor of the team sharing the field with UH let alone TSU.
I still don’t understand why the Astrodome could not be remodeled to accomodate Soccer. Admittedly, it’s not a perfect venue, but there are so many positive messages it would send to our community and the world: 1. We have a reverence for our past. 2. This is not the time to be spending unnecessary monies. 3. It would resolve the question of what to do with that building, which incidentally, is really beginning to look like an eyesore. 4. With a sensitive renovation, it would look much more “major league” than the proposed structure. 5. It already has rail “right beside it”.
…Just my thoughts.
1.) I want a stadium
2.) The drawings so far are incredibly ugly. Please start over
3.) If you share with TSU it will ruin your crediblity from the outset. THINK
we should just burn down the Astrodome, it’s ugly piece of sh1t
The city needs to start this project already time is ticken…. and lettin tsu on the field would mess the pitch up look at robertson we don’t need another pitch like that. We are trynna move away from that not stay wit the same result and have freddy ljungberg crying about our pitch when we got crucial matches…. olvier luck needs to step his game up matter fact the whole front office needs to do the same…. what’s wrong with you people these pictures are wack!!!!!
seems like oliver can’t keep his story straight – wants full control of revenue, then wants to share revenue. if he wants this stadium, just buy the land and build the dang thing and everyone will be happy. the glitch is wanting the city to throw in some bucks. just man up oliver, put your $ where your mouth is and take the risk for you hot team. that’ll show them right? but i guess it’s a risk you really don’t want to take.
City laying off employee’s, cutting back on services, considering raising taxes to help with the deficite but building A NEW STADIUM WITH TAX PAYER MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go mayor……………