COMMENT OF THE DAY: HOW TO KILL REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR THE ASTRODOME — WITHOUT EVEN TRYING “So, a private group (Astros) comes to the County and gets tons of public funding to build the Astrodome. But, now, if a private group has a great idea to repurpose the Astrodome, they cannot suggest that it be paid for with any public funds or let the tax payers consider their ideas for use with public funds. Only the great wise elders of the County Commissioners who have sat on their hands for over a decade on this issue can propose a solution for the Astrodome that involves the use of public funds. The ballot measure had better have a ‘none of the above’ option.” [Old School, commenting on Headlines: League City’s Red-Light Cameras Go Dark; ‘Guerrilla Gardeners’ Bombard Midtown with Wildflowers; previously on Swamplot]
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Well said.
Hear, hear.
We don’t want to waste public funds twice.
How do the Texans and the Rodeo achieve their proposal without public funds? Public funds will be used in some form to redevelop the Dome.
LOLZ I love you cheapos er libertarians. No public money for anything! Corporate masters seem to be in vogue.
i don’t think this stipulation has been a serious detterent to any prublic/private proposals thought up in the past though. I’m just not aware of any serious proposals involving public money that have had any possibility of coming to fruition. it’s a horrible place for a park with the cities hallmark park a short rail ride up the street and would just be a diversion of funds from the bayou redevelopment going on now. we need better resources in existing parks before we build new ones anyways.
the building really can’t be repurposed for much and certainly even fewer things that people would actually pay money to participate or partake in. it’s an old relic with a horribly inefficient design for anything other than a 1970’s sports dome. I don’t know how you salvage that without putting a big crimp on any future revenue from the site. unless Lakewood wants to cough up the funds to buy it i’m afraid this thing will sit another 10yrs and continue to be a waste.
FYI, it’s not about being cheap like a liberterian but in ensuring we use public funds as efficiently as possible. We can all agree that letting the big-wigs that have already wasted so much of our money is a horrible ides, but i don’t see anything these guys are doing that is limiting the field of serious proposals.
I’m mostly confused about how so many “conservative” minded people can campaign against using public funds for projects that would benefit the public on one hand, but with the other hand, give out public funds like candy to private companies in the form of tax breaks and stadiums. And in case anyone is unclear, giving a company a tax break is creates the same effect and handing them a check.
Harris County taxpayers still owe about $35 – $40 million in bond debt. Texas state Sen.Rodney Ellis is a principal/owner in a bond underwriting firm. Just saying.Harris County may actually want the Dome to fall into such disrepair that it’ll have to be torn down.
@joel
I respectfully disagree about the location being poor for a large park.
1.) It’s on a rail line.
2.) Memorial Park and Buffalo bayou park are even closer than Herman to the Astrodome
3.) 610 access
4.) 8 built in times (Texan games) and 1 month long festival (rodeo) to use the park in a unique ways like tailgaiting, concerts, cook-off, etc.
5.) Proximity to the Bayou and ability to make a hike/bike offshoot – possibly off N. stadium drive.
I also think that while the dome might be inefficient and maybe too costly to re-purpose as a indoor venue, we could still go with that UH student’s idea and strip it down to the frame. I actually think that there might be a glimmer of hope on that one. Just a glimmer.
I think too many people are envisioning a traditional type of park. We could have a park/tailgating area/HLSR area all under the enormous bare frame. Add some plants and trees and sprinkle a little a historical stuff and we would have a unique “park”.
As to the funding why shouldn’t the Texans, COH, HLSR, and whoever else wants to all chip in.
I personally had the opportunity to ask Judge Emmet what he thought was going to happen to the dome and what he said is McNair wants it gone.
So as I’m sure many of you suspect, it appears that the decision has already been made. They are only trying to find a way to implement it, tear down the dome with the least backlash as possible.
Democracy?
T.
Too many people have long forgotten what happened when they built the new “RELIANT PARK” and stadium. The county came to us as voters, and told us that it would not cost citizens of the greater Houston area any additional taxes or money. All we would have to do is approve the bonds, and the money would be recovered by implementation of a visitors “TAX”. This tax would be added to rental car fees and hotel room rates.
They also told us that the Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo would continue to utilize the Dome as part of their venue.
Both of these statements were outright lies!!
First, as a citizen of the area, I am required to pay the taxes anytime I rent a hotel room when I must vacate my house due to renovations or rent a car when mine is in shop. (We should have been given an exemption)
Secondly, the HLSR has not used any portion of the Dome facility since the new RELIANT stadium has opened.
I for one believe the Astrodome has out lived its usefulness.
The Dome already cost us $3,000,000.00/yr just to be unoccupied. I refuse to pay an additional tax for the building to be repurposed into something that the majority of us will never use.
John- after reading your comment, the choice is obvious. Tear down reliant stadium. Duh.