Harris County commissioners announced a $105 million repurposing plan for the Houston Astrodome at the June 28 Commissioners Court meeting. The proposed Astrodome revitalization project would turn the building from an idle storage facility to a venue for Houston’s events.
The 51-year-old structure could house a parking garage and 9 acres of open space to accommodate events and leases, according to the plan.
“It’s a fully paid asset that belongs to Harris County, and we need to put it to use,” Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said.
The repurposing plan includes raising the floor of the Astrodome to ground level and constructing a subterranean parking garage that will accommodate 1,400 vehicles. While details are still being ironed out about the parking facility, Emmett suggested that patrons attending events at the adjacent NRG Stadium could have access to the parking garage as well.
The renovated Astrodome could accommodate festivals, Emmett said.
“The [Houston] Livestock [Show] and Rodeo could use 9 acres of climate-controlled covered space for their food court,” he said. “[The repurposed Astrodome] provides a new venue for the 100 festivals and gatherings in the community.”
The Astrodome restructuring could also be used to lease office, restaurant or retail space, he said.
The revenue for the new renovation plan could come from a variety of sources, including hotel occupancy taxes, parking fees and general obligation bonds, but it will not require a property tax increase, Harris County Budget Officer Bill Jackson said.
“The parameters that I gave the commissioners would not include any property tax increases,” he said.
In November 2013, Harris County voters rejected a proposal to repurpose the Astrodome, which would have allowed the county to issue up to $217 million in bonds and required a tax increase.
To move forward with the project, the county must first present its plan to the Texas Historical Commission, which then determines the next steps.
The THS will advise on if there is anything in the plan that will jeopardize the integrity of the building, said Beth Wiedower, senior field officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“The THS has committed to work with Harris County and Judge Emmett and stakeholders to get this plan where it is acceptable by all,” she said. “At that point, the county commissioner will assess whether or not they will choose to fund [it].”
In September, Harris County Commissioners Court will vote to include the repurposing as part of the county’s annual Capital Improvement Program in next year’s budget, said Joe Stinebaker, Harris County director of communications. The upgrades do not require voter approval.
“The five members of Commissioners Court then decide whether to approve the project,” Stinebaker said.
Emmett said the Astrodome’s demolition would cost $30 million. He said when he hears people talk about demolishing it, he questions why the county would spend tens of millions of dollars to destroy an asset that could be turned into usable space.
“That just doesn’t make any sense to take a perfectly good historic building and destroy it for no reason,” he said.
Wiedower said the Astrodome is designated at the federal level as nationally significant because it is the first of its kind in the world.
“Never before has 9 acres of column-free space been engineered, and it really sets a precedent, not only for stadiums and spectator views, but for modern midcentury engineering,”
she said.
