Here is the lede on Bill Murphy’s latest Chronicle story on the proposed Astrodome Hotel boondoggle:
The credit crunch has not killed the effort to turn the Astrodome into an upscale convention hotel, but the project’s developers and county officials are unsure whether financing for the $450 million plan can be obtained.
As Tom Kirkendall has pointed out since Astrodome hotel fantasy first surfaced, the prospects of anyone financing the dubious project (absent a huge “investment” by government) were always slim, not that one would ever guess from Murphy’s cheerleading/reporting.
Indeed, in a serious newspaper with more demanding editors, Murphy would never have been allowed to report so optimistically and glowingly for so long about the dreamed-of boondoggle without at least including some hard financial analysis to balance the cheerleading. Cory Crow also points out that the Texans and the Rodeo remain as significant hurdles that have yet to be overcome.
At some point, we’re going to have to start considering some realistic solutions to the Astrodome problem. Judge Emmett has peeked at the little blog in the past — so feel free to leave him your recommendations in the comments!
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