KPRC-2’s Robert Arnold checked in last week with a report on possible uses for the decrepit Astrodome.
County Judge Ed Emmett sounds realistic about the poor prospects of an Astrodome hotel these days, but suggested a use we hadn’t heard before:
“If the hotel idea doesn’t come to fruition, then I think we’ll be looking at something that will be a more public venue — something everybody can use,” said Emmett.
One idea being floated is to use the Dome to host the dozens of festivals held in Houston every year.
“You’ve got secure weather and it gives us some flexibility,” said Emmett. “This coming weekend is a great example. You’ve got the International Festival and we’re hearing it’s going to rain for two days.”
Local 2 Investigates also spoke with officials from Astrodome Studios, a private company that has been working for the last year-and-a-half on a proposal to turn the Dome into a massive sound-stage and production facility.
Company co-founders Cynthia Hand-Neely and Elise Hendrix said the project would be privately funded.
We’re quite selfishly hoping the privately financed movie studio comes through. If it doesn’t, preserving the Astrodome could get really expensive:
“At the very least, you’re talking a couple hundred million dollars to make it something that’s usable,” said Emmett.
Emmett said that kind of expenditure could require a bond referendum.“I think the public will support something that keeps the Dome intact and turns it into something that’s usable by the public,” said Emmett.
If it’s a choice between a few hundred million dollars for a facility without much of a purpose or a much less expensive parking lot, I would vote for the parking lot. What do you think?
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