Astrodome Future Likely A Slow Demise, No Demolition After Voters Rejected Renovation

The Astrodome’s future is likely to be a slow demise instead of a quick demolition.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Astrodome’s future was voted on as part of a referendum on the Houston stadium was has stood empty since 2009.

A successful vote would have secured the Astrodome’s future, authorizing up to $217 million in bonds to transform the Astrodome into a massive convention and event center and exhibition space. The seats would have been removed, the floor level raised to match the street, and 400,000 square feet of plaza and green space would have been created. But as it turns out 53 percent of voters decided an Astrodome renovation project was too costly.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett announced the decision:

“We can’t allow the once-proud Astrodome to sit like a rusting ship in the middle of a parking lot. This was the best effort (to revamp the stadium), and voters have turned it down.”

Emmett says the Astrodome’s future will be up to the Commissioners Court. But the estimated cost of demolishing the Astrodome is claimed to be between $29 million and $78 million, so even destruction is not cheap.

Because of these issues Commissioner Jack Morman says the Astrodome’s demolition is unlikely to be quick:

“Unless it’s very much out of the blue, I would not expect any action. But I would say in the near future, maybe in the next couple of months. This was the best alternative we were presented with to avoid demolition. Is there another Plan B feasible? No. I think the dome has served its purpose, but I’ll say this: I’m not going to support tearing it down and then covering the hole with $20 million in dirt and a parking lot. If that’s all, it can just stand there.”

Are you surprised the Astrodome’s future may end up being a silent monument to Texas sports history?