Houston’s iconic Astrodome will return not just as an entertainment venue space

HOUSTON – You don’t have to be from Houston to know about the Astrodome!

Sadly, the beloved iconic landmark has sat empty for years but on Wednesday, the Astrodome Conservancy revealed plans to bring the historic landmark back to life.

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Unlike previous attempts, to revive the Astrodome, this new plan includes revenue-generated structures: a space for tenants, an office, and a hotel. It also included an arena, event, and entertainment venue space along with an area for food and beverage. Most importantly it preserves the Astrodome space.

You might be wondering how this plan comes to life and most importantly, how much does this cost? About $1 billion. The conservancy showed us renderings of Vision Astrodome calling it the next-use destination for visitors all over the world.

To date, the conservancy has raised and invested more than $3 million (and counting) of private dollars to advance its mission.

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KPRC 2 spoke to Shawn Stephens, one of the board members about what this project would mean for our city.

“I am super excited about it,” he said. “I think it’s incredibly viable. I think it brings tourism dollars to Houston. I think it brings investment dollars to Houston. And I think it brings historic tax credits to Houston and Harris County that didn’t exist with any prior plan,” he said. “I think this city within the dome is fantastic. It gives people the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors inside and air-conditioned comfort, which in Houston is pretty great. I’m really excited about it.”

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Officials said they also envision a dynamic redevelopment program, but the next step is to show this plan to the County and Commissioners. 86 percent of the people surveyed said they want to keep the Astrodome.