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Matching entries from Houston's Clear Thinkers
A bad idea that just won't die
Isn't it amazing how long bad ideas will remain festering so long as local governmental officials have something to do with it? After four years of dithering, this Bill Murphy/Chronicle article breathlessly reports that there may be hope for...
The Hollywood Dome?
It is a reflection of how low my expectations have sunk for rational decisions from Harris County officials. I actually felt a sense of relief that officials do not appear to be taking this seriously: Lights, camera, action: Dome...
An interesting headline choice
Kevin Whited and Cory Crow continue to express amazement at the delusional nature of county officials and the Houston Chronicle over the proposed Astrodome hotel project that is now in its fourth year of being bandied about. The latest Chronicle...
Pro Dome? Or just anti-Emmett?
I understand that Ed Emmett is not the Chronicle's favored candidate for Harris County Judge. But isn't it a bit odd for the Chron to be fanning criticism of Emmett for showing rare leadership over the pie-in-the-sky Astrodome hotel redevelopment...
The latest boondoggle?
Anne Linehan, Kevin Whited and Cory Crow note this week's "are you kidding me?" moment from City Hall -- two Nancy Sarnoff/Chronicle articles reporting on the trial balloon that Mayor White floated about building a second large convention hotel in...
The Chronicle continues to defy reality
As noted in this earlier post on the improbable Astrodome hotel redevelopment project (previous posts here), the Chronicle continues to beat the drum in support of the deal without any meaningful financial or economic analysis. The intro to the editorial...
Why is the Chronicle beating this dead horse?
The Chronicle continues its apparent campaign to breath life into the second largest local urban boondoggle (second only to the Metro light rail system) -- the proposed Astrodome hotel project (previous posts here). Rice professor and local political pundit Bob...
"A rusted-out battleship in a spruced up port"
Amazingly, the silly notion that it might be economically feasible to convert the Astrodome into a Gaylord Texan-type convention hotel has been making the local rounds for over three years now. Maybe the combination of the Texans and the Rodeo...
What to do with the Dome?
There has been an interesting disparity in media reports about the Astrodome over the past couple of weeks. First, this one from Channel 13 investigative reporter, Wayne Dolcefino: The county judge warns the aging Houston Astrodome may soon become too...
Rationalizing a boondoggle
Anne Linehan over at BlogHouston.net continues to do a fine job of following the various rationalizations of several local governmental types over how to justify public financing for the proposed the Astrodome hotel project (Charles Kuffner comments, too). The latest...
Who is running this asylum?
Let's get this straight. First, the local hotel market has been overbuilt for years, partly because the city government financed some deals of questionable merit. Heck, most any weekend, it's easy to obtain a discount rate on a very nice...
Astrodome Hotel deal on the rocks
In an era of tightening credit and equity markets, the Astrodome Hotel idea -- which never gained enough traction to become an official boondoggle -- finally appears to be on the ropes: The developer endorsed by Harris County to transform...
Dome redevelopment plan lurches forward
Has it really been almost two years since we began talking about what to do with the Astrodome? (previous posts here, here, here and here). After floating a Gaylord Texan-type concept for the past year or so, Astrodome Redevelopment Corp....
Get ready for the inevitable public money request for the Astrodome redevelopment project
Following on this post from earlier this year, this Bill Murphy/Chronicle story updates developments in regard to the seemingly delusional plan to convert the Astrodome into a Gaylord Texan-type one-stop destination hotel for conventioneers and their families. Astrodome Redevelopment Co.,...
What to do with the Astrodome?
Following on this earlier post on the dilemma posed by the obsolescent Astrodome, this Richard Connelly Houston Press article does a good job of reviewing the Astrodome hotel project and the other options that are being considered. Given the constraints...
New plan for the Astrodome
With the construction of the Juice Box and Reliant Stadium, one of the local political footballs that is lobbed around Houston from time to time is the following issue: What should we do with the Astrodome? The local sports and...
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