Here’s an updated version of the earlier story about the Houston Dynamo and the possibility of their stadium being built on Westpark.
“The deal downtown started stalling a little bit. We started wondering if that stadium could make sense at this property,” said Brad Freels, chairman and CEO of Midway.
Freels envisions a 21,000-seat soccer and concert arena as part of a multi-use project on 30 acres the company owns at the intersection of Westpark Toll Road and South Rice. The property is just west of the 610 Loop, about a mile south of the Galleria.
Mayor Annise Parker said she has been briefed on the plan.
“It is a completely privately financed alternative, which I’m glad to see on the table,” she said. “This is an excellent option that takes the city taxpayers largely or completely out of the loop on this.”
Parker noted that the city would consider contributing infrastructure work or tax abatements to the Midway development, just as it would any other large project.
The main difference seems to me to be that the land for the downtown site was bought by the city, while this site is owned by Midway. I feel confident that it’s still the case that the city would need to contribute in some form, as noted by Mayor Parker. It’s just a question of how much, and as I said before I think traffic will be a bigger issue at this location, so the infrastructure work may well be more expensive as well. I hope we get a handle on that before any commitments are made.
As my wife pointed out as we drove to the hospital to have our baby this morning, she asked why don’t they investigate the old Astroworld site?
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