In late May, the city announced that Terminal B expansion at IAH would go forward.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker, the Houston Airport System (HAS), and United Continental Holdings, Inc. Airlines, reaffirm a commitment to overhaul Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) with a revised $1 billion renovation project.
This public-private initiative will help boost the Houston economy by creating local construction jobs during the next seven to 10 years. It will also offer a major upgrade for airport passengers as one of the original terminals at IAH is transformed into a spacious, efficient, eco-friendly facility.
“As the largest hub for the largest airline in the world, Bush Intercontinental is positioned to serve the world as United builds its global network,” said Houston Mayor Annise Parker. “Our airport serves as one of the most important economic engines in Houston and we are committed to expanding the portal to our global business connections.”
During a news conference today, Mayor Parker, airport and airline executives reconfirmed construction plans for the billion dollar redevelopment at IAH United’s largest Hub which serves some 40 million passengers a year.
The agreement to move forward closely mirrors the agreement approved by Houston City Council in 2008. Under the revised plan the airlines will develop the project in phases, as economic conditions improve.
Here’s a presentation about the Terminal B redevelopment lease, which notes that it is on the City Council agenda for Wednesday (see item 40) after a public hearing tomorrow. (That will be a special meeting of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation Committee in Council Chambers at 10 AM, in case you’re curious.) There are some questions about what exactly is in the lease agreement, as things are a little different now than they were in 2008. In particular, the main player is now United Airlines, not Continental. The folks at SEIU sent me this fact sheet about the deal that asks some questions about what is in it. I have not followed this story, and I don’t know anything about it beyond the docs that I’ve linked to in this post. It is a pretty big deal, though, so I wanted to throw this out there. If you know anything more about this, please leave a comment. Thanks.
Lot of good questions for the public – and City Council – to ask about the proposed Terminal B expansion deal. The city apparently still has *not* shared the draft ordinance/lease with City Council members – at least, it’s not in the agenda backup for the proposed City Council vote on Wednesday, nor apparently available to the members of the Council committee that meets *tomorrow* at 10 a.m.. The current United Continental lease for Terminal B does not until *2017*. The city management proposes to spend *$275 million* on this project alone. But the actual draft ordinance/lease is nowhere to be seen. The lack of transparency and the rushed process is extremely disturbing.
[corrected from previous – I left out “expire” re current Terminal B lease]
Lot of good questions for the public – and City Council – to ask about the proposed Terminal B expansion deal.
The city apparently still has *not* shared the draft ordinance/lease with City Council members – at least, it’s not in the agenda backup for the proposed City Council vote on Wednesday, nor apparently available to the members of the Council committee that meets *tomorrow* at 10 a.m..
The current United Continental lease for Terminal B does not expire until *2017*. The city management proposes to spend *$275 million* on this project alone. But the actual draft ordinance/lease is nowhere to be seen.
The lack of transparency and the rushed process is extremely disturbing.
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