Harris County Commissioners Court, which is the last remaining obstacle to a deal to build a Dynamo Stadium downtown, remains lukewarm to the concept.
Harris County officials still showed little enthusiasm for the proposed Dynamo stadium Wednesday as supporters tried to up the pressure on Commissioners Court to join a deal that Houston Mayor Bill White said hinges on the county’s participation.
Dynamo fans plan to gather at the proposed stadium site this morning for a news conference planned by the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce, the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and two other organizations. The project’s supporters also were circulating an online petition directed at swaying Commissioners Court.
I’m not sure what petition they’re referring to – there’s this one that’s linked off of HomeForTheDynamo.com, but like the site itself, it’s rather out of date as its target is Mayor White and not Commissioners Garcia and Lee. Anyone know what they’re using for this?
White asked Harris County in July to contribute $10 million to the project by joining the city’s East Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone at the stadium’s proposed site. He said Wednesday the fate of the project rests in the county’s hands.
Asked what would happen if the county rejects the request, White replied, “That would really be up to the Dynamo.”
[…]
If Harris County partners with Houston on the East Downtown TIRZ, each government would agree to forgo $10 million of its share of property taxes from the area to help pay for the stadium. Dynamo co-owner Anschutz Entertainment Group is willing to invest the other $60 million to build the $80 million stadium, team president/general manager Oliver Luck said.
Commissioners Court protocol dictates that formal proposals to participate in such projects must come from the commissioner whose precinct would be affected. The lion’s share of the site is in Commissioner El Franco Lee’s precinct, while a smaller portion is in Commissioner Sylvia Garcia’s.
A member of Lee’s staff said he was not granting interviews about the stadium Wednesday.
Garcia said she was reluctant to use tax dollars to build a stadium without voter approval.
“I will keep listening until I hear from the taxpayers that this is something they really want us to do,” she said. “I’m going to keep doing my due diligence … to assess what’s best for the county post-Ike and in today’s current economic climate.”
That doesn’t sound like a No to me, but it’s a pretty long way from being a Yes. I’ll say again, if you’re a Dynamo fan and you want to see this happen, rallies and online petitions are nice, but nothing beats a letter and a phone call. If you’re not sure whose precinct you live in, I found this map of Commissioner Garcia’s Precinct 2, but that’s all I could find. Try looking yourself up at HCVoter.net – Commissioner Lee’s precinct is 1, and Garcia’s is 2, then go here for contact info. It’s either that or learn what Plan B is.
The new petition is here, at just a slightly different web address from that of the previous one: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/keepthedynamoinhouston?e.
I just sure wish the stadium didn’t have to go at that exact location. It’ll be a disaster for East End traffic. The GRB, Toyota Center, and Minute Maid Park already make getting into downtown a headache.
Surely if a 10% stake is holding up the whole process then deal them out, don’t blame them on a total failure.