Harris County Judge candidates—former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer—have some unexpected ideas and tough critiques on the Eighth Wonder of the World.
In anticipation of the May 26 runoff election to determine the Democratic nominee for the Harris County judge’s seat, both candidates participated in a local debate where they were questioned about the future of the 61-year-old Astrodome and Reliant Stadium, both located in Reliant Park. Recent negotiations among the Houston Texans, RodeoHouston, and Harris County have been progressing positively regarding plans to revamp the stadium and the 350 acres on which these facilities are situated.
“Put the world’s biggest casino in there…”
For the former 61st mayor of Houston, the Astrodome just needs a few key people to get out of the way.
“I think the Astrodome needs to be preserved. If we do nothing to the Astrodome and we just ignore it, it’ll stand there for the next 500 years,” Parker said at the Houston Association of Black Journalists event. “I do believe that there’s a private sector opportunity and frankly, if we had casino gambling in Texas, if you guys could get rid of (Lieutenant Governor) Dan Patrick, we could solve this problem really quickly. Tilman Fertitta would put the world’s biggest casino in there in a heartbeat, and then we could save the Astrodome and not worry about it.”
Renovating Houston’s historic stadium could come at a cost of more than $750 million, according to a 2025 Harris County architecture analysis…