newtex

OK. Some work that has more to do with the stadium. Centerpoint appears to be working on the electrical lines on the site and getting ready to put in new power poles. Still not actual stadium construction but closer.

Was driving by a few days ago and I noticed there was some work that was being done on the site. Anyone know if it was just some basic prep-work?

That work has nothing to do with the stadium. They are doing street improvements in the area and have been using the empty lots as staging areas. They bring in piles of dirt, or pipe, and then take them away.

You can see one of the improved intersections in the foreground. There where the orange cone is and the new handicapped ramp.

I live in Lofts at the Ballpark and keep a close eye on any work that is actually being done.

There has never been this many soccer fans at a game except in Europe, or South America.

Completely false even leaving aside that Mexico and Central America aren't in Europe or South America but draw big crowds for soccer.

As someone pointed out the Dynamo average around 17,000 per game. They have had a few games over 30,000. That's just right here in Houston. The Seattle Sounders averaged 30,000 fans last year. Toronto FC has sold out every game in their three year existence in a 20,000 seat stadium. LA and DC United have over 20,000 per game regularly.

The rendering in the post is of a 20,000-25,000 seat stadium. That many fans go to soccer games all the time in the U.S.

Yes, Toyota Ctr and the Astrodome are both below grade, but they have roofs. This thing will be like a fish bowl if we get rains like we had recently.

The field at Robertson is also several feet below grade and does not have a roof. The Dynamo played there on Sunday recently after the torrential rains on Friday and Saturday with no problems. A below grade field without a roof is not going to be a problem.

It does not show the rest of the east corridor.

Here is a map of the entire East End line:

Metro East End corridor

I think this is the most recent plan for the light rail in the area.

Metro Southeast Corridor

My main concern is if they do move forward with the stadium, they take into consideration the homes in the surrounding area and try to make community oriented improvements with the stadium so everyone benefits by it. If they do move forward with it, they need to put significant thought into the parking arrangements. Where would people park - is there enough space in the land the city purchased to build both the stadium and adequate parking for 25,000 fans? Who would purchase additional land for parking if it was necessary?

There would not be enough room on the site for parking. The stadium would take up almost all of the six blocks. But there is already plenty of parking in the area already. MinuteMaid Park holds 40,000 and this stadium would require much less parking. The existing parking lots north of Texas would hold a lot of the required parking.

Also, as others have said, the East End and Southeast light rail lines will run right past the stadium at the north end. That should reduce some of the parking demand for both MMP and the soccer stadium.

Dynamo Stadium is a stupid move by the city. To start off they paid nearly $50 a foot for property that would probably not sell for $25 per foot today. They paid that price not knowing if they were going to get a stadium deal done or not. It was never discussed in the community either. It was Mayor White's baby, and if he wants something done or not done then he makes it happen no matter what the rules or consequences. This guy is a bully.

There was public discussion of the city buying the land. They had at least two city council meeting where it was discussed before the city voted to buy the land. There were speakers both for and against the city buying the land. I know, I watched the city council meetings online.

Their games don't start until 9:00 or 9:30 PM!!

That's a slight exaggeration. Most Dynamo home games start at around 7:30 on Saturday or in the afternoon on Sunday. The Dynamo have had a few mid-week games scheduled to start at 9 pm this year but that's not the Dynamo's fault. It's just one more reason why Robertson is not good for the Dynamo. The U of H forces those late game starts for mid-week games because they claim all the parking at Robertson is needed for students.

If the Dynamo control their own venue they wouldn't have to have those late starts on Tuesday or Wednesday nights.

Which is why the Dynamo, who are offering to put up almost all the money for a new stadium, would not want to put that money into Robertson. The Dynamo would not control revenue or scheduling. They would remain at the mercy of the U of H.

I would also point out the proposed Dynamo Stadium will be approximately half the size of Minute Maid Park in terms of capacity so the parking demands would be much smaller. The light rail should also help with that. Plus, the Astros play 81 home games while the Dynamo play about 20. The Dynamo home games are mostly on the weekend in contrast to the Astros who play throughout the week. There would be other events at the Dynamo Stadium if it is built but the impact on the area should be much, much less than that Astros.

Well consider this....

In Minneapolis, The Minnesota Twins are constructing their new 42,000 seat, 1 million square-foot ballpark on just EIGHT ACRES of land in Downtown Minneapolis.

So I think the Dynamo, the city, and architects can find a way to make this site work for a 25,000 seat-max stadium that probably be less then 750,000 square feet.

1,000,000 square feet is 23 acres.

8 acres is 600 feet by 600 feet. A soccer field by itself is 360 feet by 240 feet. I don't see any way to get the whole thing into 8 acres.

But even if you accept the 600 feet by 600 feet size constraint, that's still a parcel two blocks by two blocks. With the light rail on Capitol, Rusk, and Harrisburg it is going to be tough to get a stadium in the area near Texas and Dowling. Especially when you look at the all the new townhouse development going on south of there.

I'm guessing it can be done but it is going to be tight.

I looked at the plans for the Twins ballpark. I think the "8 acre footprint" is a bit misleading. Part of that stadium is going to be built above the existing streets and highways so it will have an 8 acre footprint but the stadium itself will cover more total square footage. You are not going to be able to do that for a Dynamo stadium with the cost constraints that the team is willing to pay. The Twins stadium is going to cost $522 million so they can get much more creative in reducing the size of the footprint.

The light rail is going to present some problems with this area for a Dynamo Stadium.

The current plan has lines running down Capitol and Rusk with a spur going up to where Harrisburg splits off Texas.

That means that the intersection of Texas and Dowling is probably out, specifically, and means that the stadium would have to go in north or south of those streets. They will need 4 to 6 contiguous blocks to fit it in. If it goes north you get pinched off by the existing heavy rail line. If you go south you start running into new townhouse development.

Not being able to the use the Astros parking lot and the presence of existing and future rail line makes the area a lot tighter.

They may be able to squeeze the stadium in there in the triangle between the existing rail line, Harrisburg, and Capitol. Not sure who owns what in that area.

quick question:Are the ChivasUSA the same team/players that play in Mexico's league?

It is not.

Chivas USA is owned by Antonio Cue and Jorge Vergara who also own Chivas of Guadalajara in Mexico but it is not the same team or players. Chivas USA entered MLS last season and tried to field a team mostly made up of developmental players from the CD Guadalajara organization. That team finished last in the Western Conference of MLS. This year the team integrated itself more into MLS and brought in experienced players with much less regard to ethnicity. They moved up to 3rd place in the standings this season.