HOUSTON -- After the Texas Stadium implosion some Houstonians are wondering why it has taken so long for Houston to make up its mind about the aging Astrodome.
"They were going to turn it into a hotel. They were going to turn it into a parking garage. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, but they haven't done anything," said Houston resident Stephen Dillon.
Just fifteen months after the last game at Texas Stadium the building is down and the land being readied for new development.
Here in Houston it has been a decade since the Astrodome served an official purpose.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said there is a reason why the Texas Stadium plan formed and moved quickly.
"That was a single-purpose stadium for a single team sandwiched between two freeways. It had no other purpose. The Astrodome is much more iconic," he said.
Without that distinction it would be long gone, he said. Instead, it costs taxpayers millions in upkeep and debt payments.
"People are right to say it really is time to put up or shut up on this deal and make something happen," Emmett said.
The latest pitch is using part of the building as a math, science and technology institute, keeping the open space public as a place for festivals and other activities and leaving open the rest of the building for development.
"That would be great, it really would, and it would pull people into Houston," Houston resident Lillie Starks said.
None of the people 11 News talked to Wednesday night would mind if the building was raised, but not without reservations.
"All the major cities are just cookie cutter now. That is one thing that stands out in Houston," said Houston resident Robert Burgess.
