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The Texans are hinting at a push for a brand-new football stadium, and of course, taxpayers would probably be forced to foot the bill. NRG Stadium won’t be paid off until around 2056, so does it make sense to build another one?
Charles Blaine, president of Urban Reform, says he can’t imagine that being a good idea. He said, “If you’re looking at your home budget, you would never think about taking on such a massive purchase when you’re still paying off the old one. And it’s not that old!”
All this comes after Texans owner Cal McNair announced that Mike Tomon, who has a long history of stadium development, would be the new team president. In the past, Tomon has worked with the NFL to develop new stadiums in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Buffalo.
Blaine says this could all be part of an effort by McNair and the Texans to pressure Harris County into covering the cost of some repairs and renovations at NRG. He said, “They’re definitely looking at, ‘If we ask for the big thing, we might get halfway there, which is to get our renovations covered.’ So without a doubt, that’s a part of the bargaining here.”
He thinks the Texans should simply step up and help pay for those renovations themselves, since the benefit to the team from being at NRG Park is so significant. He says, “The agreements really give them full rein over that property, and the county is restricted from doing the things they want to do on it. The deal for taxpayers is not that great here.”
Blaine also added that any potential benefits of funding a new stadium likely won’t offset the inevitable tax increases associated with building a large stadium.