[Urbannizer]

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Originally Posted by Houston Chronicle

Proposal would put new shine on Theater District

Now the city's tourism arm is proposing to transform the 17-block area that includes the Alley Theatre, Jones Hall, Hobby Center and the Wortham Theater Center over the next decade into a vibrant urban hub where inviting green space with surrounding cafes and restaurants allow patrons to wait out the grueling traffic with post-performance drinks or late-night snacks.

Colorful lights and projections would flash across the monolithic exterior walls of the theater buildings. It would be a place for festivals, outside performances and interactive art installations.

The work, with a preliminary price tag of $80 million for public infrastructure upgrades, would begin with an overhaul of Jones Plaza. Eventually, the huge concrete rectangle of Bayou Place might even be torn down to make way for a new hotel and smaller structures that wouldn't interrupt the flow of the district.

"The district is driven by the major performance halls, but when you look at the public spaces around it, they are pretty dysfunctional," said Bob Eury, executive director of Central Houston. "It's very clear that the Theater District needs to take introverted buildings and bring those halls out into the pedestrian realm."

He said real estate is scarce in the district and premium-priced, so planning how to use it is important.