HOUSTON | Houston Astros / Minute Maid Park Mixed-Use Site | FT / M | FLOORS

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I placed this in highrise developments as though there's no current indication of the height or size of the buildings, it's generally understood by most following this that there will be least one highrise or skyscraper in the mix (the hotel).

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...nt-center.html

Houston Astros hope to break ground on connected hotel, entertainment center in the fall


By Chandler France – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Mar 24, 2023

The Houston Astros hope to start construction on a mixed-use project adjacent to Minute Maid Park as early as this fall.

Astros owner Jim Crane told the Houston Business Journal that the organization plans to build a hotel and entertainment center connected to the stadium. Crane said the development would be similar to The Battery Atlanta in Atlanta and Ballpark Village in St. Louis. Both developments feature a number of work and entertainment options adjacent to the stadiums of their Major League Baseball team counterparts.

The development will include a high-end, 4-star hotel, but the team has yet to secure a brand for the hotel, Crane said. The entertainment district is slated to include restaurants and an indoor tailgating area that can be used year-round. It will also include a walkway above the street, which will take guests directly to the club level of the ballpark.

The organization has hired an architecture firm and construction company for the project, Crane said, but the team did not confirm which companies it's working with prior to publication. Crane said the organization hopes to break ground on the project following the conclusion of the Astros’ season and that it could take about three years to complete. He added that the team might build the development in phases, with some parts of the entertainment district opening sooner than others.

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c/o Mary Benton on X

Exciting times ahead for downtown @HoustonTX and the @astros!
At today’s Central Houston State of Downtown meeting/luncheon, Giles Kibbe with the Astros’ confirmed team is building an entertainment district near Minute Maid Park. The groundbreaking should happen next year. ������

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...nt-center.html

Houston Astros unveil new details for hotel and entertainment center, slated to break ground in fall 2024

By Chandler France – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Nov 2, 2023

The Houston Astros officially unveiled more details about the organization’s planned hotel and entertainment center adjacent to Minute Maid Park.

The project will include a 17-story, 300-key hotel with approximately 60,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, Giles Kibbe, Astros senior vice president and general counsel, said at Central Houston Inc.’s 2023 State of Downtown meeting on Nov. 2. The team plans to break ground on the project by the end of 2024. The mixed-use project will be located on Texas Avenue directly adjacent to the Astros’ ballpark.

Astros owner Jim Crane told the Houston Business Journal in March that the team had hoped to break ground on the project this fall following the 2023 season. At the time, he said the development would be similar to The Battery Atlanta in Atlanta and Ballpark Village in St. Louis, which both feature a number of work and entertainment options adjacent to the stadiums of the cities' Major League Baseball teams.

“It’s a big project, and it’s something that’s really important to downtown Houston, the city of Houston and the Astros,” Kibbe told HBJ. “We need to get it moving, but we also need to make sure that we’re making all the right decisions and doing it responsibly."

There’s no construction timeline for the project yet, Kibbe said. Additionally, the Astros said the team does not have an estimated cost for the project yet. The organization doesn’t have a brand for the hotel yet and is still in the process of finding restaurant and retail tenants, Kibbe said.

The Astros are working with Houston-based Hines for development of the venue and Dallas-based HKS Architects for the master plan. The organization is in the process of selecting an architecture firm for the project, Kibbe said. The project is currently in the design development phase, he said.

The project has been a longtime plan of Crane’s, Kibbe said. The Astros bought a small piece of property on Texas Avenue and Hamilton Street in 2016 before completing the purchase of the entire city block in 2019, he said. The property, which is currently being used as a parking lot, is on the southeast corner of the stadium and totals 2.27 acres, according to Harris Central Appraisal District records.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...2I5Uf6VEbTlwgQ

Houston Astros’ mixed-use project to generate billions in economic impact for city

By Chandler France – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jul 10, 2024

The Houston Astros’ mixed-use entertainment district project planned next to Minute Maid Park is expected to be a significant driver of economic activity downtown.

The project — a 17-story, 300-key hotel plus approximately 60,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space — is expected to generate $5.7 billion in economic impact over 20 years, said Giles Kibbe, Astros senior vice president and general counsel. Kibbe described the project as transformational for downtown Houston as stakeholders continue to reimagine and revitalize the city’s core.

“We know that we will be designing and building it not just for the Astros, but for the city of Houston and for the convention center, as well,” Kibbe told the Houston Business Journal.

The project is expected to cost $327 million, Kibbe said. The Astros have requested economic development incentives from the city of Houston similar to what was approved in January 2020 for the proposed W Hotel and provided to the Marriott Marquis downtown. Houston First Corp. approved an estimated $42.6 million in state and local tax rebates for the W Hotel project just before the pandemic, while Houston City Council provided nearly $138 million in economic development incentives and tax rebate agreements for the Marriott Marquis, which opened in December 2016.

The Astros expect to begin construction in 2025 and complete the project over three years, Kibbe said.

Astros owner Jim Crane first told HBJ about the team’s plan for a mixed-use project adjacent to the ballpark in March 2023, saying at the time that the organization hoped to break ground at the end of 2023. The team unveiled additional details about the project in November 2023, saying that it expected to break ground after the Astros’ 2024 season.

Houston-based Hines is developing the mixed-use project, and Dallas-based HKS Architects is producing a master plan. The Astros are still working on an architectural design for the project and looking for a flag for the hotel.