The Houston Astros are pumping new life into efforts to develop an area outside Minute Maid Park that could transform downtown parking lots into an entertainment and hospitality complex expected to draw visitors year-round.
Astros General Counsel Giles Kibbe revealed the project’s conceptual plans, which are still light on specifics and cost, during a State of Downtown presentation Thursday by the nonprofit Central Houston economic development organization. Work could begin in November 2024, Kibbe said.
The proposed project’s 2-acre site, bordered by Texas, Capitol, Hamilton and Avenida de las Americas, is at the southeastern corner of Minute Maid, across from the Home Plate South entrance to the ballpark. Astros affiliates own parcels there, at 1800 Texas and 618 Chenevert, that together are valued at about $9.6 million, according to Harris County deed records. The project is to be privately funded, Kibbe said.
The development could create an entertainment destination similar to Ballpark Village outside of Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, and The Battery Atlanta next to the Braves’ Truist Park. Those mixed-use developments, owned at least in part by the partners who control their respective ballclubs, attract visitors year-round for all types of events.
“This is for the city for decades,” Kibbe said. “We know how important this is for the city, and this is a lot bigger than the Astros.”
While similar to developments in St. Louis and Atlanta, Kibbe said, the Astros’ project would be unique to Houston.
The Astros are consulting with Houston real estate firm Hines, the same firm that helped develop the Toyota Center, which was seen as key to revitalizing downtown. And the team has hired Dallas-based HKS, the architecture firm that designed the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field, to help conceptualize a master plan for the project, Kibbe said.
Astros owner Jim Crane had discussed plans for such a complex in 2021, but the pandemic put them on hold. While the plan’s details are still being worked out, the project could include a 17-story, 300-room luxury hotel, Kibbe said in an interview Thursday.
Kibbe, without identifying a specific hotel brand, said he hopes it would be rated four stars or higher and include conference areas. Such a hotel could attract visiting teams, he said.
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“Our plan is hopefully all the baseball teams that are coming to Minute Maid are going to want to stay there, so in order to do that, you have to meet certain standards,” he said.
The hotel would be connected to an estimated 60,000 square feet of stores and to bars and restaurants that would include a mix of high-end and casual spots.
“On the side of Minute Maid, there’s going to be a massive jumbotron so people up and down the street could watch the game,” Kibbe added.
And although the team has yet to set a timeline for the project, Kibbe said, “we’re ready to go.”
The Astros’ lease with the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority at Minute Maid Park, renewed in 2018, runs through 2050.
