The Harris County Commissioners Court has approved a memorandum of understanding with the Houston Texans for their planned new facility in the Cypress area. It’s set to become their new world headquarters and training center.
Details on the new development are still scarce, but according to reporting from ABC-13, it’s set to span around 88 acres, and County Judge Lina Hidalgo has indicated that it could wind up costing Harris County taxpayers around $150 million.
Criticism is already mounting regarding that price tag. Former Houston City Council Member Greg Travis predicts it will be a waste of money. “Never, in any community, do the stadiums pay off,” he said, “and in this case, it’s a training facility! It’s not gonna pay off. Everybody thinks it’s gonna make their area better. I don’t see how it’s gonna make it better.”
He went on to say that there are cheaper ways for the county to help the Texans build their new facility. “They can sit there and say, ‘This is a big enough deal for us—we will help you with permitting. We will assign you one person so you don’t have to keep coming back and screwing around,’” Travis explained. “Because permitting is the big hang-up.”
Travis also pointed out that if these sports developments were really as profitable as they claim, private investors would be lining up to help build them and would eliminate the need for government involvement.