State Sen. Whitmire takes aim at Astrodome improvements

The Astrodome is pictured next to NRG stadium ahead of the Super Bowl, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017 in Houston. A bill set to be introduced by Sen. John Whitmire would require voter approval for a $105 millionaire project to transform the Astrodome.

Keep going for more renderings of what that project would look like. less The Astrodome is pictured next to NRG stadium ahead of the Super Bowl, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017 in Houston. A bill set to be introduced by Sen. John Whitmire would require voter approval for a $105 millionaire ... more Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff Image 1 of / 59 Caption Close State Sen. Whitmire takes aim at Astrodome improvements 1 / 59 Back to Gallery

State Sen. John Whitmire said Friday he would introduce a bill next week that would require Harris County voters to approve a county project to renovate the Astrodome by raising its floors and installing parking underneath.

The bill, if passed, could effectively torpedo a $105 million project to raise the ground level two floors to fit in roughly 1,400 parking spaces.

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County officials had said when the proposal unveiled in September, the plan would make the Dome suitable for festivals or conferences and usher in potential commercial uses in the more than 550,000 square feet that surrounds the core.

It has been viewed as a potential saving grace for the aging stadium, designated earlier this year a state antiquities landmark.

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But Whitmire said he had concerns about taxpayer dollars going toward retrofitting the Dome, especially after county voters in 2013 rejected a $217 million bond proposal that would have paid for massive renovations to the Astrodome.

"I'm just going to say before you spend taxpayer dollars after you've had a referendum, you have to go back out and get voter approval," Whitmire said.

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This story is developing.

Brian Smith contributed to this report.