$105 million Astrodome parking project gets green light

The Astrodome has been vacant for years as officials and voters have considered and rejected a series of plans for new uses and renovation for the world's first domed sports stadium. The Astrodome has been vacant for years as officials and voters have considered and rejected a series of plans for new uses and renovation for the world's first domed sports stadium. Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close $105 million Astrodome parking project gets green light 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

Harris County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday morning to move forward with a major renovation project that could keep the Astrodome from being demolished for years to come.

The $10.5 million approved Tuesday is the first piece of a $105 million project that would raise the floor of the Astrodome two levels and put 1,400 parking spaces underneath. County officials believe that 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.

READ MORE: See what the inside of the Astrodome looks like today

Tuesday's vote signals a reversal of fate for the stadium which many thought would be demolished after Harris County voters in 2013 rejected a $217 million bond proposal that would have paid for massive renovations to the Astrodome.

The stadium, which was home to the Oilers and Astros and hosted countless major sporting events, including four of boxing great Muhammad Ali's fights, has sat vacant since being declared unfit for occupancy in 2009. In 2005, it housed refugees of Hurricane Katrina.

The Astrodome has not housed a professional sports team since the Astros moved to Minute Maid Park in 2000. Two years later, NRG Stadium opened nearby to serve as the home of the NFL's Texans.

READ MORE: What $105 million buys for the Astrodome

About one-third of the $105 million project, or roughly $35 million, would come from the county's general fund, made up largely of property tax revenue.

Another third would come from hotel taxes, with the remaining third coming from county parking revenues. These new covered spaces inside the Dome could generate top dollar.

READ MORE: Rounding up nearly two decades of Astrodome ideas from the practical to the absurd

The general fund component, around $30 million, is roughly equivalent to the amount the county estimates it would cost to demolish the Dome. In other words, money the county would have to spend even if it wanted to get rid of the facility.

Currently, the Dome costs close to $170,000 a year to maintain, county budget officials have said.