Houston Dynamo President and GM Oliver Luck says that if the team has not reached a deal for a downtown stadium by the end of the year then it will look elsewhere, writes Bernardo Fallas.
“It almost has to [happen soon],” Luck said Wednesday. “If it doesn’t happen by the end of the year, if there is no resolution by the end of the year, quite honestly we’ll have to go to plan B, whatever that is.” He said he doesn’t know what the backup plan is, but, according to Fallas, “speculated it may involve [team owner] AEG moving the team to the suburbs, where land is cheaper and local governments are more willing to invest on an attraction.”
“We have a window now up until the end of the year, where we can get this thing done despite the economic challenges that exist in the market place,” Luck said. “I’m pretty confident, and also because the elections are over; there isn’t any political grandstanding that is going on.”
Last spring, AEG boss Tim Leiweke said the team could strike a deal in the suburbs “yesterday.” The team and the City of Houston are trying to get Harris County to contribute to a $110 million, 22,000-seat soccer stadium, with AEG having pledged to “carry the brunt of the financing, a figure that would top $80 million.” Texas Southern University is also willing to invest in the stadium in exchange for the rights to use it for gridiron.