The Houston Astros are one step closer to turning their long-discussed vision outside Daikin Park into reality, though the latest piece of land comes with more baggage than most.
According to deed records reviewed by The Real Deal, Dugout Properties, an entity associated with the Astros, purchased the Salvation Army’s Center for Hope at 1717 Congress Street. The 0.6-acre property sits directly across from Daikin Park and has served as a shelter for men along with programs supporting veterans and people experiencing homelessness since the Salvation Army acquired it in 1988.
The purchase advances the Astros’ plans for a mixed-use entertainment district announced in 2023 through a partnership with Houston-based developer Hines. The proposed development includes a 17-story hotel with roughly 300 rooms, 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and an open-air gathering area where fans could watch games year-round on a large screen.
According to the Houston Business Journal, the project is projected to generate $5.7 billion in economic impact over 20 years. Jim Crane originally targeted a 2024 groundbreaking, but construction has yet to begin.
The complicated part: The Astros Foundation has long counted the Salvation Army among its charitable partners. Just last year, the Foundation’s Diamond Dreams Gala raised $2.1 million, with proceeds benefiting the Salvation Army in support of the Foundation’s homelessness reduction initiatives. The organization is now selling its shelter to make way for the project.
The Astros began assembling land around the ballpark in 2016 and have gradually expanded their footprint around the surrounding blocks. The entertainment district has been pitched as a year-round destination connecting Daikin Park with the Toyota Center, George R. Brown Convention Center, and Discovery Green.
“Our goal is it’s an attractive area year-round, not just on game days, and it’ll be a really great, happening venue,” Astros senior vice president and general counsel Giles Kibbe said when the project was announced. “If you want to go to a public place to watch a sporting event, this is going to be the spot to go to.”
No construction timeline has been announced.
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