Texans Seek German Help In New Uses For Astrodome

BRAND, Germany (AP) — Some Texans have traveled to Germany and toured a hangar-turned-theme park south of Berlin to get tips on possible new uses for the Astrodome.

The delegation from Houston on Monday checked out the facility amid plans to redevelop the Astrodome, which has been closed since 2009.

The Tropical Island park gets more than a million visitors annually. The site in Brand, Germany, has water slides, beaches, pools and saunas.

The 55,000 plants at the location fit with a plan to turn the Astrodome into an indoor park with surrounding green space.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett says taking a building twice the size of the Astrodome and repurposing it like that certainly shows it can be done.