A few years ago, Jim Crane bought the land Home Plate BBQ site on, with the intent of building a ballpark village mixed use development.
On January 6th, Home Plate BBQ quietly closed its doors and auctioned off its equipment. Since then, the entire site has been fenced in. The SP 982 steam engine is slated to be moved this week. The Cohn house will be moved temporarily next to 59 and MMP.
While the Astros haven’t publicly said anything, today demolition of Home Plate BBQ began. Considering the timing, I predict the Astros will announce their ballpark village plans during Astros Fan Fest.
Just to clear up some confusion, the land Tigereye is talking about is across Texas Street, where the Home Plate “Bar and Grill” used to be (down the street from where the BUS used to be). This is not the same as Jackson St. BBQ on the other side of the park at Congress and Jackson, which actually does sell barbecue.
The embedded tweets refer to Home Plate “BBQ” which confused me as I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that I’d consider edible at Home Plate Bar & Grill much less anything that seemed like barbecue. But, it’s a place to get a beer next to the stadium as was fine as long as nobody asked more of it.
“The development will include a high-end, 4-star hotel, but the team has yet to secure a brand for the hotel, Crane said. The entertainment district is slated to include restaurants and an indoor tailgating area that can be used year-round. It will also include a walkway above the street, which will take guests directly to the club level of the ballpark.
The organization has hired an architecture firm and construction company for the project, Crane said, but the team did not confirm which companies it’s working with prior to publication. Crane said the organization hopes to break ground on the project following the conclusion of the Astros’ season and that it could take about three years to complete. He added that the team might build the development in phases, with some parts of the entertainment district opening sooner than others”