Free Republic

City Council on Wednesday gave a cool response to Mayor Annise Parker's plan to sell the former site of the Compaq Center to Lakewood Church for $7.5 million, the first hint of discord between the newly elected mayor and the 14-member council. The numerous questions — ranging from whether the 606,050-square-foot building was worth far more to why the proposal was not vetted more thoroughly — threw into doubt a sale that Parker needs to close a lingering budget gap before the end of the year. Parker said that if further vetting does not bring council around to the idea,...

The city is poised to sell the former Compaq Center to Lakewood Church for $7.5 million, one of a string of real estate sales city officials hope to realize to help close a lingering budget shortfall. City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed sale Wednesday, which would end a 30-year lease signed in 2001 by the megachurch's leader and television paster Joel Osteen. Lakewood... made a lump sum $11.8 million pre-payment for the lease to use the 606,000-square-foot building — former home to the Houston Rockets — which sits on seven acres in Greenway Plaza area along the...