shasta

We are developing more like an Asian city than an American one. We will have visible skyscraper nodes in many parts of the city.

We still need more walkable mixed-use elements to complement the museums, parks, and nearby residential. More restaurants and some retail would be nice to connect the buildings along Bissonnet/Binz.

I also notice that when the national networks broadcast a game from here (mostly Rockets or Astros) they'll do an aerial view over downtown AS IF it was live. I'l pause the shot, and almost ALL of the times- they are using stock footage of a previous aerial. How do i know? I can easily spot the buildings that are missing...some buildigns had been completed and the aerial shows a parking lot..ha

I seriously doubt that the city of Austin is making decisions that are best for University of Houston expansion into Austin, why do you guys act surprised when Houston is doing the same to protect the interests of its flagship public university?

Nope..UT didn't make my final cut, despite pressure from UT family members and YES..I had the grades to get in. You'd be surprised how many have turned down a scholarship/acceptance at UT-Austin to attend the University of Houston...there are more than you think. For me, UH's accredited Architecture program within a top 5 US city, with their picky sub 10% acceptance rate, turned out to be the best choice! UT understands that Houston is the most prolific educational market in the state and that the University of Houston is sitting in the cat birds seat, long term. They have advantages the other Texas cities just don't have. Give it a little time and Houston will have the BEST private school (Rice) and the BEST public school (UH) in the State of Texas........ just give it time. And for those paying attention, 46,000 students this fall is a new enrollment record and they are building enough dorms to someday claim the title of the most dorms on campus in any school in Texas. Imagine a campus with 60,000 students, with 20,000+ living on campus and served by a redeveloped Third Ward creating a College Campus environment inside the soon to be 3rd most populous city in the United States. Quite the shift!

If anything Austin is under-served.... Let's a build a University of Houston- Austin campus, a Texas A&M- Austin campus, and a Texas Tech- Austin campus...all within miles from the UT- Austin campus.

You answered your own question University of Illinois AT Chicago... There is a hierarchy within the system. The University of Houston (main Campus) is different...It is the FLAGSHIP campus in the University of Houston system. It will rise as high as it leaders want it to rise and has the location to rise. The University of Texas may chose to hold back, say, the University of Texas- San Antonio, because they do NOT want it to overshadow their flagship campus, the University of Texas - Austin. Another example...the flagship University of Alabama may hold back the University of Alabama- Birmingham for the same reason. Actually, they did vote to dissolve their football program to concentrate efforts into their flagship 'Bama but had to retract after the backlash. The only thing holding back the University of Houston was not allowing them access to the PUF but they have found a way around that.

Actually, the state not initially supporting their third largest public university is the missed opportunity for Houston. UH is almost 100 years old and with proper funding could be on par with UCLA or Boston College TODAY! Instead, they were treated like a stepchild and had to fund themselves and have worked very hard to put themselves in the argument of starting to belong in the class of a UCLA or a Boston College. So when another University system, one based in Austin, comes sniffing around you can bet the Alpha public school in Houston is going to fight an intruder TWO MILES from their campus. UT-Austin would do the same exact thing if Texas A&M, UH, or Texas Tech proposed building a campus a mile from theirs. They absolutely would! But the biggest misstep is with the state of Texas...They COULD have established a one or two Public University system and funneled them ALL through one of those two systems BUT they did NOT. Instead the protected two systems with the PUF (Permanent University Fund) and TOLD all others (UH, TTU, Sam, SFA, TX St., N Texas, etc.) to fend for themselves with limited help from the State. They also pitted the systems against each other. Compare this to the UC- system in California. So, UH did fend for themselves and has built a respectable system ON THEIR OWN...no PUF, no Land Grant money, very little from state sources so YES they are going to prevent competition....... while they continue to build the Infrastructure to become the BEST public school in the state of Texas. Houston is the prize spot for the best public school in the state........ location, location, location. There's a reason why Rice, located in Houston, is the best Private University in the State and in a generation, or two, the University of Houston WILL BE the best public school in the state of Texas. Just look at the projections, look at the money they can easily raise, and look at their connections IN what will be the third most populous city in the nation. UT can try but they can't stop the extremely high ceiling UH now realizes they have. And this post is a week in which they received an anonymous 50 million donation to attract the best professors in the country and they released the renderings for their new Medical School wing, on campus. Having the BEST public University in the state IS the OPPORTUNITY for Houston. Preventing UT expansion helps with that goal. Houston understands this. It's not possible to replicate the Houston synergy in Austin, College Station, or Lubbock.

Fair and square...lol. Did you not watch the actual state hearing where they admitted UNDER OATH that everything about the deal was under the table, without the proper approval, without the knowledge of the UT Board of Regents, and that their renderings clearly showed more than just a academic satellite? It was a Campus and they used PUF money to buy land OVER MARKET PRICE. Undesirable contaminated land and from a UT alum. Fair and Square...thanks for the laugh..lol Next you are going to tell me that the PUF is also fair and square and making Texas' "other" public Universities fend for themselves for the majority of their existence is perfectly acceptable. But I'll go along with your theory that competition is good....Texas A&M should definitely build a 'Texas A&M- Austin' Campus TWO MILES from UT- Austin....Austin should be lucky to support that....right? Where do I sign up?

Good ! It will be time for a celebration when this land is officially sold and that College in Austin fully realizes they cannot bully their way into a campus IN Houston.

Didn't that part of downtown used to be known as Frost Town? that would be cool if they brought that back.

I really don't know what developers are waiting for but the Third Ward could be the best tapped area in the city. It is close to downtown, it is in the loop, it is close to mass transit it is anchored by the third largest university in the state and many have eagerly been waiting for this area to properly develop for decades!! In my opinion, efficiencies for this low of a price is setting the bar pretty low. I envision this becoming another EADO in a decade or two. Look for developers to start to test the waters....imagine if it got an InTown Homes townhouse development, imagine a large mixed use project along Scott Street across from the campus. Imagine, a run on the lots with nice homes. This all could be reality. In know, the catchment area right now doesn't support development but many UH grads, professors, students, etc. have been waiting for the Third Ward to get its act together and catch up with the rest of the booming parts of the city. There is absolutely no reason why it shouldn't. Let's home this project starts the momentum...because it is happening ..just a matter of WHEN not IF.

Yep, Cities develop in layers...always have!

Currently under construction. Anyone have information or renderings of this. Are they building an upgraded prootype or their basic one? I haven't see anything and I'm thinking it could go either way since it is bordered by MidTown, Museum District & the Third Ward but I hope they realize the location potential and build a nicer one.

Don't forget the Ismaili Cultural Center which is supposed to be an Architectural landmark...they only select one city, per country, for their center.