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University of Houston Downtown Campus Developments


Guest danax

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Guest danax

Bizjournal article

It's easy to forget that we have an independent university downtown UH-D / UHD with over 11,000 students. Once the rail line goes into the Near North, and with student housing there too, could that immediate area north of the campus become the beginnings of a University village, something that the main UH really doesn't have?

If not another Westwood next to UCLA, it should at least add another ingredient to the new, improved recipe for renewal in that area.

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Wow..this is pretty sweet! Plus..imagine if they could expand UHD a bit more in size, and we could have a really massive university community downtown that could support more retail, and entertainment venues...(UT, anyone?)

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Bizjournal article

could that immediate area north of the campus become the beginnings of a University village, something that the main UH really doesn't have?

Do you know anything about UH main or what they have built there in the last 5 years? Including new apartments, a greek row, student/ athletic centers, and many more? Not to mention the next light rail extension while be along Scott street. UHD is still light years away from the main campus.

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Guest danax

Bizjournal article

could that immediate area north of the campus become the beginnings of a University village, something that the main UH really doesn't have?

Do you no anything about UH main or what they have built there in the last 5 years? Including new apartments, a greek row, student/ athletic centers, and many more? Not to mention the next light rail extension while be along Scott street. UHD is still light years away from the main campus.

The last time I drove by there was about a month ago, down Elgin, and all I saw was the little strip center and McDonald's. That's not my idea of a student village, which to me means a retail district designed to cater to the student population. I didn't know about these new residences you've mentioned and maybe that will cause some more development along those lines.

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The last time I drove by there was about a month ago, down Elgin, and all I saw was the little strip center and McDonald's. That's not my idea of a student village, which to me means a retail district designed to cater to the student population. I didn't know about these new residences you've mentioned and maybe that will cause some more development along those lines.

there's plenty of good student areas that i had no idea existed until i started going there (UH Main). there's the university center, satellites and underground, the new athletic complex is amazing, and there is a new greek row south on calhoun.

i always thought of UH as completely a commuter school, but its really not.

UH Housing

UH Dining and student centers

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The last time I drove by there was about a month ago, down Elgin, and all I saw was the little strip center and McDonald's. That's not my idea of a student village, which to me means a retail district designed to cater to the student population. I didn't know about these new residences you've mentioned and maybe that will cause some more development along those lines.

Everytime I go to downtown on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, there is very few people there, 3/4 of the restaurants and retail are closed. I guess, I'm also waiting for new residences downtown to rejuvinate that area as well.

But, UH has gone through a minor building boom here recently.

I guess you've seen the new Cesar Pelli building on Elgin but have you seen the other projects?

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Guest Professional Hornblower

My grandson goes to UHD and they are projecting that it will be the 197th largest university by 2025. It will pass Marshall Community College (West Campus) in Marshall, TX within the next 5-7 years, if the restroom addition gets passed.

OK so I'm joking but seriously, UH main is far and beyond UHD.

UH main has built the State-of-the-Art fitness center, a $60M Cesar Pelli building for science, a $36M dollar new theater that will be constructed between Elgin & 45. A police building, Channel 8 building, multiple fraternity houses in a cluster. 35,000 students attend the school. Five of which aren't really "students" just slackers. I used to blow my horn all night long in Hoffheinz Pavilion for all the Regents. They paid me $1 each time I blew. And if they paid me $20, I'd sit in their lap and blow. OK I'm kidding but really the school has improved 10-fold since I've been there back in the early 60's.

And to the guy who said he "Drove down elgin and saw a stripper"....well Elgin isn't really the whole campus, just to let you know. You know you might want to turn off of Elgin and actually enter the campus and walk around and actually make a judgement, instead of just driving by every 5 years on your way to MacGregor park and going "yep...still sUHcks."

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Guest danax
And to the guy who said he "Drove down elgin and saw a stripper"....well Elgin isn't really the whole campus, just to let you know.  You know you might want to turn off of Elgin and actually enter the campus and walk around and actually make a judgement, instead of just driving by every 5 years on your way to MacGregor park and going "yep...still sUHcks."

I was referring to the retail that would constitute a "university village". As for the school, I do know that they built that massive health center and I hear the opera house is world-class. It looks like they are trying to move up the ranks of respected universities. I don't know if it's reputation as a commuter college is still accurate or not but there's not much of a supporting retail scene as far as I can see.

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Oh, yeah I forgot about another project. Have you seen the plans for the new parking garage at entrance #1- It is going to be mixed use garage- A 'Chicago' style garage that looks like a building but is actually a mix of an outer shell of retail and office space with a inner shell of parking garage. It should add your desired density and retail.

Seriously, take a Sunday afternoon to walk around the campus- you can even feed the squirrels if you'd like.

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What is it about colleges that so often attracts the worst elements.  Almost every college I have visited or attended has always been surrounded by crap neighborhoods.

Maybe you're just familiar with Texas schools. You obviously have never visited some of the best schools out east and west. All the Ivey League schools are pretty much in very affluent areas. and that is the tip of the iceberg. On the west coast I've visited UCLA, UCSD and Stanford and the area they are in are beautiful.

I think you'll find school location falling into all sort of areas across the spectrum.

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Even LSU in Baton Rouge is in an affluent neighbor hood with 100 year old oaks and stately homes. Due north of the Campus going into downtown gets a little worse.

I think the region around UH is due for a major boom soon. It will become a targe for rennovation especially when the light rail moves through it.

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washington univ in st. louis, is a beautiful campus, similar to rice. there were over 10 cases of people being mugged at gunpoint in my years there that i heard about with a couple being friends of mine, all walking from campus. we're bordered by a bad neighborhood, and a lot of student apartments were right on the edge in university city.

but we're also bordered by a nice little neighborhood and forest park (bigger version of hermann park).

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Maybe you're just familiar with Texas schools. You obviously have never visited some of the best schools out east and west. All the Ivey League schools are pretty much in very affluent areas. and that is the tip of the iceberg. On the west coast I've visited UCLA, UCSD and Stanford and the area they are in are beautiful.

I think you'll find school location falling into all sort of areas across the spectrum.

You're in Texas now, boy.

:D

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Not all local universities are in bad areas. Look at Rice! And the University of St. Thomas is surrounded by some pretty expensive real estate.

My alma matter was fronted by a boulevard once filled with grand Victorian homes (unfortunately only a handful are left). Beyond this street were fairly nice middle class neighborhoods. However, when it came to the neighborhood on the back side of the campus, calling it a ghetto would be too nice. It was worse than that. Fortunately the college, which was private with ample endowment funds, was able to buy out just about all of the houses for six or seven blocks bordering the campus on the two "bad" sides, tear down the ones that weren't worth salvaging, and renovate the rest. Those were then rented to faculty, staff, and students. The city streets were left intact and the area wasn't officially part of the campus, but by the college owning all of the houses and empty lots (which they resodded and kept mowed), the entire area benefited, and campus police patrols at night through the neighborhood made the entire area around the college safer. Today some of the neighborhoods around the school are the most desirable in town.

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