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Third Ward Housing Projects


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What do you guys think about the city of Houston owned housing project Cunney Homes right by TSU at Alabama and Tierwester. It has been a breeding ground for crime and drug dealing for decades but has noticeably improved over the years. What will the future hold for this and other housing projects?

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When it was renovated about 10 years ago, I thought it would be a great place for student housing.

I still think it's a great location for UH/TSU student housing. Speaking of which, I remember seeing about 6 months ago a new apartment complex on Alabama west of Cuney Homes. A very small place, maybe 6-10 units. I think it had just opened earlier this year (maybe in late spring or over the summer?) I haven't driven by it lately.

As for Cuney Homes itself, it looks pretty well kept. I don't know about the crime in the area, as I don't spend any time there. I have a friend who got her dog there...it was tied up to the leasing office. Apparently it's a common place to get rid of unwanted pets. :angry:

Anyways...as a UH alum, I dream of the area along Alabama and the neighborhood off of Cullen between Elgin and I-45 being turned into a young college-student-dominated area.

Maybe over time, the light rails down Scott and down Wheeler (or Alabama?) will improve the situation there. Scott Street itself, especially adjacent to UH and towards OST, is much improved over where it was 10-15 years ago. I think UH, TSU, and Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church have been instrumental in the upgrades.

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yeah, it would have been nice to have a "friendlier" campus area while at UH. getting past its reputation as a commuter school will be tough, though

Things are looking up around campus. A number of things to make the campus a more "livable" place:

You've got the new restaurants and retail that have opened in the last year on Scott Street (across from Robertson Stadium).

New restaurants and retail will be open in Spring 2006 on the ground floor of the new parking garage (in front of the Towers/Hilton Hotel on Calhoun).

There is a new Einstein Brothers Bagel shop built into the ground floor of the PGH building.

The recent Student Wellness Center is one of the best in the nation...I believe it's got a Smoothie King and convenience store inside.

The new library expansion is magnificent. I understand there is (or will be?) a coffee shop inside.

There are also plans for a retail center on Calhoun at University.

Not to mention the additional residential housing on campus...I think they've added an additional 1,000 - 1,500 on-campus residents in the last year or two with the Bayou Oaks (Calhoun at MacGregor) and Cullen Oaks (Cullen near MacGregor) facilities.

It's amazing the number of new buildings and amenities built at UH since I left there almost 10 years ago. We just need to keep bringing more student residents to the campus and things will keep getting better and better.

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i had no idea all that stuff was in the works!

i have a class every other week at the MD Anderson library, so i have seen the expansion/renovation there, but i'll have to make the rounds a little further down the road...

i am starting not to recognize parts of the campus (like in front of PGH). i'll be interested to see what the finished product is like.

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Everything I here about UofH shows me it's great institution. I think UofH could become a great urban school. I think the LRT will help the area tremendously.

That area of town is in the sites of some developers for gentrification.

OTC, you should keep up with the updates as you see them.

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Wasn't Cuney Homes originally built as the African-American counterpart to San Felipe Courts?

Last time I was through there they didn't look that bad, but I still think that area has a long way to go before the UH/TSU campuses can be better integrated into the neighborhood. It's great that there's a lot of new development at UH, but it probably won't do a lot to change the dynamics that make it primarily a commuter school.

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Every time UH builds new dorms, they fill up right away.

The commuter thing is slowly changing. Not that there is anything wrong with not living on campus in a city as dynamic as Houston. Some schools you HAVE to live on campus or die of boredom.

Founded in 1927 and now the third largest univesrity in the state, it has come a long way in a short time.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am a UH graduate school graduate and think UH is definitely a really good state school with a unwarranted bad rap for the most part amoung Houstonians. I am glad to see it taking big strides to build its academic creditials and also improve the overall quality of the university and its degree plans.

That being said...UH could be a lot better and more desirable university if it wasn't smack dab in the middle of the hood. If it were on the west side of downtown, it would have done wonders for its development. I don't think that it is unsafe or anything of that nature, but it is very shady all around the university. I am not sure I'd want my child living in the slums surrounding the university. In time it might get better, but i don't really think that area between 288 and UH will ever develop into anyting but a hood.

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RayLSU, why dont u think the area will ever develop into anything but a hood?

I drive around the area often, there are several small development projects, like 10 or so residential units being put in right off Holman and some off Alabama both west of UH campus. Anybody see any development going on? if so where? There is a whooole lot of vacant land and unoccupied teardowns in the area. Anyone have knowledge of developers' plans? The location is great, but then again there is many years worth of land supply in the east and southeast areas of downtown. I see the area developing, if for no other reason than the fact that once the properties become so delapidated, there is no choice but to develop them, otherwise they just sit there accruing taxes. I think the city and county should bring tax incentives for the area and really help integrate the UH campus back into the whole city by promoting development in the area. The planned rail will help too

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Have you guys ever noticed that the Habitat House that they build down here don't look as good as the ones they build up north?

I was watching a show the other night (I think 20/20) and they should some habitat houses up north.

They where two stories tall, brick and very nice. Then I thought, why come they don't build the ones in the south like that.

These are the ones that they usually build in the South

Project%20End_jpg.jpg

Here are the kind they build up North, but with brick.

The ones I saw on TV where brick and very urban.

But you know what kind will go up in Houston, the kind that are in the first picture.

Habitat%20House%20-%20Joe%20Galvan%20installing%20siding.jpg

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odd - i didn't know the houses up north were so different...i helped build one on the northeast side a few years ago, and it was just like the first one pictured - very plain yet functional.

Yeah, just because there for habitat doesn't mean they have to look like that. Why don't they build them in an urban why that way everyone is happy. Those ones in the top picture don't belong in a city the size of Houston. There ok for small towns, but they don't match whats going on in Houston.

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I think Third Ward will start seeing a lot of redevelopment in the next couple of decades. The townhouses have already crossed 288 but it remains to be seen how quickly they'll start marching east. West of Dowling could go townhouse quickly as there's a lot of teardowns and vacant lots. You know that developers are already sniffing around where the University line will run, Washington Terrace could start getting cleaned up and, with Riverside Terrace holding up nicely and the McMansions that are going up off of OST, that area could really end up leaving just patches of the old-time ghetto mixed in with the requisite affordable housing-type projects like Habitat and apartments.

I think the gauge for how quickly the area is improving/declining is to count the liquor stores.

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www.mgaia.com

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This is what I alwayz thought project housing was supposed to look like. It looks like the Galveston developer actully put time out to make something higher quality than something just simple and demoralizing as that one South-side project pic earlier.

If they started building project housing in a way similar to this picture in Houston itself, I think there would be a lesser chance of it becoming rundown. I can see the people living there actually have pride for their city and their homes.

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Those Galveston houses look great, but I believe everyone is forgetting the purpose of Habitat For Humanity. They are built by volunteers, so the brick is a big added expense that can't be done correctly by volunteer labor.

I don't think the people who get a Habitat home are demoralized. This may be the first home they ever owned, and almost certainly is the first new home they've lived in. Compared to what was on the lot previously, Habitat homes are castles. The Habitat homes built in Houston match the lot, building style and neighborhoods of Houston. And they are efficient. Nothing wrong with them.

BTW, citykid should be banned from using the term "urban". It is clear from his use of the word, he doesn't know what it means.

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I don't think that it is unsafe or anything of that nature, but it is very shady all around the university. I am not sure I'd want my child living in the slums surrounding the university. In time it might get better, but i don't really think that area between 288 and UH will ever develop into anyting but a hood.

I just *love* it when people say UH is "surrounded" by "shady" areas. Have you ever driven south of the university, or even to the west of it down Wheeler towards TSU? Not a bit shady...to the west you've got solid middle class neighborhoods around TSU, and to the south you've got upper class neighborhoods (University Oaks and Riverside Terrace).

There are VERY nice neighborhoods immediately adjacent to UH...like $200,000 homes across the street from UH, and $500,000 - $800,000 homes a couple of blocks away. There are also some poor areas adjacent to UH, no doubt. I just always wonder why people see the poor folks, but not the rich folks. UH is always described as "in the hood", not "in a very exclusive neighborhood", even though there are equal parts of each surrounding UH.

What I'm saying is, it is NOT "very shady all around the university", as you say, Ray. There are some very nice areas, some middle class areas, and yes, some areas that you've got to watch your back in. But take it from someone who lives nearby, it's not as bad as every makes it out to be. I think a lot of the reputation has more to do with the racial makeup of the area, and yes, outright racism, whether subconcious or not.

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I might not go for a stroll down Scott at 2:00am, but I wouldn't go for a strool down Stanford or Van Buren, either.

Either way, you are asking for trouble.

Agreed.

So why is it that UH is "in the hood", while the areas around Stanford and Van Buren are "highly sought after neighborhoods". Home prices are about the same, or higher, in certain neighborhoods around UH.

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where demographics are concerned, people are flat-out racist.

So why is it that UH is "in the hood", while the areas around Stanford and Van Buren are "highly sought after neighborhoods". Home prices are about the same, or higher, in certain neighborhoods around UH.
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Those Galveston houses look great, but I believe everyone is forgetting the purpose of Habitat For Humanity. They are built by volunteers, so the brick is a big added expense that can't be done correctly by volunteer labor.

I don't think the people who get a Habitat home are demoralized. This may be the first home they ever owned, and almost certainly is the first new home they've lived in. Compared to what was on the lot previously, Habitat homes are castles. The Habitat homes built in Houston match the lot, building style and neighborhoods of Houston. And they are efficient. Nothing wrong with them.

BTW, citykid should be banned from using the term "urban". It is clear from his use of the word, he doesn't know what it means.

RedScare brings up a kickass point. Habitat for Humanity does a GREAT job with their work. Only problem is that they can only use what resources they have. I'm sure you'd see more Galveston-styled project housing if they were given that kind of funding for a city our size.

The problem isn't them. The problem is that they could use more help financially I think.

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  • 1 year later...
Anyways...as a UH alum, I dream of the area along Alabama and the neighborhood off of Cullen between Elgin and I-45 being turned into a young college-student-dominated area.

I would like to see the young college-student dominated area as well. What all do you feel will have to go into creating this area? Do you know if UH started to purchase land in this area off Cullen between Elgin and I-45 to promote this idea? I would hope so. Just brainstorm with me if you would.

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http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/rptcard/1996/drc675.html

TSU-HISD Lab School is/was located in the housing project.

The project itself is zoned to (Houston ISD):

* Blackshear Elementary School

* Ryan Middle School

* Yates High School

VicMan, you amaze me with the school stuff. A test for you, what schools would my kids be zoned to if they were attending public school? We live in Champions.

What all do you feel will have to go into creating this area?

The deaths of a lot of old people. This area has a high population of elderly. Would have to wait until they either sell or die then perhaps this dream of college world will happen.

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VicMan, you amaze me with the school stuff. A test for you, what schools would my kids be zoned to if they were attending public school? We live in Champions.

I know you are in Cy-Fair ISD.

Now, the exact school zoning depends on the actual address of the house.

One house on HAR in "Champions" is zoned to Yeager ES, Bleyl MS, and Cy-Creek HS

How do I know this? http://transfinderi.com/address.asp?cid=CFI02966337550

Many districts have school locators that tell me where given addresses are zoned for school. Houston ISD has one too :)

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I know you are in Cy-Fair ISD.

Now, the exact school zoning depends on the actual address of the house.

One house on HAR in "Champions" is zoned to Yeager ES, Bleyl MS, and Cy-Creek HS

How do I know this? http://transfinderi.com/address.asp?cid=CFI02966337550

Many districts have school locators that tell me where given addresses are zoned for school. Houston ISD has one too :)

Very good man. Those are the schools, all 3 of them ;);)

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