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Baylor St. Lukes McNair Campus & Health Sciences Park


Lulleah

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  • 4 weeks later...
How many acres are there in downtown ?

Acres wasn't what I meant by footprint; anyway, acres would be a strange comparison since so many acres in both the Med Center and Downtown are still used as surface parking. But the helpful link above says that TMC has 37Msf of space either built, under construction, or in the pre-groundbreaking pipeline (unclear whether this included the Baylor project this thread is about); http://www.colliers.com/Content/Repositori...rket_Report.pdf

says that downtown's space is 37Msf. That doesn't mean TMC is on the brink of outgrowing downtown, because this second figure doesn't include the handful of residential towers and conversions and a decent number of hotels, plus retail, a couple of educational institutions, and new development in the pipeline. City Hall, Police, courts, and so forth are there too. But I would guess the total built footprint doesn't rise above 50Msf unless you start including prisons.

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Acres wasn't what I meant by footprint; anyway, acres would be a strange comparison since so many acres in both the Med Center and Downtown are still used as surface parking. But the helpful link above says that TMC has 37Msf of space either built, under construction, or in the pre-groundbreaking pipeline (unclear whether this included the Baylor project this thread is about); http://www.colliers.com/Content/Repositori...rket_Report.pdf

says that downtown's space is 37Msf. That doesn't mean TMC is on the brink of outgrowing downtown, because this second figure doesn't include the handful of residential towers and conversions and a decent number of hotels, plus retail, a couple of educational institutions, and new development in the pipeline. City Hall, Police, courts, and so forth are there too. But I would guess the total built footprint doesn't rise above 50Msf unless you start including prisons.

Downtown Houston has well over 50 Msf of built and under construction/development space, even without prisons. As you said, that 37Msf number excludes all of the hotels, retail, residential towers and conversions, education institutions, city hall and other city buildings, court houses, police hq, or new developments in the pipeline. Also excluded are baseball stadiums, basketball arenas, , performing arts halls, churches, or convention centers (GRB alone adds 1Msf+). ALSO probably not included in that 37Msf are owner-occupied buildings, such as the Exxon tower, and the Chevron Building at 1500 Louisiana. (I cannot find Collier's explanation of their numbers but I think most of the office market reports do not include owner-occupied buildings.) Add in all of the small buildings and I'm pretty sure we'd get over 50Msf.

Collier's Office Market: 37.1 Msf

GRB: 1.2

Toyota Center: .75

Civil Justice Center: .6

Criminal Justice Center: .75

MinuteMaid Park: 1.25

Hilton Americas: 1.3

Hobby Center: .27

Wortham Center: .44

Bayou Place: .13

Houston Pavilions: .55

MainPlace: 1

Discovery Tower: .6 +

Police HQ: .6

Metro HQ: .3

Old Humble HQ (Marriott) .5

Houston Public Works Bldg .7

Federal Courthouse .5

Mickey Leland Fed Bldg .35

Magnolia Hotel .25

Shops @ Houston Ctr .2+

One Park Place .5+

That already gets us to 49.84Msf. It's safe to say that the rest of the downtown structures not already counted would far exceed 160,000sf to put us over the 50Msf mark. It seems pretty likely we're closer to 60Msf.

Here are just a few of the missing relatively major structures:

City Hall

City Hall Annex

Central Public Library (2 buildings)

Hyatt Regency

The rest of the County Courthouse complex

Inn at the Ballpark

Sheraton Hotel/Omni Hotel

Crowne Plaza Hotel

Four Seasons Hotel

Downtown Club (Houston Center, Plaza, and The Met locations)

multiple churches and associated buildings

St. Joseph's Hospital

Edited by Houston19514
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KHOU, Channel 11, ran a story last Thursday dealing with construction noise eminating from Tellepsen contractors on the BCM new hospital. http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/kho...e.aac17d6c.html

As I read the City of Houston Code of Ordinances,

"Chapter 30 NOISE AND SOUND LEVEL REGULATION*

Sec. 30-6. Maximum permissible sound levels.

(a) In addition to the violations established by the preceding sections of this chapter, no person shall conduct, permit, or allow any activity or sound source to produce a sound discernible at any location beyond the property lines of the property on which the sound is being generated that when measured as provided in section 30-7 of this Code exceeds the applicable dB(A) level listed below for the property on which the sound is received:

(1) Residential property:

a. 65 dB(A) during daytime hours.

b. 58 dB(A) during nighttime hours.

(2) Nonresidential property: 68 dB(A) at all times.

Any sound that exceeds the dB(A) levels set forth in this section under the conditions and measurement criteria set forth in this chapter is a violation of this chapter. Evidence that an activity or sound source produces a sound that exceeds the dB(A) levels specified in this section shall be prima facie evidence of a sound nuisance that unreasonably disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of others in violation of this chapter.

(B) Regardless of the measurable dB(A) level established above and measured as provided in section 30-7, below, the generator of any sound of such a nature as to cause persons occupying or using any property other than the property upon which the sound is being generated to be aware of sympathetic vibrations or resonance caused by the sound shall also be prima facie evidence of a sound that unreasonably disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of others in violation of this chapter.(Ord. No. 01-945,

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Well, go ahead and report it and let us know what it's like.

While NIMBY's don't usually get any support or much sympathy from me, it's the ones that whine to everyone else but the proper authorities when they're within their right is what aggravates me.

Just put up with the construction, it's not going to last forever.

A good example is the Museum tower in the Montrose. It backs right up against a community and now their neighborhood is now not only more quiet, but also much more secure.

It'll work out much better in a few months after construction moves over in a different section and you'll be better off. it just won't seem like it.

Edited by ricco67
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Well, go ahead and report it and let us know what it's like.

While NIMBY's don't usually get any support or much sympathy from me, it's the ones that whine to everyone else but the proper authorities when they're within their right is what aggravates me.

I did report it a couple of weeks ago to the HPD when the construction noise was beginning about 6:30 am. A patrolwomen came and spoke to Tellepsen site manager who said they only report to Baylor. My question is, "Can construction noise (and at what decible level) begin before 7am?"

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My question is, "Can construction noise (and at what decible level) begin before 7am?"

no - not before 7am. and during the day, it must be limited to 85 decibels at your property line.

it is in section 30-9(e):

http://www.houstontx.gov/codes/codes30.pdf

Lisa Gray at the Chron wrote a couple of articles about noise recently. seems that folks living in unincorporated areas don't have much recourse at all, while in Houston, our regulations are pretty strict.

Edited by sevfiv
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  • 1 month later...

On October 30th that 60-year-old urban forest of healthy live-oak and pine trees that inhabited the former Parkwood site officially bit the dust. The developer saved a few around the edges. Cambridge Street between OST and Holcombe has reopened and construction seems to be progressing on the bayou bridge north of Holcombe. A large concrete structure is well underway at the far northeastern edge of the Baylor property. There seems to be sitework on the large empty lot facing Cambridge one block south of Holcombe, in Devonshire. The foundations for a number of townhouses have been poured a block west of there.

The tree removal has opened a new and somewhat ominous view of the south side of the main TMC campus. It seems much closer to OST than before. (The view I'm speaking of is looking north from the corner of Cambridge Street and Old Spanish Trail.) I'm not a treehugger but I hate it that all those trees are gone. If any of you can remember what the SW corner of Richmond and Kirby looked like before that strip center was built (late 70s?) you have an idea what the much larger Parkwood parcel looked like after the apartments were removed.

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The tree removal has opened a new and somewhat ominous view of the south side of the main TMC campus. It seems much closer to OST than before. (The view I'm speaking of is looking north from the corner of Cambridge Street and Old Spanish Trail.)
Yep, I noticed that effect a couple days ago while shopping; although I personally wouldn't call it ominous. And the views of all the cranes from along Cambridge just south of OST (behind the Kroger) are also breathtaking. Edited by TheNiche
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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...
KHOU, Channel 11, ran a story last Thursday dealing with construction noise eminating from Tellepsen contractors on the BCM new hospital. http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/kho...e.aac17d6c.html

Sure is noisy over here in Devonshire Place.

They're baaack!

Yesterday Centerpoint began digging a 12-16' deep trench on Wyndale to bury aan electrical conduit to provide more power to BCM construction.

The City issued a permit to work from 7 PM - 5 AM!!!

Boy was it noisy, dusty, and bright last night at 10:00 PM at the intersection of Staffordshire & Wyndale. Do we have a noise ordinance? Could this cutting of the street be accomplished during daytime hours? Am I on somebody's "payback" list?

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  • 1 month later...
So I heard a rumor Baylor is having some financial issues and may have trouble staffing and operating this hospital once it is built out... Anyone know what the deal is?

I have heard that the Administration has increased the payment of EACH clinic from 10% to 20% of clinic revenues. That's tough when insurance payments and Medicare cut-backs are already major problems to many practices. But ermember, this is only heresay. I can't verify it. :doh:

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  • 7 months later...

They ran out of money which is no surprise since there wasn't sufficient funding for the billion dollar hospital in the first place. That's what happens with an organization run by a bunch of egotistical physicians with knee jerk reactions. With the possibility of socialized medicine on the horizon they have no chance of ever paying for this project. I look for them to put the place up for sale although it's doubtful they will find a buyer.

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Has anybody heard about the potential Rice/BCM merger? I wonder how that might affect this.

This was released today:

March 26, 2009

To the faculties, staffs and students of Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine:

We are pleased to announce that the governing boards of Rice and BCM this week approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that lays out a broad framework for formal negotiations about a possible merger of our two institutions.

While no decision on a merger has yet been made and many issues remain to be resolved, our boards have concluded that a closer affiliation has abundant potential benefits for both institutions, as well as for our home city of Houston. Months of informal discussions have confirmed that the missions and aspirations of our two institutions are in fact closely aligned, that both institutions would benefit in many ways from a merger and that, together, Rice and BCM could be one of the world's leading research universities.

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Yep I got that email too. And another one saying if the press wants to talk to me, I should refer them to the Rice press office. I guess somebody has been giving the press incorrect information/rumors.

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They ran out of money which is no surprise since there wasn't sufficient funding for the billion dollar hospital in the first place. That's what happens with an organization run by a bunch of egotistical physicians with knee jerk reactions. With the possibility of socialized medicine on the horizon they have no chance of ever paying for this project. I look for them to put the place up for sale although it's doubtful they will find a buyer.

Actually, if you look at the board roster, most of them are not physicians, they are CEO's, chairman, lawyers, etc.. So, its actually a bunch of incompetent folks who know nothing about academic medicine.

Board Members

* Mrs. Barbara B. Allbritton

Director and Executive Vice President,

Allbritton Communications Company

* Mr. Robert H. Allen (Chair of the BCM Board)

Private Investor

* Mrs. Laura Elena Mu

Edited by frid
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