University of Houston Campus Developments

[texas911]

Niche, UH already sells more parking permits than parking spaces. So it won't be a problem getting those garages filled. And I don't think it costs any more to park in the garage than surface lots. Its a flat rate permit.

[TheNiche]

Niche, UH already sells more parking permits than parking spaces. So it won't be a problem getting those garages filled.

Of course they sell more permits than there are spaces. If they had sufficient parking to provide every commuting student their own assigned space, that'd be madness. What'd you think that every student arrives at 9AM and leaves at 6PM like an office building?

And I don't think it costs any more to park in the garage than surface lots. Its a flat rate permit.

Wrong. They charge a lot more for garage parking.

[westguy]

I didn't think they would allow students to use their parking passes to park in the garage. They should really allow all of them in since they are demolishing a lot of spaces. The new resident life building isn't the first time since the site for the new science and engineering complex also used to be parking.

[texas911]

So they get rid of surface parking and charge more for parking in the garage that it replaces? That's just wrong.

edit: I just did a quick look at the rates, its not a lot more to park in the Garage compared to regular parking, a difference of $77/year or $38/semester. That's cheap compared to all the other fees.

Student Parking Permits Annual Semester Spring/Summer

Garage $200.00 $120.00 $200.00

Resident Hall $172.00 $103.00 N/A

Student $133.00 $79.00 $133.00

Economy $50.00 $50.00 $50.00

Economy Plus $75.00 $75.00 $75.00

Disabled $124.00 $74.00 $124.00

Motorcycle $50.00 $50.00 $50.00

Edited December 29, 2007 by texas911

[TheNiche]

So they get rid of surface parking and charge more for parking in the garage that it replaces? That's just wrong.

edit: I just did a quick look at the rates, its not a lot more to park in the Garage compared to regular parking, a difference of $77/year or $38/semester. That's cheap compared to all the other fees.

Not cheap when you're just a student trying to make ends meat. And yes, there are students that'll pay it, but they aren't a very deep market. Like I said earlier, that's why there's a higher parking vacancy rate in the garage than in the surface lots.

But part of the problem, I think, was that the garage was approved when UH enrollment was at its peak, but as the local economy improved dramatically from 2005 to present, many students have been enticed away by well-paying jobs, causing a slight dip in enrollment instead of the continued increase like had been anticipated. If that'd happened, the surface lots would be so packed that the high garage rates would be more easy to swallow.

There's nothing inherently wrong with replacing x surface parking spaces with x*3 garage parking spaces and charging a sufficient amount to cover construction costs if the new spaces can be filled. UH just needs to do a better job with enrollment/demand projections.

[matth1231]

Not cheap when you're just a student trying to make ends meat. And yes, there are students that'll pay it, but they aren't a very deep market. Like I said earlier, that's why there's a higher parking vacancy rate in the garage than in the surface lots.

I'm a student at UH and I couldn't get a garage parking permit because they where all sold out for this year. Students are definitely using the garage BUT I wonder how popular some of the garages will be that are proposed out by Spur 5. I'm a Hilton student so the existing garage is extremely convenient, however I would not buy a permit in any other garage.

I think it is impossible to gage the use of the proposed garages from the whole university student body. Each garage will most likely have varying popularity and that will probably lead to garages that are further from the core of campus being less expensive. This is all my own speculation, and this assumes that the garage permit you purchase is only valid in a specific garage.

Regardless I am ecstatic about the 20 year master plan. I was at this homecoming address last year where our previous university president revealed the plan and it was just an amazing feeling. Everyone in the room was ecstatic and they showed all those awesome videos. I think the friend I was with cried.

Also, before I go, I'm not sure anyone has mentioned whats going on at the Hilton College. There are some plans that are coming to fruition about remodeling much of the Hilton College at a little under 12 million dollars. There was also a large gift to redo the library and a new coffee shop is going to open next to Barron's next year. There are also a few other rumors going around. Much of the money is going to go into the guest rooms and ballrooms and plans are in the works for possibly more student involvement in the hotel.

Go Coogs!

[texas911]

Niche, $38/semester is like 8 Starbucks coffees or 1 tank of gas. Hardly a deal breaker for today's students. I understand your point, but UH is trying to plan for the future, so I'm all for tearing up surface parking and doing something else with it. The Garage at UH1 is pretty nice with retail/services on the ground floor.

[ricco67]

Let's not forget that some kids will park in the garage to help protect it from the elements. Plus some might use it as almost like storage once alternative transportation becomes available to them with the city and use it to go to Galveston, Austin, or home on weekends.

[TheNiche]

Niche, $38/semester is like 8 Starbucks coffees or 1 tank of gas. Hardly a deal breaker for today's students.

It is percieved as a luxury good relative to Starbucks and especially gasoline. Consumer psychology is funny that way.

I'm honestly surprised that they sold out. I parked there mid-day during the Spring semester for an event held at the Hilton, and there was plenty of vacancy. And anecdotally, for a long time, there were people that dissed the garage for vacancy. Perhaps they allow for a certain level of vacancy intentionally--I dunno.

UH is trying to plan for the future, so I'm all for tearing up surface parking and doing something else with it. The Garage at UH1 is pretty nice with retail/services on the ground floor.

Oh, yeah. I agree there. Long term, garages are the way to go...I'm indifferent to the street-level retail, and it seems like UH is always eager to embrace whatever architectural fad is hot at the moment, producing a mish mash effect...but whatever.

[KinkaidAlum]

It is percieved as a luxury good relative to Starbucks and especially gasoline. Consumer psychology is funny that way.

I'm honestly surprised that they sold out. I parked there mid-day during the Spring semester for an event held at the Hilton, and there was plenty of vacancy. And anecdotally, for a long time, there were people that dissed the garage for vacancy. Perhaps they allow for a certain level of vacancy intentionally--I dunno.

Oh, yeah. I agree there. Long term, garages are the way to go...I'm indifferent to the street-level retail, and it seems like UH is always eager to embrace whatever architectural fad is hot at the moment, producing a mish mash effect...but whatever.

I parked there once. It was wall-to-wall cars. Horns blaring. People driving in circles looking for a spot. And anecdotally, for a long time, there were people that dissed the garage because it didn't offer valet parking. Valet parking is a must for a garage that was very busy the one time I used it.

By the way, UH isn't building garages and retail because it's a fad. The school is building those things because land is getting scarce. The days of massive surface parking lots on UH owned land are vanishing because it is no longer the best-use for the land. Adding in retail also gives people choices. With 50,000 visitors a day to campus, it's pretty smart to offer eating establishments, copy/fax services, dry cleaning, etc...

[texas911]

Niche, what would you rather have, just a stand alone parking garage? That's ugly, at least with retail/services on the ground floor/second floor, it makes it more usable as an urban space. FYI, there are actual University offices at the UH1 Garage, not just retail.

[TheNiche]

Adding in retail also gives people choices. With 50,000 visitors a day to campus, it's pretty smart to offer eating establishments, copy/fax services, dry cleaning, etc...

Yeah, I'm not opposed to that. I'm just critiquing the style.

Niche, what would you rather have, just a stand alone parking garage? That's ugly, at least with retail/services on the ground floor/second floor, it makes it more usable as an urban space. FYI, there are actual University offices at the UH1 Garage, not just retail.

Too many architects think that they're urban planners. They confuse land use with style.

And the office component is in a retail shell space.

Edited January 1, 2008 by TheNiche

[texas911]

Niche so you're an urban planner? Please tell us what should UH do with that parking garage?

[TheNiche]

Niche so you're an urban planner? Please tell us what should UH do with that parking garage?

As I said in the last post, I'm only critiquing the style. The contrast in streetscapes there and anywhere else on campus makes the parking garage look like a giant cliche is all, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

[totheskies]

So they get rid of surface parking and charge more for parking in the garage that it replaces? That's just wrong.

edit: I just did a quick look at the rates, its not a lot more to park in the Garage compared to regular parking, a difference of $77/year or $38/semester. That's cheap compared to all the other fees.

Student Parking Permits Annual Semester Spring/Summer

Garage $200.00 $120.00 $200.00

Resident Hall $172.00 $103.00 N/A

Student $133.00 $79.00 $133.00

Economy $50.00 $50.00 $50.00

Economy Plus $75.00 $75.00 $75.00

Disabled $124.00 $74.00 $124.00

Motorcycle $50.00 $50.00 $50.00

The value is worth it because the garages are patrolled and have security cameras. Even before the one garage, there was never enough parking for all of the students. UH main has about 35,000 students, and only 4,000 or so actually live on campus, or within walking distance. Mass transit users is at best about 2500, and there were never 27,500 surace lot parking spaces. Garages are the way to go for several reasons: bottom floor retail and office space; increased security for the vehicles; an ability to provide more spaces per student; and increased revenue to the university (once they're paid for). It's the only sensible option in my opinion. The administration is also going to beef up the campus shuttle systems so students remember to utilize them.

Back to the other developments... the whole campus is going to look and feel very exciting in the next few years. The master plan has already been amended for the rail station, so we'll have a lot more retail to work with in the Wheeler area.

[kw_uh97]

The master plan has already been amended for the rail station, so we'll have a lot more retail to work with in the Wheeler area.

Any new renderings? Where can we see the amended masterplan?

[N Judah]

So when will they be done with the new dorms?

[totheskies]

Actaually I believe the board (under the new president's suggestion) are re-doing the plans again for the Wheeler and Scott area. The dorms progress is pretty slow (I'm there everyday and they're stalled out on foundation work). My worry is that UH will try to hard to save a buck and build a complex with no endurance ability

[mojeaux131]

Actaually I believe the board (under the new president's suggestion) are re-doing the plans again for the Wheeler and Scott area. The dorms progress is pretty slow (I'm there everyday and they're stalled out on foundation work). My worry is that UH will try to hard to save a buck and build a complex with no endurance ability

I worry about that too, but that may be part of why Dr. Khator is having them re-do the plans. Not that she's an expert on development, but you'd be suprised how much administrative mindsets can affect things in a very physical way at UH. Let's hope they make the right choices from the beginning, even if they are a little more expensive at first.

[missmsry]

Technically, Robertson Stadium was completed in 1941. It may have been a WPA inspired building, but I don't think it was actually built by the WPA.

[kw_uh97]

You guys are making things a bit uneasy for me. First I would like to wish the new prez good luck in delivering UH to Tier 1 status and becoming the next flagship university in the state of Texas.

I was quietly thinking to myself that the building was coming along very slowly and that 2009 was indeed a long time coming. However I am not in the developement field and have no idea how long such a project should take.

Moving on, I had to get my fix of UH information somehow and ran across a couple of documents on the web. I was estatic to read the strategic initiatives that were layed out for UH, namely the work in the medical center and wanting to become "The University of the medical center". Other items that I was equally excited about was wanting/needing to establish a UH System health science center in TMC, continued M.D. planning discussions with Cornell University and the Methodist Hospital, expanding other TMC facilities, new park and entrance at Wheeler and Calhoun, developing Scott street properties, Pearland activity, Cy-Fair activity plus the potential City of Houston Health department building purchase. Whew! It was a lot. Here are the links to the documents

http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/sysplanning/UHS%20S...ples%20FY08.doc

http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/sysplanning/Strateg...0FY2007%202.doc

Please note the documents are dated 10/2007 so the strategy was developed before Renu Khantor came into the prez postion. I hope she can build upon this. However this was a great find for me and I am glad to see UH has some great ideas about the future.

[kyle]

for those concerned about the new dorms:

http://media.www.thedailycougar.com/media/...e-3160808.shtml

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Of interest from kyle's link:

"The board also voted unanimously to allow UH President and UH System Chancellor Renu Khator to negotiate a land purchase near campus. The 43 acres of land, located along Martin Luther King Boulevard, Spur 5 and Old Spanish Trail, is up for sale through commercial real estate company McDade, Smith, Gould, Johnston, Mason and Company for a minimum bid of $25 million.

The board said that acquiring the land would help the University expand in the future and that it had no immediate plans for it, if obtained."

Unless I'm mistaken, this is the old MacGregor Park land that the MacGregor family took back from COH.

Edited January 22, 2008 by Original Timmy Chan's

[MidtownCoog]

That is the McGregor Park land and I heard there is going to be some real competition for it.

Of course UH seems like they could make the best use of it.

[texas911]

Bravo, bravo, bravo to UH! Looks like someone finally realized that building dorms to apartment like standards doesn't cut it in a college setting. Upgrading the construction standards for the new lofts is definitely a step in the right direction. Too bad those other dorms built in the past 10 years didn't get the same treatment.

If you ask me, you need to build dorms like jail cells. CMU and concrete and metal. Not sheetrock or carpet or ceiling tiles! These are housing college students for crying out loud. Basically, they need to be able to hose down the rooms after every semester!

Edited January 23, 2008 by texas911

[The Voice of University Oaks]

Also from the above-linked Daily Cougar article:

There will be an opportunity to move students from substandard housing to this new project," Vice President for Finance and Administration John Rudley said.

Translation: once these dorms are done, we're moving students out of Cougar Place, and it is going bye-bye.

Edited January 23, 2008 by The Voice of University Oaks

[N Judah]

Cougar Place is sitting on land that would be better used as part of the LRT stadium area they have mentioned before (if not directly, as subsitute parking for the chunk of the lot that will inevitably be taken up).

I like that MacGregor area best as a park, but who knows what they could do with it in the future.

[lockmat]

Are these the cougar place apts?

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&...5&encType=1

[crunchtastic]

If you ask me, you need to build dorms like jail cells. CMU and concrete and metal. Not sheetrock or carpet or ceiling tiles! These are housing college students for crying out loud. Basically, they need to be able to hose down the rooms after every semester!

They used to. I lived in one for a semester at SWT. Interior walls were cinderblock covered by what I'm sure was a thick coat of lead-based paint. Peeling linoluem over concrete floors. It didn't even have air-conditioning. The men's building was known as ''Beirut". Good times.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Are these the cougar place apts?

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&...5&encType=1

No, I believe that's Cullen Oaks. It's fairly new, within the last 5-10 years. I like the layout for them much better than the Cambridge Oaks apartment-style housing just north of Cullen Oaks.

Cougar Place is at the link below...it's just north of Cambridge Oaks, just south of Robertson Stadium. They're all efficiency apartments...and crappy ones at that. They'll be gone in the next year or two.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&...9&encType=1