kw_uh97

Pardon if this has been addressed here but what about the idea  of having an Uptown station and a Downtown station (barring cost factor), where the rail is submerged into a tunnel to downtown near the Uptown station. Passengers have a choice of either destinations, Downtown Houston to/from Dallas and Uptown Houston to/from Dallas.

Just re-read the announcement and it is 43 acres purchase. So 593 acres. Yes! Now I just hope we can create something where students want to live and hang around campus instead of commuting.

Looks like UH is closing on the property across Spur 5 soon. So that's approximately 70 more acres to add to the 593. Also Dr. Khator has big plans for the new acquisition.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=arwz0pgUIgbw

Great news.

or better yet have an alumnus as the Governor of Texas.

Perry awards Texas A&M $5 million grant for biofuels initiative...... just the most recent favor I've heard about.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stor.../09/daily9.html

Seems like the Aggie governor issues other favors as well....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/steffy/6524624.html

Also, this is a FRESHMEN dorm. Aesthetics just aren't as important... the number one concern is that it's tough (FORD tough lol). Freshmen abuse everything, so a nice spacious set of lofts is probably not the best idea in the first place.

BTW, has anyone noticed that all of UH's new construction projects are Neo-Brutalist??? Talk about bleh.

Ok you all sold me... hey they are freshmen. Just get them in there and they will be ok.

Yea I have to agree, that has the potential to be an ugly building and it does not resemeble the rendering that's in the MasterPlan powerpoint presentation. http://www.uh.edu/about/initiatives/masterplan/. Plus not sure if I heard it here but as I understand it, UH is going the cheap route on buliding the structure. I just hope everything turns out great.

Excellent idea about a NASA related museum, IMAX theatre, fight similation etc! That is the best idea I've heard for the dome ever. I've lived here all my life, worked for 4 yrs acoss the street from NASA and I can say that its not a place (NASA) that I have visited since elementary school however I know that its all about the tourist(s). I would hope that someone of significance pick up this idea and run with it. GREAT IDEA!

Received an email the other day and it looks like the new end zone facility for Robertson stadium is getting a lot of attention. The email attaches a link to a survey and wanted some feedback. I am placing it here just in case someone wants take it. It also has some cool renderings of the facility as you go along.

http://www.customintercept.com/surveys/web/uhrenovation.htm

I would guess construction would have to start after football season but there is the Dynamo's season afterwards. Any ideas about the start date?

The university line is getting close to construction, and so is the second parking garage. The new grad apartments are looking good too. Times are a changin' at UH.

I really would like to share your enthusiasm for the U-Line but until they are breaking ground on either on the new rail routes I am not expressing my optimisim.

I really would like to share your enthusiasm for the U-Line but until they are breaking ground on either on the new rail routes I am not expressing my optimisim.

I am kinda conflicted on this issue but leaning towards agreeing with whatever gets UH to Tier 1 status. If that means becoming more research intensive then go that route however I would like to see the enrollment numbers after the tuition hike and gauge its impact.

The Hardy Rail Yard campus is a great idea midtown coog and metro's intermodal is planned for the area as well. Man the city and UH needs to start thinking big as you say. I imagine that the campus and area would be vibrant. Ahh.... dreamy!!!!

That's great news, can't read the full article but that's ok. If this is the land that is bordered by Spur 5, OST and MLK there the southern entrance to the campus that was mentioned before. Man this is exciting news! Anyone has any ideas what should they do with the new land? So the university has grown from 550 arces to guessing here 600? Oh I am excitied!

Just re-read the announcement and it is 43 acres purchase. So 593 acres. Yes! Now I just hope we can create something where students want to live and hang around campus instead of commuting.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/hig...1.html?ana=e_ph

"The University of Houston has acquired an original section of MacGregor Park that has been tied up in ownership litigation for more than a decade. "

That's great news, can't read the full article but that's ok. If this is the land that is bordered by Spur 5, OST and MLK there the southern entrance to the campus that was mentioned before. Man this is exciting news! Anyone has any ideas what should they do with the new land? So the university has grown from 550 arces to guessing here 600? Oh I am excitied!

HAHAHA, uuhhh! I found this on the web somehow. This is so funny and so sad at the same time. An Aggie protecting his PUF.

http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage...ed-515255.shtml

Read this in the chronicle yesterday. Provides some insight on the 'PUF'.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/5507512.html

I don't think you can judge a whole neighborhood on one incident. It was drug dealer killing a drug dealer. All is takes is one savvy investor to come in and purchase those apartments and cleaning them up. It is like the one house that brings the whole neighborhood down. As soon as it is fixed up and cleaned up, the whole neighborhood gains from it.

I still say buy now before you can't afford it next year.

Rap I knew the gentleman that was killed personally and he had stop that sort of "dealer" activity for many years now. However it was indeed a tragedy and I really feel bad for the children to have to grow up without a father. Not to come off sounding defensive or anything.

However I think you are correct with your assessment of the area and the apartments do breed a bad element thus if a savvy investor does come along and do the things that you are suggesting the neighborhood would benefit greatly.

Moving on musicman which builder(s) are selling off lots, where are these lots located and more importantly why are they selling off? Thanks for any information.

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.

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?

http://www.uh.edu/plantops/fpc_project.html

Have these been posted before, or are they new? I can't remember.

I have either seen or heard about the pics before. However I took a stroll on campus this weekend and found some interesting things happening. The retail development has started up and they had a building erected as well as some stone/brick type streets layed or paved. It looks very promising. The development is located on Univeristy Dr. and across from the Wellness center. Looks like it will be a pretty pedestrian friendly area. I am not sure if they have anything else planned for the area but this will be an attractive entry point into the University.

Also there is another project under way on Calhoun, I think it may be the lofts mentioned. They have broken ground and and began establishing the foundation I believe. However there are concrete stilts or beams I would guess one could expect to see the formation of a building pretty soon.

After going back and reading the post I have to extend my thanks to kinkaid and nyc_tx for the support and also lockmat for bringing the discussion.

However what I do feel is just as (if not the most important) to UH, is the development of the Third ward. The vitality of the sorrounding neighborhoods. The development on Calhoun is nice and welcomed, but there is no development along Scottt street or Elgin. I know the rail is going to go along both streets but there is no developement going up. Just townhome construction in east end and just east of 288 towards Dowling St.

Some day I hope students will want to stick around after they graduate, live within the neighborhood and raise families. Oh well, I can only hope.

Thanks to all for restoring some calmness into this thread and I apologize for casting the first stone. Last time I posted was early in the morning, I had not had my coffee, noticed the article and decided to get snippy. My apologies lock(sp).

Thanks Midtown and the Original for providing support since my post. The line item vetoes I read about, I think it was approximately 10 million vetoed that was to cover approximately 5-7 tier 2 universities including TT and UH. Then within a month http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news...706hinotes.html

This may not be a huge problem, but the article shows why the trend is not a good thing..."But size matters, campus leaders say, because Texas funds colleges and universities using a formula based primarily on enrollment growth."

or better yet have an alumnus as the Governor of Texas.

Perry awards Texas A&M $5 million grant for biofuels initiative...... just the most recent favor I've heard about.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stor.../09/daily9.html

Does anyone know if the new student housing be included in this project, because it is shown in the pdf? Just curious.

Does anybody know what will happen to the land that U of H owns on the corner of Braeswood and Wyndale? It's all fenced off now with "University of Houston" property signs. It is right across the street and down a bit from the Parkwood Apartment site where Baylor is building their new facility(ies) soon..

I can't find this location on the map. Can anyone give me more info of this location?

Well, he has certainly used his personal academic allegiances in tandom with those of his political cronies, to deny UH substantial Tier I funding in recent years. Why would he suddenly cease with his bias MO?

Too bad what they want is not what's best for the city of Houston and the state of Texas as a whole, but rather the continued academic hegemony of UT and A&M. It's unfortunate racial and class prejudices still continue today.

So, look for any actions of Perry to work for and to the disadvantage of UH or TSU.

My thoughts exactly, this only makes me more fustrated at UT and A&M. The Tier I funding was something that was not aware was happening. Just which Universities are Tier I eligible, for sure UT and A&M. What does the funding consist of, how is it benefiting Tier I schools and how is UH affected by the denial?

Also someone stated two obvious reasons that A&M wants to get its grips on TSU (minority enrollment and Thurgood Marshall School of Law). Man, the minority enrollment issue is big for A&M. Did anyone follow the Yates graduate a couple of years ago and how it was a big deal that he was attending A&M and how A&M was so accomadating with all sort of retention programs for the student? That was a big public relations attempt to boost the university's image.

Yea UT and Aggy would hate and you reinforced my belief that UH is the biggest threat to the two. Damn someone strong armed UH to reveal their discussion with Methodist and Cornell? I must admit I've never heard of anything like that, but I do hope they find it feasible to go thru with their vision.

Gov. Rick Perry an A&M grad, is probably making a power play for TSU as we speak, All of a sudden the TSU leadership and its troubles "can't be a Mickey Mouse deal," and "It can't be the same-old, same-old". Honestly, I think TSU if its possible, should consider becoming affiliated with UH. That's if TSU is looking to become affiliated with another institute of higher learning. I am not sure if TSU being a historically black college has some kind of state land grant affiliation kinda deal (like PV A&M), I not sure what its called or could be. All I know is that a UT or A&M affiliate being that close of proximity to UH is the last thing UH needs. just my opinion

I agree they need to build closer to campus. Especially that lot on Cullen across from Cougar Place next to the Quads. It is a compact site but I think it would work. They have some nice trees on that lot though.

Well with the closing of cullen to auto traffic, the certainty of LTR/BTR and wheeler possibly closing to auto traffic, the gates should come down thus opening up Cambridge Oaks to the campus.

Just thought of something, wheeler can't be closed to auto traffic. What if there is an emergency at Cambridge Oaks? The EMS would have to have access.

Also now that Metro has approved the Rail route along wheeler to MLK. Will wheeler have to be expanded? Right now I dont think wheeler is wide enough to accomadate the rail system.