Brian Reading

Glad something is being done with this.  This is a prime spot!

It's fun to think about how dense this area is becoming, by removing these surface lots.  I like to think of how it will look in a few short years with this, the TC project, Marquette, and how that will push development north of the ballpark.  To be able to have all of these districts (Historic, Convention, Theatre, Financial, etc.) coming to fruition, and see them start complementing one another is very exciting.  Picturing all of that, and if Lovett were to repurpose the Post Office into a new market place or any of the other great ideas this forum have suggested, there will be a wave of new money that will constantly circulate throughout the businesses of downtown.  Not that this isn't already what everyone thinks about, I just get all amped up thinking about it.  Two years ago, I would have never pictured myself living downtown.  Now I'm moving 2Q 2016, and am ready to begin contributing to the vibrant success the area will bring.

 Welcome to the neighborhood! Any particular place you've picked out?

That reflection is wonderful and sure it would be nice if it was 50 floors taller, but you didn't get that view from Foleys.

Yeah, that's what I always tell myself.  Although we all wish it was taller, it certainly is a large improvement in height from Macy's/Foley's.

Poor Beaconsfield.  It's really getting swallowed up in all the mix.

Ah..while the new SkyHouse is just chugging away, good ol' Block 334 is still moving at a snail's pace.  Here's a shot from today:

^^^ would love to have something of this magnitude in houston... wow / yummy!

Everyone would love it, and then for some reason its hours would be 7AM-3PM Monday-Friday.

well, unless I'm writing a rent check, I'll continue to refer to it as The Rice Hotel.

I'm there with ya.

10-4

Speaking of 10-4, is anyone going to make it out to the Red & White spring football game on-campus at Robertson Stadium this saturday? I honestly think we're looking at a top 25 team again this season.

Here's an update on the Wheeler Housing East project. These were taken yesterday.

not sure i'd call this midtown like khou is calling it. this is more 4th ward. here are some conceptual plans.

Ha, yeah kind of like how they say that the University of Houston is in "Southeast Houston" rather than Third ward. If we're in Southeast Houston, Downtown must be in Northeast!

try this i think her quote was..."it's a bowling alley"

Doesn't sound too bad. You can show up in a t-shirt and jeans with some flip-flops. Seems pretty casual to me. It sounds like they just don't want ghetto, thug trash in there.

I did a thought experiment and concluded that if I were a high school student, Calhoun Lofts would not entice me to attend U of H. However, a new engineering building/quad, imho, would be much more appealing.

What?? You've GOT to be kidding me. You think a high school student would be more interested in an a new engineering building over where they'll be living on-campus? Students want exciting, new places to live.

Also, I don't believe that Calhoun Lofts is the same business model as Cullen Oaks, Bayou Oaks, and Cambridge Oaks. Calhoun Lofts is physically owned by the university, not just the land its on. It's possible that they're doing some contracting for management, but that'd be it. The store is currently under construction as well.

I personally doubt the university is really interested in creating "learning communities." Like "Tier 1" it's just a buzzword they must have picked up somewhere and like "Tier 1" the phrase "learning communities" is just meaningless enough to take to mean whatever they want. So anything they build from here on out, no matter how overly expensive or how much they give up to for-profit corporations, will be categorized as being "Tier 1" or "scholar research community"-based irrespective of reality.

So I'm guessing there is no real road plan for Tier I either. UH is condemned to be a crap school because they don't care about their students or about their education. It's all just a made-up little conspiracy to allow for administrators to line their own pockets and beat their chests about how much they've ripped-off the community. Is it that, or is your opinion of the administration is that they're wholly incompetent. What IS reality to you?

I figured it was about time for an update. Here's a shot of the construction along Wheeler for the new "Freshman Village" or "Wheeler Housing East".

You can't think of any reasons? Anyway, I think a significant portion of the people who live there will leave for the summer. U of H is hellish during the summer.

No, I can't unless the student has ill-planned their housing. There are other places to live on-campus that don't require a twelve-month lease, and others that don't offer the option. The reason why UH is "hellish" is because everyone leaves. It's a catch-22.

Again, I haven't seen that particular setup at any other school's on-campus housing. That was my initial point. It is less like the typical "on campus housing" setup and more like an off-campus private dorm. If, as you've said, this is their way of fostering a "bustling community" I'm not sure what precedent exists.

Most other universities typically have off-campus residential areas that are purely student-living communities. UH doesn't have that because it's surrounded by Third Ward, and those who like to stay in one spot after the school year ends are mostly living off-campus in the Medical Center or Midtown. Therefore there is a precedent on other campuses, because at other large campuses, there isn't such a difference between the surrounding off-campus area, and on-campus area like there is here.

Having to pay for a 12-month lease when you only intend to live there for the schoolyear (or just for a semester) is not going to foster "community." I don't know what would make anyone think that.

Why would someone sign a 12-month lease if they only intend to live there for the school year? It's obviously for those who wish to stay here year-round. If that's not what the person is looking for, then there are plenty of other places to live. Calhoun Lofts is not meant for those who wish to go home to parents in the summer, but to those who are off on their own, and would rather stay where they are at after the school year ends.

No, I think it's about money. Other schools with bustling campus communities and on-campus housing don't make you pay for 12 months at a time. You can't make a "community" by trapping people into a lease. If it were that easy that goal would have already been achieved by the private dorms a block from campus.

What trap are you talking about? No one is forcing people to live there. Also, what private dorms are you talking about? If you're referring to Cambridge Oaks, Bayou Oaks, and Cullen Oaks, there is no requirement for twelve month leases there either.

They want 12-month leases, which makes it not really like the typical "on campus housing" setup and more like an off-campus private dorm. Usually, at most places, it is done by semester.

That's the plan. Twelve month leases will allow the community at UH to remain bustling during the summer time, etc. If UH isn't going to be just about going to class, then it shouldn't die just because classes have let up.

Here are a few new shots of development around campus done a few days ago:

The East Parking Garage. It's gone up quite quick. The lot in front of the garage is open for Calhoun Lofts residents, which are now moving in across the street.

The floor plan layout for the new Barnes & Noble bookstore that will occupy retail space at the bottom of Calhoun Lofts. They have this lying in the window. Other retail occupants will be an Aramark-operated convenient store, and a dry cleaner. I have no idea when these will open.

Finally, a sign on Wheeler Street detailing some information about the new "Freshman Village" or "Wheeler Housing East" project. There hasn't been any part of the structure built yet, but demolition of the previous area has been finished I think.

Oh and yes...those new Calhoun lofts start at around 800 dollars a month. At that price, I could probably get a decent efficiency somewhere in Midtown or something.

Where did $800 come from? Their site says $545/person.

As far as I know, the Quadrangle dorms and Towers dorms were developed by UH.

Cambridge Oaks = partnership between UH/Century Property (1991)

Cullen Oaks = partnership between UH/American Campus Communities (2000)

Bayou Oaks = partnership between UH/American Campus Communities (2003)

Best I can tell from a quick internet search, UH is developing Calhoun Lofts and the new freshman dorms on Wheeler on their own.

So, it appears UH has tried both methods, and apparently has decided to go it alone. Maybe their experience has been that they're better off developing on their own? I don't know...

Right. The last university-owned and run housing was Cougar Place, which was built in 1981. All the later housing complexes listed above have been built on university-owned land, but are not the property of the university. I have lived at Cullen Oaks, and currently live at Cambridge Oaks. While I was a student at UTSA, I also lived at another Century Campus Housing (now it's actually known as Campus Living Villages) property, so I'm familiar with this business model.

At UH even though the aforementioned properties are privately managed, they do this in conjunction with the university's Residential Life and Housing department. They use some of the university's utility services as well. For example, while I was at Cullen Oaks, the complex was forced into using the residential network for internet access (the same one in use at the Quadrangle/Moody Towers), and it was horrible. I was told by the management that it was Residential Life and Housing's call. If a resident owes money to one of the private complexes, the management can also request that a hold be placed on the student's university records. This can actually stop a student from registering for classes and graduating. Even if a student is paid off, the change won't be immediate, and the management can only get the hold removed by calling/emailing Residential Life and Housing.

Calhoun Lofts and the new Wheeler dorms will both be done using the traditional campus-housing model, and I think it's a good thing. It gets messy when things are mixed with private owners/management. It is important that UH competes with off-campus housing though. I think they're especially attempting to do that with Calhoun Lofts. It will be coming with AT&T U-Verse. I think they also need to upgrade the networks for the rest of campus-housing.

As far as the reasoning for the model UH is using, it may actually just have to do with the fact that the administration has changed. I'm really loving what our President is doing.