UT Austin Medical School Plan Unveiled
From a few weeks back, but very exciting news from a plan proposed by Sen. Kirk Watson to bring a medical school to Austin through the University of Texas. His 10 year plan calls for a medical school, training hospital, and health science center which would capitalize on Austin and UT's vast intellectual and professional resources to train the doctors for the future right here at home.
Updated 09/21/2011 08:22 AM Sen. Watson unveils plan for UT medical school By: John A. Salazar Tuesday, State Sen Kirk Watson unveiled a comprehensive 10-year plan to bring a state-of-the-art medical school to the University of Texas in Austin. Watson says it’s an economic commitment that could bring 15,000 jobs to the area and inject $2 billion into the local economy. 10 Goals in 10 Years: The Goals 1. Build a medical school. 2. Build a modern teaching hospital. 3. Establish modern, uniquely Austin health clinics. 4. Develop a Research Institute and laboratories for public and private research. 5. Launch a new commercialization incubator. 6. Start a comprehensive cancer treatment center. 7. Provide needed psychiatric care and facilities. 8. Improve basic infrastructure, and create a sense of place. 9. Bolster the medical examiner’s office. 10. Solve the funding puzzle. Information courtesy KirkWatson.com "It's time for a medical school, a teaching hospital and a health science center in Austin," he said. "We need to build on our knowledge-based economy and this will create the kind of jobs and economic opportunity that will really spur this region." Watson is banking on area bio-tech companies to join this venture. He says the brain power and money already in place in the so-called Silicon Hills, makes now the perfect time to bring a world class medical teaching facility to the Capital City. "I think it is the single best way for us to invest in this community so we're investing in a typical Austin way of life which involves intelligence, inclusiveness and community well being," Watson said.... http://austin.ynn.com/content/280551...edical-school/ |
So I'm really curious to where they are going to build all of this "centrally"?
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The speculation is that UT would develop the land they own on Lake Austin Blvd which currently is home to outdated, low-density graduate housing. This is a large tract of prime real estate that would be put to far better use in this newfound capacity. Plus, it's about as centrally located as you can get given availability in town.
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UT could buy the big box portion of Mueller and build there. Hell, just use the rest of the still undeveloped land at Mueller. It would be better than suburban disconnected crap that's gone in so far. That way this ho-hum street train would actually have a place to go.
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***Mulligan. I'm clearly underestimating the typical size of a prominent med school campus. Quick search on the internets revealed that UT Southwestern sits on about 230 acres. My bad. Maybe there is in fact another site in store. Either that, or density is the name of the game at Lake Austin and they are planning a couple of 60+ stories hospital towers to do the trick. (Hah!) I don't know. We'll see. |
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This doc gives a good breakdown on the acreage :
http://www.utexas.edu/student/housin...idge_tract.pdf And here is a thread discussing development of this property. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...t=Brackenridge guess I missed this one a while back (post on Med School plans) : http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...g-1260172.html |
I could definitely see the Brackenridge tract as the location of the Medical school, not only is it centrally located and close to Downtown, think of the views of the river and the hills which to me is just as important being in a visually pleasing place for recovery as it is the treatment itself. If they did it right, we could see some fairly nice buildings and also if they incorporated mass transportation the right way it would be easy to get there. There needs to be some alternative to getting there besides driving of course ambulances would need to use the roads but for people who work there or who are visiting why not have the option of mass transportation. It would help lessen any congestion and every second counts for emergencies so less cars on the roads getting there, the better.
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Also, given that Lake Austin is difficult to reconstruct, Exposition - with its four good connections onto MoPac (35th, Enfield, Windsor, and Westover) - would probably be the primary emergency route into a hospital at that location. |
In the grand scheme of things, the Highland Mall AREA is pretty darn central and would make a great place for a medical school, hospital, and related developments. Yes, I am back and flogging my dream for a dense redevelpment of the Highland Mall AREA as part of a vision of an enlarged and enhanced Central Austin.
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Highland Mall is not a desirable location IMO for the Medical school its not big enough. I don't see why it would be an issue for the Brakenridge location as I said surroundings do play a part in healing people. Of course not everybody would consider that a real reason but IMO it is important. If I had to go to a hospital in the Medical school I would hope its in a nice location and that is as nice as you can get for any part of Austin with great views. Plus it really has the best acreage for the location.
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Found this info whilst doing a quick google on the Brack Tract. Pretty cool.
http://www.utbracktract.com/files/Plans_1.jpg http://www.utbracktract.com/ |
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After revisiting the plans, though, I remembered that both of them plan to slightly reroute or redesign Lake Austin blvd through the tract, thereby making it an adequate emergency route into the hospital. |
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If the goal is to keep the hospital central, while trying to serve an underserved area (which would just be smart, imo), then they'll either go with the Brackenridge tract (which they've been angling to redevelop for years) or buy up industrial land en masse east of I-35 (perhaps, as an example, the area bounded by Bolm, Airport, and 183). Which is going to be easier for the University: developing land they already own by integrating the hospital and associated facilities into preexisting redevelopment plans or spending money to buy land in a politically and socioeconomically sensitive community already subject to enough gentrification pressures? I would, on the flip side, also not be surprised if the University decided to develop land south of the river on East Riverside in coordination with Austin's rail line and the city's push for denser development along that corridor. However, the same political issues plague that area. It also doesn't seem likely that that area will ever develop at the level of density Austin's elite desire, which could disqualify it as a good option ... and much of the land that looks ripe for the level of density desired already have development projects in the pipeline (I.E. the closer to 35, the more likely to be developed by someone in the private market). |
would just start buying up land east of I-35 next to the UT campus if they really want to serve the community and UT.
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