HOUSTON | Development Thread II

[Green Country]

Originally Posted by Bailey

Do you have any idea how public universities are funded in the state of Texas?

Texas basically ONLY funds two school systems (UT and TAMU) and the rest either fund themselves or have to go to Austin and beg for funding on an as-needed basis.

This type of protected funding is called the Permanent University Fund, and it is written into the Texas Constitution.

That pot of $17.5 BILLION ONLY goes to those two systems...not UH, not TT, or the dozens of other state schools outside of the UT or TAMU systems.

Read more about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_University_Fund

The University of Houston has been grossly underfunded for their whole life by the state and, despite that, have created a Tier One research Public University. So....justifiably so, they are going to push back on a state, and a UT system, that is NOT an ally and is a threat to the school they built themselves.

Furthermore, if you go back and watch the congressional hearings over this specific project, you will find out that the University of Texas broke a number of laws in acquiring the land and revealing the campus. UH merely had to point out the rules that were broken or ignored. It was a slam dunk case for UH.

There is a reason why Texas A& M isn't proposing a Texas A&M-Austin (which is more of a need in fast growing Austin than a new campus in Houston BTW) or Texas proposing a University of Texas-college Station miles away from the main campuses in both cities. It's a crappy thing to do to other state systems WITHOUIT taking the proper channels to do so. UT planned this all on their own..and were called out for it.

UH's stance to the state of Texas is to HELP US, an already 100 year old State School, become another prestigious public school in a top metro, another UCLA, INSTEAD of using those resources create yet another a mediocre start-up campus a few miles away.

The fact is that states like California produce way more AAU public Universities than the state of Texas.

In my opinion, the state of Texas should focus on helping the University of Houston and then Texas Tech improve to be in contention for that coveted AAU status.

There's so much wrong with this post, it's hard to know where to start. So I'll start with some low-hanging fruit...

From 2010 to 2020 "fast-growing Austin" metro area added about 570,000 people. Houston metro added twice that many - almost 1.2 million. Between 2000 and 2020, Houston metro added well more than the entire current population of Austin metro. As between Houston and Austin, it's pretty clear which metro area might need a new campus (and it's not Austin), and of course UT wasn't proposing a new campus anyway...

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by JManc

I was at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago on Waycross a bloc or so away. Not too familiar with that area other than property values are going way up.

Waycross is VERY close to the elementary school my siblings and I went to!

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Green Country

There's so much wrong with this post, it's hard to know where to start. So I'll start with some low-hanging fruit...

From 2010 to 2020 "fast-growing Austin" metro area added about 570,000 people. Houston metro added twice that many - almost 1.2 million. Between 2000 and 2020, Houston metro added well more than the entire current population of Austin metro. As between Houston and Austin, it's pretty clear which metro area might need a new campus (and it's not Austin), and of course UT wasn't proposing a new campus anyway...

570k for Austin is much bigger than 1.2 million for Houston since the latter is over 3x Austin's size. Houston is slowing down a bit.

[Wattleigh]

TMC / MD Anderson

-2ACB / 3 ACB

Previously mentioned these towers to be constructed over the next few years. Looks like they may be a bit taller than initially reported. The 2030 master framework has bumped the proposed tower(s) up to 25 floors when finally built out. They will be located on the site that's currently the MD Anderson Prairie Park at Fannin and Holcombe - adjacent to the existing Mays Clinic & Duncan Buildings and just east of the TMC Transit Center.

In addition, there's a mention of a possible new Faculty Office Tower just northwest of that site where the existing Fannin Holcombe Building sits.

Still waiting for more on the proposed patient tower(s) that are planned at MD Anderson Blvd & Moursund.

Found by Highrise Tower on HAIF

[Twitter1]

Originally Posted by Wattleigh

TMC / MD Anderson

Still waiting for more on the proposed patient tower(s) that are planned at MD Anderson Blvd & Moursund.

The rendering looks like one long podium base with two vertical towers integrated.

[Green Country]

Originally Posted by JManc

570k for Austin is much bigger than 1.2 million for Houston since the latter is over 3x Austin's size. Houston is slowing down a bit.

Yes, of course. But if we're measuring who might need a new campus... it's number of additional people that matters not the percentage growth.

[DCReid]

Originally Posted by Green Country

Yes, of course. But if we're measuring who might need a new campus... it's number of additional people that matters not the percentage growth.

If only Rice U. was twice or three times as large....

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by Twitter1

The rendering looks like one long podium base with two vertical towers integrated.

As related to TMC, I visited a family member on the 24th floor of the relatively new Walter Tower almost a year ago. The view of the TMC was incredible. I walked to every vantage point I could find on the floor. The view of downtown was spectacular, and I was surprised at how close it looked. The distance is about 3 miles at the closest.

[Wattleigh]

Buffalo Bayou Park

The interconnected series of parklands along the Bayou moves east toward the section that passes through EaDo which is seeing more development as of late.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/foo...s-17457977.php

Houston philanthropists Nancy & Rich Kinder give $100 million to expand Buffalo Bayou Park eastward

Diane Cowen,
Staff writer
Sep. 25, 2022

An ambitious plan to expand Buffalo Bayou Park eastward to East End and Fifth Ward neighborhoods will launch officially Monday with the announcement of a $100 million catalyst gift from the Kinder Foundation. Both the City Council and Harris County Commissioners Court are expected to sign off on final documents this week.

In 2019, Buffalo Bayou Partnership presented a 10-year master plan for Buffalo Bayou East that will create walking and biking trails, parks, ball fields, entertainment venues and even affordable housing for those neighborhoods, extending the Buffalo Bayou Park several miles to the east on land they've been quietly accumulating since 2004.

as to what will occur specifically...

In mid-October, Olson and her team expect to break ground on the first element of Buffalo Bayou East, an 80-unit affordable housing project, that hasn’t officially been named but is going by the term “Lockwood South.”

Then, in the first quarter of 2023, work will begin on a pocket park at Japhet Creek on the north side of the Bayou in Fifth Ward. Later, that park will be connected to work done at Tony Marron Park with a new pedestrian bridge that will allow residents on both sides to access amenities on each side.

Now, Tony Marron Park is a nice greenspace with trails and a playground, but the partnership’s master plan shows it becoming the jewel of the East End. It will grow in size and get new entry gardens, sports fields and nature play areas, a picnic lawn and boat launch, barbecue plaza for small and large gatherings, picnic pavilions and support for a food truck court. A new maintenance facility here would support the entire eastern expansion and house equipment already used for regular bayou cleanup. Work at the park is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2024.

Later, they’ll tackle Turkey Bend, the wharf and industrial site where existing structures would become an entertainment hub similar to Gas Works Park in Seattle or Concrete Plant Park in the Bronx.

Renderings from article

The Kinder Foundation has announced a $100 million catalyst gift to the Buffalo Bayou East parks plan, fast-tracking a massive bayou-front parks plan for the East End and Fifth Ward. This artist rendering shows how they'd transform the nearly depleted Japhet Creek into a park. -Asakura Robinson

The Kinder Foundation has announced a $100 million catalyst gift to the Buffalo Bayou East parks plan, fast-tracking a massive bayou-front parks plan for the East End and Fifth Ward. This artist rendering shows how they'd transform a greatly expanded Tony Marron Park. -MVVA

The Kinder Foundation has announced a $100 million catalyst gift to the Buffalo Bayou East parks plan, fast-tracking a massive bayou-front parks plan for the East End and Fifth Ward. This artist rendering shows how they'd revitalize an industrial site called Turkey Bend. -NADAAA

The Kinder Foundation has announced a $100 million catalyst gift to the Buffalo Bayou East parks plan, fast-tracking a massive bayou-front parks plan for the East End and Fifth Ward. This artist rendering shows how they'd transform a downtown Houston site. -MVVA

[Bailey]

Originally Posted by Green Country

There's so much wrong with this post, it's hard to know where to start. So I'll start with some low-hanging fruit...

From 2010 to 2020 "fast-growing Austin" metro area added about 570,000 people. Houston metro added twice that many - almost 1.2 million. Between 2000 and 2020, Houston metro added well more than the entire current population of Austin metro. As between Houston and Austin, it's pretty clear which metro area might need a new campus (and it's not Austin), and of course UT wasn't proposing a new campus anyway...

You are denying the PUF exists?

Also, I wasn't aware of any other major Universities IN Austin.

The UT equivalent in Houston is UH - a large public school with 50,000 students.

Then Houston has a premiere private University in Rice- Austin equivalent is?

Then Houston has a HBC in TSU- Austin equivalent is?

Houston then has smaller religious schools in St, Thomas, HBU- Austin has what, St. Edwards?

Both Houston and Austin have extensive Community College Systems- HCC & ACC.

The point is that Houston has WAY more Educational options than Austin.

Maybe the University of Houston should move in and build a UH-Austin campus.

Also...tell me more how I'm wrong about how the PUF only funds TWO systems.

[Bailey]

Originally Posted by DCReid

If only Rice U. was twice or three times as large....

Rice actually has announced they are increasing their student body. they are adding 20% more Undergraduates by 2025.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael...h=6c53b316b6a7

[JManc]

Keep in mind that PUF benefits Houston. There's UTHealth and MD Anderson as well as Texas A&M's massive new facility.

[TexasPlaya]

College Station is also just 1.5 hours from downtown Houston. I wouldn’t say TAMU is a Houston university but it does have a sphere of influence in Houston. Houston metro somewhat recently completed two highway connectors from NW Houston to College Station.

I don’t think Houston needs another full, main campus, but a UT Data Science Center would have been nice…. If UT would have been transparent about their intentions from the get go.

[TexasPlaya]

Originally Posted by Wattleigh

Buffalo Bayou Park

The interconnected series of parklands along the Bayou moves east toward the section that passes through EaDo which is seeing more development as of late.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/foo...s-17457977.php



as to what will occur specifically...



Renderings from article

Great news. Buffalo Bayou East is another game changer for the east side.

[Wattleigh]

Originally Posted by TexasPlaya

College Station is also just 1.5 hours from downtown Houston. I wouldn’t say TAMU is a Houston university but it does have a sphere of influence in Houston. Houston metro somewhat recently completed two highway connectors from NW Houston to College Station.

I think I've noticed the closeness the more I've had to drive it over the past few years. Usually, I'm coming from or going to the Sugar Land area and take the Grand Parkway to 290 then to 6 (or vice versa of course). Time really flies by now. Other than whatever volume may be on that stretch of 290 from Cypress to Hempstead, it's pretty much impossible not to make good time from what I've found.

Still curious about the Aggie Expressway. Will have to try it when I'm down there again. Getting to Navasota is basically there anyway.

[Wattleigh]

University of Houston

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...-building.html

Photos: University of Houston celebrates opening of $93M John M. O’Quinn Law Building

By Sofia Gonzalez – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Sep 26, 2022

The University of Houston celebrated the opening of the UH Law Center's new $93 million John M. O’Quinn Law Building with its first large-scale event, a celebration and dedication conference, on Sept. 23.

The all-day conference focused on the theme “Legal Education and the Legal Profession in Promoting Democracy and Community in the 21st Century.” More than 20 prominent speakers and panelists, who hold positions in bar association leadership, the judiciary, law firms, legal employers and academia, presented at the conference.

“We are proud to be a platform for thought leadership and host events such as this conference that provide greater interaction with the legal community,” said University of Houston Law Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes.

Located at 4170 Martin Luther King Blvd., the approximately 180,000-square-foot ultra-modern building opened its doors to students for the fall semester. The building houses UH’s J.D. and LL.M. degree programs, clinics, specialty institutes, pre-law pipeline programs and career services. Notable amenities of the building include a mothers' lactation room, a meditation room for quiet reflection, an active learning room, a courtroom, a multilevel library, an advocacy skills lab, commuter showers with changing rooms, a convenience store and a rooftop lounge with views of the city.

The five-story building was designed by the Houston office of woman-owned international architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch, and Austin Commercial served as general contractor.

Selected photos from article

[Wattleigh]

Lyric Market



Image c/o Munoz + Albin

While the structure itself has been complete for some time, the food hall had not been developed until recently. It will add to the existing slate of food halls in the Downtown district including Underground Hall, Finn Hall, Bravery, Understory and POST Market.

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

Lyric Market food hall finally ready to open after pandemic, permitting delays, operator says

By Jeff Jeffrey – Senior reporter, Houston Business Journal
Sep 26, 2022

After years of planning and multiple delays, the Lyric Market food hall is finally set to open in downtown Houston’s Theater District next month.

Lyric Market at 411 Smith St. was first announced in 2018. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and a change in operators pushed back the food hall’s opening several times. Most recently, Lyric Market had scheduled an opening date for winter 2021, only to see that date postponed once again.

Akhtar Nawab, co-CEO and founding partner of New York-based Hospitality HQ, Lyric Market’s operator, told the Houston Business Journal that the primary reason the food hall has taken so long to get up and running is one that has become a common lament among Houston developers: permits.

“We were surprised by how much of a challenge the permitting process was in Houston,” Nawab said. “If this were New York or San Francisco, of course it wouldn’t have been a problem. We didn’t realize it would be such a struggle in Houston.”

When it was built, Lyric Market was designed to include a 7,500-square-foot deck, a 14,000-square-foot culinary marketplace, 10,000 square feet of space dedicated to private dining and events, a communal plaza, a street-side terrace, a conference center and a bar.

Hospitality HQ — an operator of restaurants and food halls in New York City; Omaha, Nebraska; New Orleans; and Washington, D.C. — was brought on as Lyric Market’s operator in 2020 after the previous operator, Houston-based Clark Cooper Concepts, parted ways with Houston-based U.S. Property Management, which manages the 27-story Lyric Centre office building where Lyric Market is located.

Since then, Hospitality HQ has been working to secure permits and line up vendors for the chef-driven concept.

[Green Country]

Originally Posted by Bailey

You are denying the PUF exists?

Wow. Great strawman. Of course I never said anything that even hinted at denying the PUF exists. Of course it exists.

[Green Country]

Originally Posted by Bailey

You are denying the PUF exists?

Also, I wasn't aware of any other major Universities IN Austin.

The UT equivalent in Houston is UH - a large public school with 50,000 students.

Then Houston has a premiere private University in Rice- Austin equivalent is?

Then Houston has a HBC in TSU- Austin equivalent is?

Houston then has smaller religious schools in St, Thomas, HBU- Austin has what, St. Edwards?

Both Houston and Austin have extensive Community College Systems- HCC & ACC.

The point is that Houston has WAY more Educational options than Austin.

Maybe the University of Houston should move in and build a UH-Austin campus.

Also...tell me more how I'm wrong about how the PUF only funds TWO systems.

And of course I never suggested you were wrong about the PUF only funding two systems. But it is also false to suggest, as some have above (I don't recall if it was you) that the state does not provide any funding for other universities.

Not sure what point you are trying to make with your very incomplete list of colleges and universities in the two metro areas... but since you brought it up... The information I find shows that Houston has a little less than twice the number of college students in the metro area; with more than 3 times the population.

[JManc]

Anyone know if this parking garage will ever be finished into an office tower? Is this project on hold or dead?

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7618...7i16384!8i8192