If it’s anything like what USC built with USC Village, that’s a game changer.
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I assume he’s not talking about it partly because it isn’t an Athletic Department project, as far as I know.
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No reason to announce anything until they have a developer under contract and have some preliminary drawings, may even want a commitment from the grocery anchor. Could you imagine if they announced this and then 3 months later announced that no developers were interested, nevermind.
This is the only site that make sense for this kind of development, this goes way beyond a few bars for the kids or a place for yall to pregame at 6 times a year. It is a prime piece of freeway frontage in an area of town with very few grocery stores, I am afraid the developers may be wanting to do a basic grocery store strip center though.
Surface parking serves 2 purposes, it holds land for future development and it provides cheap parking. There is a reason our permits max out at $425 a semester and UT offers a $1,058 permit.
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If this is real, I’ll miss seeing all the green space when you come down Cullen.
I will not. It looks depressing.
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The green space isn’t anything bad, but I’d much prefer seeing a fancy, lively new entertainment district on the way in.
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May be the start of developing that side of campus and even beyond I45. I would not mind Calhoun, but if that location draws more, I am all for it.
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The stated purpose of the district is as a “‘third space’ for the University,” which is exactly the kind of use that you’re saying this goes “way beyond.” The aim is ostensibly to capture some of the economic activity associated with a campus that has 30,000 people on it on a daily basis during the school year, and that location is perhaps the single worst location we could have chosen on campus for such a thing, which is why you’re right that it’s gonna wind up being a grocery store strip center, probably with an office park across the street. I’m sure that Boost Mobile outlet is really gonna liven up the campus, though.
RE: surface parking, if you’re holding land for future development, what are you saving it for if not exactly this kind of thing? And cheap parking is a negative; it incentivizes the kind of “get out of class and get the hell off campus” commuting that almost everyone here would consider detrimental to the UH experience. (I say that as one of the people on the board that’s probably more sympathetic than some others are to commuters.)
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I understand your point about the walking distance from the dorms. But given our heavily commuter student population, it’s actually right on the way into campus for most of those students, which would be almost ideal for them.
Moreover, it would be in close enough proximity to our sports venues, especially baseball and basketball.
Regarding the dorms…if you live on campus, you are used to walking solid distances to class, and even if not, there are shuttle buses; I used them to go from Cougar Place on one end of campus to the law school on the other end back in the mid-90s when I lived on campus. Utilizing those vans, it shouldn’t be too hard for students to access that area.
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You missed the part were they are planning to lease the land to the developer, and based upon the fact that the only real retail strip we have in the campus is 75% vacant last I checked they will need some way to generate revenue outside of the students, our students need a grocery store and deserve better than a rundown 3 star Kroger that is half an hour away.
I would give this a 5% chance of becoming something, this is just an invitation to submit something they posted a bunch of ideas no actual requirements, a couple keys the are proposing additional parking with a leaseback and the smaller area is phaze one, the intermural fields are 2. I think they are fishing for ideas.
Theres house by the green lot. I imagine this is a negative to be right next to it or facing a wall. Usually there is some space or conversion from retail to residential. Rice is the right way to do it.
If students walk to the IM fields, that can walk here. You make a bar with a beach volleyball and you will have students all day. Those leagues are huge with young people here in Dallas.
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Is it actually on the way into campus for most commuters? When I drove to campus the one summer I did, I mostly took Spur 5, which would entirely bypass this. I assume a lot of others are taking Scott; I’m not sure how many actually use Cullen as their main access route to campus.
As someone who spent a year going almost exactly the opposite route you did, from the lofts to McElhinney, a long walk through the middle of campus to get somewhere I actually need to go is a way different experience than going half a mile out of my way through mostly-nothing to get somewhere that’s totally optional. It’s not totally different from how commuting an hour to work is fine but driving 15 minutes away to grab lunch is annoying enough that I’m reluctant to do it. The walk itself matters, too – going to Garrison felt way longer than going to Hofheinz, despite the fact that they’re next door to each other – and this walk, largely across a massive parking lot and a wide road, would be much closer to the Garrison walk.
Even commuters have to walk either in the opposite direction of their car, or walk past their car to get to it. It’s not a convenient place for anyone to spend time. The only people that would really find this particularly useful would be baseball game attendees and people coming off the freeway. And if you want to have a more residential campus, you kinda gotta dress for the job you want when it comes to stuff like this.
If only they could have done this before east downtown got developed.
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There is a brand new heb on MacGregor and 288…
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and one coming to the East End (no planned date set)
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The more I look at the area and how it’s totally unused on one side of Cullen, the more I’m getting excited at the prospect of some nice development in the area. Of course I’m not getting my hopes up until the school announces this and ground has been broken.
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Technically there are two strips that aren’t campus owned (as far as I know), the one with the Den and the one where Pink’s used to be.
It is notable that there is a thrift store that rents space in the Welcome Center garage retail area, but that’s actually campus property.
This is amazing news, if it is true!
This is not a far walk from the dorms at all, especially the new ones. It would be a trek from Moody Towers, but hopefully they are torn down soon.
It would be amazing to have more options to eat/drink before and after games.
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Yeah, that one primarily graduate dorm by the law school would be a short walk.