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Areas to South & East of TCU Rezoned Mixed Use


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#1 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:44 AM

Thread started 4/16/03:

TCU is planning to rezone the areas to the south and east of the campus to Mixed Use in order to integrate apartments, office space, and retail into the area. This should also help to revitalize Berry Street. What do you all think?

#2 DRStevens

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:44 AM

Where is the customer base going to come from. The one that is not there now. Is T.C.U. going to be successful in developing a student population that stays close to campus to shop and eat? The precedent is not there. I hope it happens but am skeptical.

#3 ghughes

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:44 AM

I am very concerned that the boundary areas integrate with the single-family housing there. We have to find ways to keep from driving down property values at the edges.

TCU has invited the neighborhood associations bordering it to meet for discussion. Time and date are not set, but it should be within a few weeks.

#4 Thurman52

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:45 AM

A few comments

TCU is a very positive economic influence, and should be treated just like RadioShack and Pier 1 with any public support they can garnder. (Note: not encouraging tax abatements for the project, but infrastructure i.e water/sewer street repairs).

The Berry cooridor could really use a shot in the arm.

Many of the students stick to the area and the area at times actually has a college feel. The article notes they want to become a more residential campus. Students like Apartments, Lofts, etc....

I would strongly encourage not to put high density to far past Berry and McCart.

Build a parking garage or two....

Just a suspicion, but the area along Berry from Stadium to University, would be make a good logical choice of classroom expansion etc, to bring the campus the borders.

#5 Urbndwlr

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:45 AM

This makes perfect sense. Medium density residential (2-4 stories of rowhouses, condos, lofts, apartments) would be perfect for that neighborhood. It would alleviate much of the parking crunch at the school by allowing students to live within walking distance of class. Also, it would greatly enhance the community feel around campus by creating a neighborhood where students, professors, and others are walking along the streets during the day and night.

There are some potential pitfalls here. If the developer decides to get too cute and too "Disney" like, the market will identify it as too gimmiky and choose to live elsewhere. Also, it has to be competitive with other student housing prices (lower than at most med-density residential). If the University provides capital or land to the deal, it could probably still work with units renting for around $1.00/sf, which is consistent with the newer units along Hulen.

For the project not to be just a flash-in-the pan, and to develop into a mature district, they must use durable materials (no synthetic stucco junk). Picture Beacon Hill in Boston. What a GREAT environment in which to go to college.

Also, I hope they resist the temptation to use more of that terrible yellow brick. I know, TCU yellow...

#6 Tyler Durden

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:46 AM

I actually really like the cream colored brick and red tile roof look that they have. I also like the new modern buildings that have gone up recently. Looks good to me. Just one opinion.

#7 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:46 AM

I have taken a beautiful night shot of the new Tucker Technology Building recently. I haven't had the time to put it up on the web site, but I will say that I do like some of the new structures at TCU.

#8 Urbndwlr

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:46 AM

IMO, the yellow brick with red tile is okay, but would be better if softened by a liberal dose of ivy and shrubs.

I am not a huge fan of the new buildnings. They are very "of the moment" and will not age gracefully. I would have suggested designs more consistent with their old ones - either neoclassical or art deco. I didn't give any money for them, so it definitely wasn't my call.

On a positive note, TCU has been doing a much better job landscaping around campus. The new trees along Bellaire and around the playing fields look great!

#9 Thurman52

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:47 AM

Plans for lot in development
Parking garage, stores possible behind Perrotti’s
By Meghan Youker
Staff Reporter

The commuter parking lot around Perrotti’s Pizza may be converted into a complex of apartments, retail stores and parking spaces, if developers and architects decide development is still possible, university officials say.

Administrators chose Phoenix Property Co. of Dallas and Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York City to develop the property, said Carol Campbell, vice chancellor for finance and administration.

The project team has until the end of December to do further financial analysis and design work to determine if it can go ahead with the project, Campbell said.

Jason Runnels, executive vice president of Phoenix Property Co., said the company is committed to going forward and could begin prep work in January.

Actual construction for the project could begin in March with completion by fall 2005, Runnels said.

If constructed, the first floor of the building would contain some sort of retail — either stores, restaurants or office spaces — but it is up to the Phoenix Property Co. to lease to the building’s tenants, Campbell said. These retail spaces would most likely face Berry and West Bowie streets, she said.

“There is not going to be an auto-body shop in there,” Campbell said.

About 200 apartments, enough for about 500 residents, would be above the first level of retail, Campbell said. Additionally, about 600 parking spaces would be located in a garage with exits on Greene Avenue and Waits Street. The parking would not be visible, because it would be surrounded by apartments, she said.

The apartments would be designed for students, who could easily walk to campus, Campbell said.

“(Students) could wake up at 7:55 a.m. and be in class by 8 a.m.,” Campbell said.

Runnels said there would probably be apartments with up to four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The apartments would be about 80 percent furnished, with all utilities, Internet, cable, phone and washer and dryer included. Rent could range from about $500 a month to $800 a month per person and each roommate would sign an individual lease, Runnels said.

“Privacy has typically been a big issue for our residents,” Runnels said. “That’s why most of our apartments have a bathroom for every resident.”

Campbell said the Phoenix Property Co. will do a market study and hold focus groups to see what type of apartments students want. Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs, said he will set up dates with the developers to talk to students about amenities they want.

Campbell said the apartments will be both nice and expensive.

“They will be what you call first class,” Campbell said.

Campbell said rent for apartments would be paid to the developers, who would pay the university to lease the property. Campbell would not comment on how much the university would receive.

The team designed the project assuming Perrotti’s Pizza would not move, Runnels said. Although he has not spoken with anyone at Perrotti’s, Runnels said his company would do its best to work with restaurant owners.

“If we buy their land, we can leave them in our project,” Runnels said. “It would be a great fit.”

Phoenix Property Co. built downtown Fort Worth’s Firestone Apartments and the West Village in Dallas. It has also completed a student housing project at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Campbell said administrators spent the last few weeks interviewing developers and viewing presentations from 10 different teams. TCU officials started negotiating with the selected team Oct. 3, she said.

“There are still a few i’s to dot and t’s to cross,” Campbell said.




credits
TCU Daily Skiff © 2003

#10 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:47 AM

Thank you for finding this. I hope this project goes through, as it would be really nice to see some urban developments along West Berry Street. That is something the area has really needed for a long time.

#11 ghughes

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:48 AM

TCU is quite serious about this development as it represents both an income stream and a way to foster high quality surroundings for the campus. Beyond that, there is an interest in developing more of a walking environment with students choosing to live on or quite near the campus. I think the fear of having it turn into a commuter school is a motivator.

The neighborhoods around TCU are supportive of the Berry Street development and have been included as partners in the planning process. While nothing is perfect, TCU is engaged with its neighbors to an unprecedented degree.

The credit belongs to everyone involved, from TCU for sharing information and being flexible to neighborhood associations that have chosen to work together to the Berry Street Initiative for getting money for infrastructure improvements and pushing this thing for years.

#12 ladymcbeth

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:48 AM

UNT has done a similar thing with apartment complexes withing walking distance from the campus. The students like it because they have an apartment atmosphere but are still close enough to campus to walk

#13 Thurman52

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:49 AM

Planning for lot underway
Student reactions to development plans mixed
By Meghan Youker
Staff Reporter

Engineering work for the proposed apartment and retail complex near Perrotti’s Pizza is underway.

Phoenix Property Co. is working to be sure the planned building’s infrastructure will match the city’s ongoing work along Berry Street, said Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs. As the city redevelops the street, it has also been modifying access to plumbing and other utilities, he said.

“It is important that any changes in the city’s plans to accommodate the development be made now,” Mills said.

After the engineering work is completed, developers will turn to design concerns, Mills said.

Developers from Phoenix Property Co. will meet with students to see what type of apartments they want in mid- to late November, Mills said. So far, student reaction to the proposal has been mixed.

Freshman Robert Rice said the proposed apartments would be a place he would like to live.

“It would be like living on campus but not living on campus,” said Rice, a business major. “Location is huge.”

Junior Cameron Self said the proposed location is ideal for students.

“They would be far enough away from main campus to be separate but still close enough for the conveniences of on-campus living,” said Self, an electrical engineering major.

Although the apartments sound exciting, Self said he thinks the apartments will more than likely be too expensive and exclusive for many students.

Jason Runnels, executive vice president of Phoenix Property Co., said in an Oct. 17 Skiff article that rent could range from about $500 a month to $800 a month, per person.

Other students worry about increased parking difficulties. Richard Bryan, associate director of operations of the physical plant, said the planned development area now provides 307 parking spaces for commuters. In an Oct. 17 Skiff article, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Carol Campbell said the proposed development would include about 600 parking spaces.

Self, a commuter student, said he wants to know where he will park when construction begins.

Senior education major Vanessa Castagnet said the development will probably not help the parking situation because the new spaces will be taken up by the people who live there.

“I’m sure the building will help the situation a small fraction,” Castagnet said. “But I don’t think it will solve an even larger problem.”


Ty Halasz/Staff Photographer
Developers are working on engineering details for the commuter parking lot near Perrotti’s Pizza. The lot is between Berry Street and West Bowie Street.




credits
TCU Daily Skiff © 2003

#14 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:49 AM

Thanks for posting the article from the Daily Skiff.

#15 Urbndwlr

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:50 AM

John,

Who will Phoenix use? Also, who are the architects that are responsible for the design of the slew of new buildings around TCU? Does TCU manage them closely? If so, who is the guiding force behind their campus architecture?

#16 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:50 AM

I don't know who Phoenix will use as their architect. Ellerbee Becket of Minneapolis and Hahnfeld, Hoffer, Stanford of Fort Worth are the architects for the new buildings around TCU. As for the design standards on the buildings, I would guess that there is a certain percentage of the facade that is required to be yellow brick to match the older buildings on campus. I can't really say that for sure, but it looks as if there is some kind of mandate that the buildings relate to the older structures on campus.

#17 Prairie Pup

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:51 AM

From the (Fort Worth) Star Telegram Sun Nov 30

http://www.dfw.com/m...cal/7380761.htm

It is always interesting how things go in cycles. I distinctly remember when Berry Street was widened and "improved" back in the 1970's, saw it happen from near ground level - from a bicycle. The Brick pavement that moderated traffic speed was replaced with slick concrete, the head-in parking was deleted, and the large trees on the south side were razed in favor of more lanes.

Pup

#18 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:51 AM

I remember the widening very well. It is interesting how "Everything old is new again".

If you read the article, you see that Fort Worth Forum Moderator Greg Hughes is quoted in the article. Congrats, Greg.

#19 ghughes

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:51 AM

Thanks, John.

I'm very pleased at how many facets of the community are working for this. A big part has been the inclusiveness and community-based efforts of the Berry Street Initiative. Not to mention that the BSI pushed hard to find the millions of dollars that are now starting to go to work.

The obvious question is whether the infrastructure improvements will lead to commerce. I don't think they will alone. But TCU is committed and has the "power" to place a lot of housing there, and that will make a big difference because residents become customers. And it's customers that will make Berry Street come back to life.

#20 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:53 AM

Pup, Bryanr, and I were students at Paschal between 1972 and 1976 when the widening of Berry was taking place. I'm sure that all three of us can tell stories about the widening of the street.

I'm hoping that the infusion of residents will spur the commercial growth. Berry has been on the decline too long.

#21 Thurman52

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:54 AM

Posted on Wed, Jan. 07, 2004

City OKs changes on Berry Street
By Anna M. Tinsley
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


STAR-TELEGRAM
WEST BERRY STREET REDEVELOPMENT


FORT WORTH - City leaders put redevelopment of West Berry Street on the fast track Tuesday, encouraging businesses, neighbors and Texas Christian University to help turn the road into a thriving corridor.

City Council members approved zoning changes along the street Tuesday night to ensure that development will be pedestrian-friendly and gave residents and developers financial incentives through a neighborhood empowerment zone to spruce up the area.

"This is the culmination of many years of effort on West Berry Street by people who live and work in the area," said Councilwoman Wendy Davis, whose district includes the area.

"This paves the way for the kind of development we want to see, that we've dreamed about seeing there," she said.

Sandra Dennehy, president of the Berry Street Initiative, said the work is important to the corridor.

"We've been working on the redevelopment of Berry Street for eight years," she said. "It's very exciting about this project moving forward."

Construction is expected to begin this spring on an apartment complex that will include a parking garage and retail space. And by summer, work should begin to add a median, widen sidewalks and narrow the street.

The complex, to be developed on behalf of TCU, is expected to keep students close to campus and add foot traffic to the street. Stores, including restaurants and barber shops, would wrap around the first floor, said Don Mills, TCU's vice chancellor for student affairs.

The development -- planned for the block bordered by West Berry Street, Greene Avenue, Bowie Street and Waits Avenue -- could be finished by August 2005.

"I think this is the start of a fairly long process of revitalizing the area, making it a much nicer place to live and work," Mills said.

Zoning changes approved last year let TCU proceed with mixed-use projects on 60 acres, including the north side of West Berry Street.

Council members agreed Tuesday night to have a 12-foot alley near the land vacated so TCU's developers can extend sewer, gas, electric and surface paving to the alley as well as the proposed apartment complex site.

Concerns were raised by Perrotti's Pizza that closing the alley would cut off the restaurant's access for vendor trucks, utilities and trash removal.

But after some consideration, council members voted 7-1 to approve vacating the alley as long as adequate alternative access is provided. Councilman Clyde Picht voted against the proposal.

Council members also agreed Tuesday to rezone the south side of West Berry Street, roughly from TCU to Paschal High School.

That side of the street has had various uses, mostly commercial, that have inhibited residential construction, officials said.

The changes allow mixed-use development on the south side of the street, clearing the way for eventual development of residences such as town houses, officials said.

In a separate vote, council members also approved a neighborhood empowerment zone for the area.

The designation lets homeowners and developers receive tax abatements or other incentives for their efforts to rehabilitate the neighborhood.

"This all falls in line with the city's master plan for urban corridors, for creating an urban village as a core of the [empowerment zone]," Mills said.

Other work in the area is going on, including nearly $3 million in work to add sidewalks, a median, landscaping and other amenities, city transportation officials said.

The street will continue to have two lanes in each direction and on-street parking to encourage motorists to park and walk from shop to shop.

The first phase of the road work -- replacing water and sewer lines from Waits Avenue to Forest Park Boulevard -- has already been completed.

By this summer, work is scheduled to begin on the second phase: narrowing the road from Waits Avenue to Forest Park Boulevard, widening sidewalks, adding brick pavers to sidewalks and walkways, and planting trees on the outside edges of the sidewalks, city transportation officials said.

That work is not expected to close the street and could be finished within a year, officials say.

"I think we're moving the city forward in a responsible manner," Mayor Mike Moncrief said. "It's a great project."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ONLINE: www.fortworthgov.org
Anna M. Tinsley, (817) 390-7610 atinsley@star-telegram.com

#22 jonnyrules23

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:55 AM

Well, I have mixed feelings about this. On the positive side, Berry street looks like some generic, wide, suburban strip center street, with all of those single restaurants occupying whole blocks surrounded by parking. In addition, Berry street is really unfriendly to pedestrians ( I would know, I'm one of about 2,000 that walk along it each day) with 6 lanes of traffic and a turning lane. This project to narrow the street, expand the side walk, add a median and plant trees will definately make the street more attractive, while the mixed use zoning might force some of those ugly suburban fast food places and stores to occupy ground level retail in apartment buildings (much like they do in New York). Then Berry street would feel like a true urban corridor, complementing both Paschal and TCU.

On the other side, two major issues about traffic come up. One is only temporary, the construction, but if it's anything like that retarded Trail Lake project that has had its completion extended numerous times and choked a lot of traffic headed for downtown, then Paschal students will have a really difficult time heading to school. In addition, I'm sure at least 1 thousand cars squeeze their way from Berry street to Forest Park and Panther Alley on 6 lanes, and that number is only expected to grow. I just wonder how traffic is going to be for students AND motorists headed towards downtown on forest park or university when traffic on Berry is reduced to 4 lanes.

Other than that, sounds like it's really going to help Berry street alot and I'm happy it's getting done!


Paschal rules!!!

#23 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:55 AM

I haven't really thought about the traffic issues around Paschal and how this project could impact them. I know that while the construction is proceeding, the congestion in the area will increase. Also, the first phase of the Berry Street reconstruction is from Waits to Forest Park. I think the second phase is from Waits to University, so it will be some time before the area east of Paschal is done. By that time, some of the planning errors will be discovered and they won't be repeated east of the school. I know this doesn't help those coming to PHS from the west, but it is something to think about east of Forest Park.

#24 Thurman52

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:56 AM

The TCU Skiff published this artlicle Thursday Use the link to see some artists rendersings of the Berry St project I have not seen before and a details box about the Apartment Complex TCU wants built.

There is also intersting blips about other projects TCU wants along Berry, including a retirement home, hotel w/ conference space etc.

http://www.skiff.tcu...s/01/16/ta.html

Taking initiative
Improvements to area around TCU should help with parking, housing
City Council decisions will allow mixed-use development on the south side of Berry Street in an effort to appeal to private investors.

By Meghan Youker
Skiff Staff

The long-held dream of TCU-area residents and university officials of a revitalized and tree-lined Berry Street is a few steps closer to reality.

Decisions by the Fort Worth City Council last week will allow developers to build town houses, restaurants and shops on the same property, on the south side of the street from about TCU to Paschal High School. Property TCU owns on the north side of Berry Street was rezoned for mixed use in June for similar purposes.

The changes will allow construction that could bring more housing and parking into the area, said Carol Campbell, vice chancellor for business and administration.

By combining areas for students in which to live, work, park and shop — a top priority for the university — TCU hopes to make the campus more residential, said Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs.

“This will build the residential atmosphere of our campus, improving safety and creating a nicer edge for the campus,” Mills said.

Businesses such as fast-food restaurants and hair salons now line Berry Street, but vacant buildings spoil the landscape. Memories of the Colonial Cafeteria, Back Porch restaurant and the Stripling and Cox department store that once kept Berry Street a bustling shopping district have faded since the 1990s.

“Our campus is so nice,” said Holly Brady, a freshman premajor. “And then all of the sudden, you hit Berry Street, and it’s just not so nice anymore.”

The movement to revitalize Berry Street began in 1996 when a group of area residents gathered to form the Berry Street Initiative, said Sandra Dennehy, the group’s president. The group aims to make Berry Street more pedestrian friendly with a better balance between cars and pedestrians.

The university has joined the effort out of safety and marketing concerns, Mills said. When prospective students have wanted to visit campus, the university has given them directions that avoided Berry Street, sometimes down Hulen Street, he said.

“It has made sense to send them another way,” he said.

Junior Ryan Foley said the first time he visited campus when considering universities to attend, he was shocked.

“Although it did not affect my decision to come to TCU, I definitely thought ‘what the hell is this?’” Foley said.

But progress is beginning to be seen by initiative members and university officials on the street. Fernando Costa, the city’s planning director, said the development will create a pedestrian environment to encourage students to walk to campus and to other stores and restaurants.

“More students will be able to live on campus, preventing a large flow of traffic into the area,” Costa said.

Beginning this summer, the city will begin its final step to attract private investors with the addition of a median, landscaping, lighting and trees to Berry Street east from Waits Avenue to west from Forest Park Boulevard, Costa said.

Dennehy said changes to the street — such as a parking lane, sidewalks and enhanced crosswalks and intersections — will make it more attractive and allow stores and restaurants to front the street and replace parking spaces.

These changes will balance the flow of pedestrians, automobiles and bicycles on the street, city officials said.

Some local business managers welcomed the plan.

“It is pretty dark at night,” said Alex Garcia, who manages the Berry Street Quizno’s Subs. “So changes could improve the security of the area.”

Keri Ryan, president of the Bluebonnet Place Neighborhood Association, said the decisions were imperative in order to draw in the new businesses required to revitalize the area.

However, Ryan said she worries about noise and the addition of more late-night bars and restaurants.

“There needs to be a buffer zone between high-density development and our neighborhood,” Ryan said.

Jim Johnson, president of the Bluebonnet Hills Neighborhood Association, said he thinks the change will help rejuvenate the area’s aging housing stock and make the entire area a nicer place.

Like city officials, TCU administrators also hope to use private developers to revamp Berry Street over the next 10 to 15 years. Over half of the 145 properties TCU owns are part of the Bellaire House Condominiums. The university also owns a few other properties on Berry Street that are vacant. The properties can be leased by TCU to other companies for development.

“The properties that front Berry Street are an investment by TCU to develop commercially,” Campbell said. “We hope to integrate retail with the campus.”

For example, Campbell said the development on the parking lots surrounding Perrotti’s Pizza will include some retail space on the corners of the lower level, as well as meeting rooms for campus organizations. The cost of development is about $45 million, officials said.


Foley, a finance and accounting major, said TCU will benefit from a rise in the value of its properties along Berry Street. Students will benefit from increased safety in the area, he said.

Student Government Association vice president Megan Brown said she has met with developers from Phoenix Property Co. to discuss possible retailers for the complex near Perrotti’s. She said meeting rooms will provide another alternative for students to gather and study.

“We want something that can be long-lasting,” Brown said, “like a late-night Kinko’s or a real Starbucks.”

In addition to the complex to be built around Perrotti’s Pizza, a wide range of other ideas was suggested to university officials in response to a request for proposals sent out in June, Campbell said. University officials will now decide which ones they like and combine them, she said.

“It’s all visions and concepts,” Campbell said. “There is no concrete planning at this point.”

Campbell said TCU officials will incorporate development ideas into the master plan when they begin revising it this year. The locations of transportation routes, pedestrian walkways and academic buildings will be considered, she said.

Among the projects, developers suggested buildings such as a conference hotel and a retirement community for TCU property near Berry Street and Stadium Drive, Campbell said.

“An all-senior condominium complex could be within walking distance of concerts, plays and lecture series,” she said.

However, Campbell said the university’s primary concerns are housing and parking.

Dennehy said buildings with apartments and stores will serve the university, its students and area residents.

“If more students live in the area, they will not seek entertainment elsewhere,” Dennehy said.

While the City Council has paved the way for development on Berry Street, it is still dependent on private investment, Campbell said.

“It needs to be economically feasible,” Campbell said. “A third party needs to come in and say ‘Yes, development will be profitable.’ ”

To provide economic incentives, the city has designated the area a Neighborhood Empowerment Zone, which Costa said will allow the city to waive loans and development fees and to not charge developers taxes for the increase in property value for five years.

“It could be the difference between the success and failure of a business,” Costa said. “Something that may only look marginally feasible could be extremely successful.

“The key to development is private investment, and if we don’t see it, we have not succeeded.”

#25 Thurman52

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:57 AM

I guess I am the only TCU student here....

This link take you to the article and a small rendering of the first building


http://www.skiff.tcu...2/building.html

Apartment project pushed back to 2006
Perrotti’s Pizza reached an agreement with developers to move into the new complex.

By Erin Baethge and Allison Goertz

Construction on a student apartment and retail complex on a commuter parking lot near Berry Street has been delayed until December so developers will have time to complete the entire development at once, officials said.

Phoenix Property Co., who will be in charge of construction on the new structures, didn’t want to open the property in the middle of the school year for fear that the apartments would be left vacant.

“Contractors couldn’t complete it in 16 months, and it was too much risk not to make it on time,” said Jason Runnels, a senior partner of the company.

The 18-month project will break ground in December, which means the two buildings and parking garage are scheduled to be completed in July 2006, Runnels said at a neighborhood meeting Wednesday night.

The commuter lot, which is located between Berry and Bowie streets, south of the Tucker Technology Center, will close in August to allow for preconstruction activities, he said at the meeting in the Kelly Alumni Center.

Construction was slated to begin March 1, but that date was pushed back to March 22 because the contractors could not guarantee completion by fall 2005, Runnels said.

The complex, which will have a six-story building facing Berry Street and a five-story building facing the TCU campus, will have 247 apartment units and house 600 students. Rent will range from $600 to $900 per month, depending on the number of bedrooms, Runnels said. This includes furniture, cable, Internet and phone service, all utilities except electric and a reserved parking spot.

The two buildings will be connected by a parking garage with ample parking space for residents and shoppers, said Jeffery Povero, a Robert A. M. Stern architect who helped design the building.

The design of the complex was created specifically for TCU, and it will mirror the style of other campus buildings as well as Fort Worth architecture in an effort to revitalize Berry Street, Povero said.

“Our whole practice is built upon the idea that every place you go has an identity,” Povero said. “We are committed to this kind of work.”

Perrotti’s Pizza has reached a long-term agreement with Phoenix to move into the new complex in exchange for a discounted rent rate. Before construction begins, Phoenix will also pay for Perrotti’s to relocate into a strip center across the street from their current location on Greene Avenue.

“They only got a little bit of cash in their pocket,” Runnels said of the agreement. “But we wanted them to stay.”

Runnels declined to comment on the exact financial details of the agreement that was reached with Perrotti’s Pizza.

The new facility will incorporate red tiles on the roof and the bricks will match the other buildings on campus, said Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs. The tower on the building will also be similar to the university church tower, he said.

The ground floor of the complex will have retail space for national chains and local businesses, Runnels said.

The names of retailers who will rent space on the bottom floor of the building are not known, but a restaurant and a beauty salon have inquired about the space, Mills said.
Retailers will pay between $25 and $35 per square foot, Runnels said.

Mills said the complex fits into the university’s long-term plans to make the campus more pedestrian friendly because students can walk to class and have access to restaurants and shops. It will have all the advantages of off- and on-campus living, he said.

“The long-term solution is to get people to not have to drive to school in the morning,” Mills said.

The project will be a catalyst for other kinds of development on Berry Street and will bring the city one step closer to its goal of creating an urban village, Mills said.

“We are committed to taking places like Berry Street that have lost their luster and bringing them back to something special,” Povero said.

#26 Thurman52

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:58 AM

Same Skiff edition notes that three new parking lots will open this coming Fall including where the Bellaire Condos are now.

The article notes the parking lots are temporary until the University builds on them.

#27 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:59 AM

Quote:
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The new facility will incorporate red tiles on the roof and the bricks will match the other buildings on campus, said Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs. The tower on the building will also be similar to the university church tower, he said.
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The design and brick color is going to please Urbndwlr!

It is good to see the project is moving along. For many of us who live in neighborhoods within the Berry Street corridor, we are anxious to see the street revitalized. I've always thought that the street had such potential; however, back in the 1970's when the street was widened, that potential was diminished.

#28 jonnyrules23

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:59 AM

Great news anyways, I'm happy it'll be finished before I graduate from Paschal. Could be a cool restaurant there too. While I like the whole yellow brick scheme for the on campus buildings, for the rest of Berry St I hope more styles come up. To have a beautiful streetscape and just line it with stoic clones of yellow brick buildings would just defeat the purpose of the whole urban village idea. At least the parking lot is going away!
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#29 normanfd

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 06:59 AM

I like the idea of the buildings blending in with the TCU campus, but here's an idea. Repave the street in red brick. I still reminisce over the charm Fort Worth once had when, not only Camp Bowie and Main, but Hemphill and all of the major streets in the hospital district as well as many other thoroughfares were paved in red brick. I realize that it's not possible to reconstruct these streets citywide, but certain districts call out for attention. TCU is one of these. It would certainly provide a color contrast to TCU's yellow bricks.

#30 normanfd

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:00 AM

By the way, Johnny, I just wanted to mention that I think it is fantastic to see someone your age participate so enthusiastically and express such hopes and vision for the city as you do. I've read quite a number of posts you've made for quite some time, and I've found no small number worth responding to based upon the strong arguments you have put forward. I'm really impressed that someone your age is interested enough to post his own views here, and I would certainly welcome other articulate young people to express their hopes and dreams for the city here as well.

#31 ghughes

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:00 AM

While designed to look like one building, there will actually be three: a 5-story on Berry, a parking structure in between, and a 6-story on Bowie (facing campus). The one facing campus will use the yellow brick look. I wasn't clear about the parking structure except that, while it will be screened, it won't be disguised as something else.

The building facing Berry will not use the yellow brick. Nor will its design match the TCU look. It will be a painted brick (light color) and will include some balconies on upper floors.

#32 jonnyrules23

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:01 AM

Thank you, normanfd. I wasn't even born in FW but I feel like it's my hometown. I really hope when I become an architect that I get to design skyscrapers and projects like this for my hometown, but for now I thought I'd express my ideas with other people who can understand them. I mean, there just aren't a lot of 9th graders who care about downtown construction or city layout . I might even post some of my sketches when I get a scanner.

But back to the topic at hand, I was looking through the Skiff and read that article about the parking lots going up on the Bellaire Condo site. The article also mentioned 5 houses the university rents on Lubbock will be demolished. Which houses would these be? I'd really hate to see any house in that area demolished, they are all beautiful and historic .
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#33 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:01 AM

Jonny, where were you born?

Back to the topic at hand. From what I read in the related article in the Daily Skiff, those five houses are across from Dan Rogers Hall on Lubbock. I will agree that those houses are nice and could be deemed historic. A few years ago, TCU demolished some apartments and houses at the north end of the block for the lot at Cantey and Lubbock. I also think that when the MU zoning change was granted by the City Council that all areas south of Bowie and the lots north of Bowie that were rezoned would eventually have the homes demolished.

#34 jonnyrules23

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:02 AM

I was born in Denver, but only lived there for 2 years. And I always hate when historic houses are demolished. Most of them have so much potential. I hope whatever they plan to build on top of that parking lot is worth it .
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#35 ghughes

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:02 AM

The houses going down are north of Bowie on the east side of the street. They will become parking.

TCU has agreed not to tear down "onesey-twosey" houses for parking where they own scattered houses. This new parking was agreed to by the immediate neighbors in the Frisco Heights neighborhood.

#36 Urbndwlr

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:02 AM

Are they planning to give/sell the houses to someone who will put them elsewhere?

#37 John T Roberts

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Posted 17 July 2004 - 07:08 AM

The homes have been gone several weeks now on Lubbock. It is unfortunate because they had a lot of character. That leaves three houses on the entire block. One is the art deco home at the corner of W. Bowie and Lubbock and the other two will sit between the existing parking lot and the new one.

The Bellaire Condominiums were leveled this week at the corner of Stadium Drive and West Berry.

I also noticed at one of the City Council meetings where hotter topics were discussed, that the city has let a contract to do the utility work to serve the new apartment/retail building.

#38 EricTCU

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Posted 22 July 2004 - 01:41 PM

Yes the Bellaire Condos are gone, I live just across the street from them on Odessa. The property will temporarily serve as a 400 space parking lot. Our house was recently purchased from our former landlord by TCU for over twice what he paid for it 8 years ago, along with several other homes on Odessa, Wabash, Greene, Lubbock, and Waits between TCU and Berry Street.

Chancellor Boschini said planners want to use the land between Campus and Berry for more on campus apartments and Academic buildings (i.e. the plans already posted here)

TCU is buying property surrounding campus at a rediculous premium lately, I was quoted in a story last fall about it, I'll see if I can find it.

I think the "walking campus" idea is a great vision. There are already so many restaurants, a grocery store, three churches, and a nice variety of night life around campus, I think this is a great idea.

The only problem is, the current on-Campus apartments kick everyone out for the summer, so they aren't much different than the dorms. I think TCU needs to create year-round housing so students who want to live permantly in Fort Worth will be able to be on campus during the summer break as well.

#39 TCU Alumnus

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 08:46 AM

Curious to know how the construction on the Berry Street

corridor is progressing. Any indication on when the road,

median and sidewalk improvements will be completed?

Apparently, TCU has been very active in acquiring property

in the area...

#40 John T Roberts

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 11:12 AM

Eric, from time to time, you may have seen me riding on bike. When they were doing the demolition, I rode by a few times and stopped on Odessa to watch. Ghughes, is also a cyclist and lives in the area. One of my regular routes uses Bellaire Drive N., so I'm through there quite frequently on bike.

As for the schedule, I'm not sure what it is. Maybe Ghughes will be able to fill us in.

#41 mosteijn

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 11:17 AM

I think the original plan was to have construction on Berry start this summer, so they're running out of time to make that on-schedule.

#42 ghughes

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 04:01 PM

Posted Image

#43 John T Roberts

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 04:03 PM

We'll call it the stairway to nowhere.

#44 mosteijn

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 04:05 PM

Haha! That's good stuff ghughes, thanks for posting it. Are you still the president of the UNA?

#45 ghughes

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 04:25 PM

Actually I go by "facilitator" since there's really no election or anything. But that also doesn't mean that I know anything firm about the Berry Street work timing.

I was going with "Stairway to Heaven" but perhaps that's an age-specific thing.

#46 John T Roberts

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Posted 07 August 2004 - 05:33 PM

Greg, I thought of that first, but I also thought it was a little cliche. The "Stairway to Heaven" definitely dates us.




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