TSC: A Fresh Start
Now that the divorce is final and signed by Gov. Rick Perry, it is time for TSC to move out and start fresh.
ITEC
The ITEC building was purchased in early 2000, which used to be the Amigoland Mall, and now houses technical classes, the Mexican Consulate and upstart companies that also hires students. The building was recently renovated to match the design of the UTB/TSC campus and has about 600,000sf of usable space. It also is located in the Banco District that includes all land south of the railroad tracks.
The Divorce
Now that UTB has legally separated from TSC, the question now becomes which buildings belong to UTB and TSC. Once this has been sorted out, it will appear somewhat ridiculous that college students will be using some buildings in the campus while UTB students use other buildings making it confusing and comical. Also, will the maintenance and security departments belong to TSC or UTB? How about parking, the REK center, library and so on? Ultimately, UTB will need the full use of the campus while TSC will need to move out. UTB has already purchased the La Estancia apartments and the Village at Fort Brown is in major need of repairs; $14M as of this year. The La Estancia apartments are located just hop away from the campus. TSC may not have the money to fix the Village at Fort Brown and will eventually be forced to fix it or demolish it.
Fresh Start
Enter the ITEC and the surrounding land. If you look at the satellite image above of the ITEC center, you will notice the amount of empty space available for building. TSC would do best by selling any building it owns to UTB and allow UTB to take over the bond on the newer buildings so that UTB may continue to grow its campus. Once the money has been received, the new TSC campus will be able to grow to the south of the ITEC. There are hundreds of acres to the south, east and west of the ITEC that can be used for future development. Downtown will also be accessible across the existing railroad tracks, soon to be taken down with the construction of the new rail bridge to the west of Brownsville. One day, the West Parkway Loop (West Loop) will replace the railroad tracks that will provide a direct access to a major highway and also HW 77/83. The Resaca that sits behind the ITEC can be cleared and a hike and bike trail or boardwalk added for entertainment for the students that could one day live on this campus. There is also another Resaca that is located to the south of ITEC as seen in the image that can also be developed. This scenario is not as farfetched as the ITEC is already situated in a solitary land that may be far cheaper than land closer to the expressway. If TSC is to succeed, it will need its own place to call home and the Banco District is the perfect place for TSC to start fresh.
ITEC
The ITEC building was purchased in early 2000, which used to be the Amigoland Mall, and now houses technical classes, the Mexican Consulate and upstart companies that also hires students. The building was recently renovated to match the design of the UTB/TSC campus and has about 600,000sf of usable space. It also is located in the Banco District that includes all land south of the railroad tracks.
The Divorce
Now that UTB has legally separated from TSC, the question now becomes which buildings belong to UTB and TSC. Once this has been sorted out, it will appear somewhat ridiculous that college students will be using some buildings in the campus while UTB students use other buildings making it confusing and comical. Also, will the maintenance and security departments belong to TSC or UTB? How about parking, the REK center, library and so on? Ultimately, UTB will need the full use of the campus while TSC will need to move out. UTB has already purchased the La Estancia apartments and the Village at Fort Brown is in major need of repairs; $14M as of this year. The La Estancia apartments are located just hop away from the campus. TSC may not have the money to fix the Village at Fort Brown and will eventually be forced to fix it or demolish it.
Fresh Start
Enter the ITEC and the surrounding land. If you look at the satellite image above of the ITEC center, you will notice the amount of empty space available for building. TSC would do best by selling any building it owns to UTB and allow UTB to take over the bond on the newer buildings so that UTB may continue to grow its campus. Once the money has been received, the new TSC campus will be able to grow to the south of the ITEC. There are hundreds of acres to the south, east and west of the ITEC that can be used for future development. Downtown will also be accessible across the existing railroad tracks, soon to be taken down with the construction of the new rail bridge to the west of Brownsville. One day, the West Parkway Loop (West Loop) will replace the railroad tracks that will provide a direct access to a major highway and also HW 77/83. The Resaca that sits behind the ITEC can be cleared and a hike and bike trail or boardwalk added for entertainment for the students that could one day live on this campus. There is also another Resaca that is located to the south of ITEC as seen in the image that can also be developed. This scenario is not as farfetched as the ITEC is already situated in a solitary land that may be far cheaper than land closer to the expressway. If TSC is to succeed, it will need its own place to call home and the Banco District is the perfect place for TSC to start fresh.
posted by TonyL at 6:58 PM
.jpg)
3 Comments:
You don't post often, but when you do, it's always worth reading.
I also think that for TSC to truly refocus on the mission of a community college, it might need to change locations, provided it is appropriately compensated by the UT system.
I hope you consider adding other "Share" options to your posts such as Facebook and Twitter, and/or consider creating a Facebook page so that more people are exposed to another view.
There are 5,500 residents of West Brownsville who have signed a resolution against the tollway--the city is against it, and the county is against it. The tollway is a boondoggle, one, and two, it will in the end will be filled with truck traffic. That is not a thing of beauty.
Thank you for your comments. I haven't really kept up with this post. As for the tollway, I have, over the years, realized that Brownsville is building too many roads/highways and maybe it's time to invest in research for a monorail that loops around the city and a high speed train that connects the RGV to San Antonio and other large cities in Texas.
This could be my next post :)
Post a Comment
<< Home