(07-16-2014 05:34 PM)d1owls4life Wrote:  Sorry to drag an old thread up, but just saw on twitter that UH has schedule Vandy for their final slot of 2015. The Bayou Bucket is on hold until 2016 at the earliest.

(08-03-2014 10:10 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I know you're trying to be cynical but I do think one of Rice's charms is that the campus still has a lot of green space nestled amongst its campus. And while growth is wonderful, I don't think you want a campus that looks overcrowded. Some of these new campus buildings are taking away some of the green space - can't be helped.

But one of these days, Rice is going to have to bite the bullet and just reclaim some of its land outside the hedges. And then they can grow certain elements of the campus in these satellite locations. I don't believe the main 300-acre campus is going to be big enough for the Rice of the middle or late 21st century.

I agree FBO. But just exactly where are these lands outside the hedges? Are they relatively contiguous to the existing campus? Or farther afield ?

(08-02-2014 10:19 PM)Frizzy Owl Wrote:  What does the underground parking already at Rice cost?

I'm not aware of any law requiring parking providers to charge more for underground parking.

No law, but Rice isn't likely (IMO) to eat the extra cost.

Rates are here. Garage is 808 USD vs 506 for the college lots
http://parking.rice.edu/parkingrates/

(08-03-2014 02:54 PM)greyowl72 Wrote:  I agree FBO. But just exactly where are these lands outside the hedges? Are they relatively contiguous to the existing campus? Or farther afield ?

Last I knew (though it has been a while) we own the lots across Greenbriar, then we own the village arcade (but not the spots in between)

We also own a large plot (like more than 50 acres, though not more than 150 I don't think) somewhere down south main between 610 and the ft bend tollway. Not precisely sure.

We need to perfect the transporter

http://www.ricethresher.org/news/article...b2370.html

Unless this article missed some land, it appears they don't own much really outside of the Rice Village (the land in Louisiana and Waller County is too far away to be used and the Sears plot isn't worthy of developing I'd say as a campus addition).

Perhaps if retails stores continue to decline in usage (and online shopping continues to grow), one day Rice could convert some of the Rice Village into campus buildings. But that's probably quite a bit down the road. Cal-Berkeley has some decent sized parts of its campus well away from its main circular plot (the Clark Kerr campus - I'm not talking about the land up in the hills). I could see one day Rice doing something like that.

http://www.berkeley.edu/map/googlemap/

There's already a campus building on the lot across Greenbriar. That's not where a parking garage will be unless it's squeezed in next to that building.

If parking is such a problem on campus, has anyone considered using the Light Rail or taking the bus?

(08-13-2014 11:16 PM)CrabCake Wrote:  If parking is such a problem on campus, has anyone considered using the Light Rail or taking the bus?

I'd love to but finding a way from near Katy to campus via Metro in an timely, efficient manner on gameday is something I've not been able to accomplish. Not everyone is inside the loop.

(08-04-2014 10:38 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(08-03-2014 02:54 PM)greyowl72 Wrote:  I agree FBO. But just exactly where are these lands outside the hedges? Are they relatively contiguous to the existing campus? Or farther afield ?

Last I knew (though it has been a while) we own the lots across Greenbriar, then we own the village arcade (but not the spots in between)

We also own a large plot (like more than 50 acres, though not more than 150 I don't think) somewhere down south main between 610 and the ft bend tollway. Not precisely sure.

We need to perfect the transporter

I'm pretty sure Rice owns a number of lots south of University just west of the Biosciences building. Much of that area isn't deed restricted.

At some point Rice will add some more structured parking as more of the surface parking is used to expand the campus. The cost will not be cheap. You are probably talking about $15,000 per space for a parking garage above ground and more than $35,000 per space if you want below grade parking. That means a 500 car below grade parking garage would cost almost $18 million.

(08-27-2014 09:23 PM)Kayjay Wrote:  At some point Rice will add some more structured parking as more of the surface parking is used to expand the campus. The cost will not be cheap. You are probably talking about $15,000 per space for a parking garage above ground and more than $35,000 per space if you want below grade parking. That means a 500 car below grade parking garage would cost almost $18 million.

I actually think these cost numbers are low. I would at least double them. Building parking isn't as cheap as people might think, and underground parking is considerably more expensive than an above-ground structure. Even the above-ground structure won't be cheap. Parking structures can be designed to be much nicer than the typical bland horizontal decks.

Underground parking is also going to more difficult to maintain in Houston with the high groundwater table and the potential for flooding. When a water main burst on the UCLA campus recently, the worst damage besides flooding Pauley Pavilion was the flooding of underground garages and the automobiles contained within.

Rice actually has quite a lot of space for an urban campus, but surface parking should be the first land use to go when space starts to get tight. I hope Rice strives to keep the grassy areas, but surface parking is a poor use of valuable land.

Yes, underground parking is incredibly expensive. St. John's School in Houston is in the process of constructing a pretty small underground parking garage as well as a new dining hall (which will be situated on top of the underground garage), and the total cost is $58 million.

Needs must.