Fort Worth: Downtown Tarrant County College Campus

[gc]

TCC downtown campus in works
By Mitchell Schnurman - Star-Telegram Staff Writer
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/columnists/7945698.htm

Downtown Fort Worth is about to land another plum real estate project, a college campus that would bring a missing aesthetic and thousands of people to the heart of the city.

Tarrant County College has been scouting downtown locations for more than a year and has narrowed its search to two large, exquisite sites.

One is along the river bluffs on the northeastern edge of the central business district, just east of the Tarrant County Courthouse. An ambitious residential development known as Trinity Bluffs is planned for the area, but that idea would be scrapped if the college chooses the site.

This spot emerged only recently, after a downtown parcel owned by the Bass family was withdrawn from consideration. Ed Bass and developer Tom Struhs then agreed to jointly put up key pieces of land along the bluffs to try to attract the campus.

The other potential location is on the shores of the Trinity River, less than a mile north of the bluffs. TXU has operated a power plant there for decades, and that plot will face the planned Town Lake, the future anchor of the riverfront revitalization.

TCC officials are still negotiating the land purchase and declined to discuss details. But several people involved in the talks explained how the search progressed in recent weeks, and all parties, including TCC's chancellor, expect a deal to be made soon.

The college wants to put several buildings, totaling about 500,000 square feet, on about 35 acres. Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza said the college would spend about $80 million for the land and the initial facilities, which may include an administration building, classrooms, a performance hall and parking.

The campus expects to draw 10,000 students who take courses for credit and maybe half that many who take noncredit classes. If attendance grows as expected, the school will add significant buildings later, and it wants enough land to accommodate expansion.

The site on the bluffs is believed to be the leading choice, because it would draw more retail traffic into Sundance Square, make it easier to attract full-time workers from downtown, and encourage more mass transit. Those factors all boost the vibrancy of the city core, a key to winning civic leaders' and the public's support.

The bluffs site also won't require an environmental cleanup, which would be needed at the TXU location.

Either choice is likely to provoke controversy. These are prime tracts that would generate huge property taxes if they were used for traditional purposes, such as apartments or retail stores. And some people are certain to question whether a community college, facing budget cuts, should be splurging on a gorgeous campus.

In August 2002, the community college board of trustees approved a 31 percent tax increase, pointing to the need for a central city campus.

De la Garza says the school will watch its money carefully, but it's taking a long-term view.

"This is a 100-year decision," he said in an interview Thursday. "We don't necessarily have to make an architectural statement, but we need to take advantage of this opportunity."

Most people haven't heard any details about TCC's deliberations, and they haven't been able to weigh in with their preference -- next to the river, along the bluffs or maybe some nondescript lot that could be had for a song.

De la Garza says it has to be that way: Officials have to negotiate for land privately to get the best price; to assemble the various parcels, if necessary; and to not scare off potential sellers, many of whom would decline to negotiate in public.

After TCC secures the land, de la Garza says the process would be opened up to the public. He has already met informally with a leading architect to mull over the possibilities, and he believes that the school can afford to do something significant.

"You can do so much with steel and glass and a view of the water," de la Garza said."The community will be very, very proud of this college campus."

The chancellor and the board deserve credit for reaching further than usual, and the entire community stands to benefit from their initiative.

Fort Worth would get an urban college campus, a key ingredient in its quest for a 24-7 downtown. The college would get the chance to raise its profile and remake its lowbrow image, moves that could pay off in higher enrollments.

And everybody would get guaranteed access to some of the best scenery in North Texas, the kind of views and ambience that are in short supply around here.

How many picturesque, collegelike settings do we have downtown? How many bucolic places to eat a picnic lunch, take in a lecture or watch July Fourth fireworks over the river?

"If this happens, it keeps the bluffs a public space, and maybe that's the most important thing I can do," said Struhs, who controls 28 acres along the bluffs.

Struhs spent more than two years assembling the land, and he has a contract with Lincoln Properties to build hundreds of apartments there. That work would be done in phases, as occupancy grew, and he faces competition from a growing number of residential projects downtown.

Selling the land to the community college eliminates the risk of a slow buildup and the costs of carrying the debt. But Struhs says it also limits his potential gains.

Lincoln has agreed to let him walk away from the residential deal if he gets the nod from TCC.

Ed Bass had initially urged school officials to choose the family's 11-acre tract next to the City Center towers. After several months of talks, the family pulled that parcel from the competition.

The college would have been forced to build a high-rise, and its future expansion would have been limited. To many, the TXU site had the edge.

Supporters of the TXU location like the potential beauty of the waterfront property. It could become a catalyst for development along that part of the Trinity, just downriver from the Pier 1 Imports and RadioShack headquarters, now under construction.

Building there would also resolve the environmental question. Left unanswered, private developers may hesitate to take on the property.

But transferring the risk to TCC could drive up the school's costs and extend the time frame. De la Garza is still aiming to complete the campus in 2006.

That's a tough deadline to hit, even if everything goes smoothly.

Struhs said that he got a call about 45 days ago from a civic leader who asked whether he'd be open to selling to TCC. He went to see the Basses the next day, to make sure that he wouldn't be competing against them.

Turns out that he and Ed Bass would work together, although Struhs said that each will strike an individual deal with the school. Struhs would sell most of the land, but Ed Bass controls about 5 acres, from just east of the courthouse down to Struhs' property.

That's a key tract, because it keeps the campus close to the central business district and the hub of activity.

De la Garza and some TCC officials visited Struhs twice and toured his land. They spent many hours there, taking in the views and eating tacos.

Struhs was torn over whether to sell the property. He talked with local leaders including Mayor Mike Moncrief, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger and Councilwoman Wendy Davis.

He's still proceeding with plans for Trinity Bluffs, just in case the college sale falls through. He's working with the city manager on infrastructure improvements, tax issues and other details.

Let's hope he doesn't need any of it.

[Columbus Civil]

If that does for downtown Fort Worth what El Centro has done for downtown Dallas, then this is incredible news.

[gc]

TCC's grand plan teems with promise
By Mitchell Schnurman - Star-Telegram Staff Writer


Why did Tarrant County College give up the chance this week to build a new downtown campus on the scenic Trinity Bluffs?

Because it's working on an even bolder secret plan.

School officials may split the campus and put buildings on both sides of the Trinity River, linked by a pedestrian bridge, according to people in the know. It's an audacious idea that could make the TCC campus an architectural landmark, designed around and over a river and scaling the bluffs. The unusual split-campus configuration would also pull the Trinity into the fabric of downtown and would knit the school into the county's largest employment base.

Community colleges often look like giant brick boxes sitting on the prairie. This sounds more like a jewel in Cowtown, and school leaders deserve credit for aiming high and defying convention.

Literally and metaphorically, this is a way to elevate the college's stature.

Let's hope that school leaders can make it happen -- and that the details are as good as the concept. Officials would not confirm that they're talking about the proposal, and people familiar with the plan declined to discuss it on the record. They say they must keep information confidential until they close on the land purchases.

A TCC spokesman said an architect has not been chosen to design the new campus. But acclaimed architect Bing Thom was in Fort Worth this week and met with district trustees Wednesday. He showed them potential models of the campus, and people said they were astonished by the creativity. Thom, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is known for his work on urban waterfronts, and he's been in Fort Worth recently to consult on the development of the Trinity riverfront.

It will be interesting to see how he proposes to cope with the steep drop from the top of the bluffs to the river. Much of the space has dirt fill that could be excavated or built into terraces, if necessary. Until Thom entered the picture, TCC had narrowed its search to a waterfront site owned by TXU and a site next to downtown. Both locations had advantages, both had strong advocates and both desperately wanted to land the campus. Thom's solution would let each get some of the action.

More important, students, residents and visitors would get the best of both worlds. Even the site that was rejected this week, the 26-acre Trinity Bluff development, would get a big boost. It would quickly have a striking next-door neighbor that attracts thousands of people. That would stoke demand for its town houses and retail stores, and make them more valuable. TCC's big ambitions have alienated some, including a trustee candidate who was defeated by the incumbent in last week's election. Critics say a downtown campus would soak up large sums of money that could be better spent on teachers, new classes and the expansion of existing facilities.

But trustees decided in 2002 to raise taxes for a downtown campus, and more than $50 million is already in the bank. Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza maintains that the downtown campus is "a 100-year decision," meaning that we'll live with the consequences for many generations. That's why the school initially rejected the notion of building on 5 acres next to the Tarrant County Courthouse, owned by the Bass family. It would have forced the campus to be too vertical, and it was too small to accommodate growth.

That led Ed Bass to team with Tom Struhs, the Trinity Bluff developer, whose holdings run along the bluffs, just to the east. Together, their 30-plus acres were large enough to fulfill de la Garza's vision, and their plan would be a driver for downtown traffic. Struhs agreed to give up his plan to build housing, offices and retail for the school sale, a sure thing. TCC, Struhs and Bass agreed on sale prices, and TCC put up earnest money. It had 90 days to evaluate the land and either close the deal or walk away.

At the same time, the college secured an option on a large tract of land owned by TXU, just north of the bluffs and along the river. While the school studied the bluffs, it also did soil testing and due diligence on the TXU site, looking for environmental hazards.

Downtown advocates pushed hard for the Bass-Struhs land. They wanted to build more pedestrian traffic in the central core and make the city more vibrant. They also wanted downtown workers to have easy access to lectures and classes, and to the landscaped grounds of the public facility. The TXU site had its admirers, including Rep. Kay Granger, one of the driving forces behind the Trinity riverfront project. She believed that a TCC campus would add to the momentum along the Trinity and resolve the big question of what to do with the abandoned TXU power plant. Pier 1 Imports and RadioShack are building headquarters on the other side of the river, and a town lake is planned for the same general area.

This week, TCC told Struhs that it would not buy his land, and he re-focused on his commercial project. But a TCC spokesman said the school did not tell Bass the same thing. The school still has the option to buy Bass' 5 acres atop the bluffs, next to the courthouse. And to buy TXU's land on the riverbank. Decision day on the Bass tract is scheduled for the end of the month, so de la Garza and the trustees have to make their call soon.

We'll see if they bag them both.

[John T Roberts]

This certainly could be unique for downtown. I had real concerns before because the Trinity Bluffs project had something like 1,500 residential units proposed and the new TCC Campus would have eliminated the new residential. This proposal offers the chance to utilize several vacant properties without cutting the prospects of future residential development.

[psukhu]

TCC buys five downtown blocks

By Sandra Baker
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH - Tarrant County College has bought almost five city blocks downtown, as it gathers land for a campus near the county courthouse.

The community college paid about $10.25 million for 6.75 acres, including the site of Pendery's World of Chiles and Spices. Other small businesses are on the sites, as well as parking lots and some vacant tracts.

Downtown land typically sells for $30 to $80 per square foot. TCC paid on the lower end of that range, averaging $34.84. About five of the acres were sold by Fine Line Diversified Realty, a real estate entity of Fort Worth financier Ed Bass, according to county deed records.

TCC has said little about where its new campus will go. Earlier this year, the Star-Telegram reported that the college was considering two high-profile locations along the Trinity River, including the site of the former TXU Energy power plant north of the courthouse.

It is not known whether the newly acquired land, southeast of the courthouse, will be used for a campus, for parking or for other uses.

TCC began collecting tax dollars for a downtown location more than two years ago, and officials have said it has more than $50 million in its coffers.

TCC officials declined Friday to talk about the recent land purchases or a possible design for the new campus while it negotiates for land. The campus is expected to serve the central part of the county.

On June 10, Fine Line Diversified sold the college land between Belknap and Bluff streets at an area overlooking the Trinity River, according to county deed records.

TCC reportedly is considering connecting the bluff property to riverfront property.

According to county deeds, the college in June and July bought property on five city blocks -- primarily along Bluff and Belknap streets, between Calhoun and Pecan streets. It has also acquired parcels between Calhoun and Jones streets south of Belknap Street along Weatherford Street, the deeds show.

The other sellers include David Lock, owner of Leonard's Farm and Ranch store, and FW Corkline Development, which owns the land where the well-known Pendery's World of Chiles and Spices, downtown Fort Worth's oldest retailer, is located. The site of the Leonard's store was sold earlier this summer.

Pat Haggerty, president of the 134-year-old Pendery's at 304 E. Belknap St., said he has one year to find a new location. Lock recently said he has about a year to be gone from his property at 501 E. Belknap St.

Pendery's has been on Belknap Street since the early 1900s and at its current 1,200-square-foot location since 1961. It opened on Belknap Street in 1906 after moving from the nearby area of downtown once called Hell's Half Acre.

The company is now operated by the fifth generation of the family.

Haggerty said that it will be difficult to move but that he hopes to remain downtown. "We're looking at everything we can find. Customers are funny, they get used to you being right there. I worry that people won't find us."

He said Pendery's sold most of its downtown property in 1998 to FW Corkline Development, including its Belknap Street location. FW Corkline Development is headed by David Corrigan of Corrigan Investments in Dallas.

Corrigan declined to comment on the sale to Tarrant County College, citing a confidentiality agreement.

TCC recently backed out of a contract to buy 26 acres on the bluffs along Samuels Avenue. That property is being developed as the Trinity Bluff housing, retail and office development.

If part of TCC's campus is built on Belknap Street, no structures will be higher than about seven stories.

According to the deed filed in the sale of Fine Line's property, the college agreed that property within 50 feet of Belknap Street frontage will not exceed 72 feet and that any other buildings built on the remainder of the property cannot exceed 90 feet.

Deeds filed in the sales by FW Corkline and Lock do not have similar restrictions.
Sandra Baker, (817) 390-7727 sabaker@star-telegram.com



© 2004 Star-Telegram and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.dfw.com

[gc]

Sweet.

[John T Roberts]

It will be interesting to see what this TCC campus will look like.

[gc]

TCC eyes TXU plant site for new campus
By Sandra Baker
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


FORT WORTH - Tarrant County College is expected to announce Friday that it is buying the site of an abandoned TXU power plant downtown for a campus that will span the Trinity River, sources said Tuesday. College administrators have been working to secure land for a downtown campus for months. This year, they bought nearly 7 acres on the south side of the river, near the Tarrant County Courthouse. On Friday, TCC officials will talk about the recent acquisitions and display a model of the campus at a gathering on the north side of the Trinity River levee, east of the Main Street bridge, where part of the new campus will be built.

A TXU spokesman said Tuesday that the company, as a matter of policy, does not discuss land sales but confirmed that TXU officials will be at Friday's ceremony. A TCC spokeswoman declined to comment, saying an official announcement would be made Friday. In August, TCC board members agreed to set aside $33 million to develop a 35-acre campus by fall 2007. It would cover about 500,000 square feet and ultimately cost about $100 million, they said. Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza has said the new campus would provide continuing-education classes, career and technical programs, and college-credit courses that would transfer to four-year universities.

"This is a 100-year decision," de la Garza said in February. "We don't necessarily have to make an architectural statement, but we need to take advantage of this opportunity." The publicly funded campus would be a prime resident of the area included in the Trinity River Vision master plan, which would provide zoning and development of apartments, shops, commercial buildings and recreational facilities on a lake created by rerouting the river. It would also continue a streak of riverfront development begun with the construction of headquarters for Pier 1 Imports and RadioShack, and the planned Trinity Bluffs apartment, condominium and retail development.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said Tuesday that he understood that the college has acquired property on both sides of the river. Although he has not seen the final plans, Moncrief said, initial proposals called for at least one building to span the Trinity River like an archway. "It is more than impressive," Moncrief said of the campus. "It shows tremendous vision, as well as utilizing one of our location attractions and natural resources -- the Trinity River." U.S. Rep. Kay Granger said Tuesday that she has seen the final campus plan but declined to provide details before Friday's announcement. "It's an extremely exciting concept, one people will be so proud of," the Fort Worth Republican said.

TXU retired the power plant in March. The plant, built in 1912, had not been used for several years. The college has paid for environmental tests on the soil, but the results are not known. An old TXU power plant in Dallas was dismantled and 200,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil was hauled away six years ago in preparation for the construction of American Airlines Center. The cost of the "brownfield cleanup" was estimated at $10 million and was aided by $2 million from the Environmental Protection Agency. Tarrant County joined the brownfield program in 1998.

TCC spent about $10.25 million for the 6.75 acres near the courthouse between Bluff and Belknap streets and between Calhoun and Pecan streets. It also bought parcels between Calhoun and Jones streets south of Belknap Street along Weatherford Street. Deed records on a TXU land sale are not yet available. Granger, scheduled to speak Friday, said her comments will focus on the campus's role in the Trinity River Vision, the town lake and other downtown development along the river. With the new campus, downtown will become a place for people to live, work, play and learn, she said. "To have this downtown campus is going to be great," Granger said.

Final plans and a model of the Trinity River project will be released Dec. 8, followed by a three-month public comment period, she said. TCC has acquired downtown tracts in recent months from Fine Line Diversified Realty, a real estate entity of Fort Worth financier Ed Bass; FW Corkline Development, headed by David Corrigan of Corrigan Investments in Dallas; and David Lock, owner of Leonard's Farm and Ranch store. The college has been collecting a tax since 2002 for a downtown campus.

[gc]

Click Here (http://www.tccd.edu/neutral/divisiondepartmentpage.asp?pagekey=664) to see the proposed TCC campus in Fort Worth.

[freewaytincan]

That's amazing! I like this idea of building over the river.

[John T Roberts]

This is a very great project for Fort Worth and its Trinity River Vision. Two projects (RadioShack and Pier 1) have been completed on the river. Now we have two more (TCC Campus and the 23 story condominium) annouced. I look forward to December 8, when the detailed designs are released for TCC. They are also going to release the final Trinity River Vision plan on that date, as well.

[gc]

I agree John T.

Fort Worth has a lot of stuff brewing...the future is bright...

[tamtagon]

I love Fort Worth.

[sterling]

Wow, this is really something to crow about. That design looks...well, awesome. Congrats Fort Worth for being ahead of the curve once again.

[John T Roberts]

I think the city is finally getting its act together with some of its new ideas and concepts. This Trinity River Vision project is really impressive. The TCC campus will only be a small part of the project.

[drumguy8800]

Dallas' Trinity River Project is pretty impressive, too. We're paving it! Haven't you heard?

[freewaytincan]

Dallas' Trinity River Project is pretty impressive, too. We're paving it! Haven't you heard?

I want to laugh, but this just hits too close to home.

[Geaux Tigers]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Posted on Wed, Nov. 03, 2004</TD><TD width=15 rowSpan=7>http://www.dfw.com/images/common/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>http://www.dfw.com/images/common/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>

Designer using his flair on new TCC campus


<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=relatedstorytitlebkg align=middle> I M A G E S </TD></TR><TR><TD class=relatedstoryborder align=middle><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>http://www.dfw.com/images/dfw/startelegram/news/1404130-511121.jpg</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right width=337>BING THOM ARCHITECTS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=v1 align=left width=337>Vancouver architect Bing Thom likes to mix unusual elements. He designed a university campus atop a shopping center in Surrey, British Columbia, to be a festive gathering spot. (Appeared on page 1C)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
By Mitchell Schnurman
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
<!-- begin body-content -->
Developers have long wanted to put big buildings around the bluffs near downtown Fort Worth, but they had to give up the idea because the soil wasn't stable enough.

For decades, people had dumped trash and construction-site dirt over the edge of the bluffs, toward the
Trinity River. That material piled up and is now covered with trees, grass and weeds. But it's still too wobbly to support a large structure.
So how is Tarrant County College going to put half of its new downtown campus atop the same area?

It plans to remove the fill and trash, then scrape the surface down to the limestone. Then it will excavate enough rock to make a foundation, and instead of building vertically, the campus structures will reach out horizontally along the rock bed. They'll stretch from Belknap Street in the central core to the edge of the
Trinity.

"It will be like implanting a periscope into the bluff, and it will extend toward the river instead of the sky," says Bing Thom, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based architect who will design the campus with Gideon Toal of
Fort Worth.

A sky bridge will span the river, and the other half of the campus will be built like most of Texas -- on a flat
lawn.
Thom's construction approach is one of the many novel elements in the planned TCC campus, which is shaping up as one of the county's most important real estate deals in years.

On Friday, officials unveiled a site plan and concept model for the $135 million project, demonstrating how it
will connect downtown with the north side.
The formal design work is just beginning, and Thom says the opportunity is enormous: TCC now controls 55 acres on both sides of the river, adjacent to a bustling downtown.

Such large tracts in prime locations are rarely available for all-new development, and Thom wants to make the most of this one.

He is known for using waterways in urban settings and for having an eye for the dramatic. He described his style as "contemporary, modern, with a very strong regional flair."

To get an idea of how he challenges conventions, consider a university that he built atop a shopping center in Surrey, a town near Vancouver.

He wanted the school and shopping center to feed off the energy of their different customers. The school's main area looks more like a festival site than a student commons, and Thom says it's an indication of what he and Gideon Toal are talking about with TCC.

The campus' great hall will be built into the bluffs, and at Belknap, its roof will be part of a public plaza. The hall will then stretch toward the water, allowing visitors to descend the bluffs on stairways or escalators.

"The whole thrust of the project is find a path from downtown to the river," Thom says.

On his first visit to downtown Fort Worth, he asked almost a dozen people for directions to the Trinity. No one could help him.

He passed the jail and parking lots, but no sign of water.

"In the future, they'll just say, 'Go down Main Street and keep going,' " Thom says.

The campus, with a reflecting pond atop the great hall, will pull your eye toward the river.

The challenge of the project isn't the excavation or the engineering, he says, because his firm does that kind
of work regularly in the mountainous West.
"The difficult part is the software -- finding a way to combine all the different kinds of users," Thom says.

Suburban colleges are traditionally isolated, almost worlds unto themselves.

"This campus has to be knitted into the fabric of the city," he says.

He threw out several possibilities. The students' wellness center could do double duty, offering fitness
programs for office workers and families.
Maybe RadioShack and other companies could use the school for research projects. Or if a downtown professional needs to brush up on his language skills, he could take a course at the college.

"The whole idea is for cross-fertilization," Thom says.

That extends beyond the campus. An intriguing piece of the TCC deal is that it picks up a couple of dozen
acres on the west side of Main, across from the lower campus.

That's not likely to be needed for campus expansion, but it was part of the deal with TXU, which sold the land
to the college.
Thom wants to rehabilitate the historical plant building for a public use, perhaps dance performances or art galleries. But he wants the private sector to be involved, too.

"Or it will get too boring," he says.

The area is a key piece in the Trinity River Vision, a point of land that slopes from North Main Street to the
edge of a planned Town Lake. Eventually, Thom expects it to be a center of activity, with shops that rent bicycles, in-line skates, kayaks and small sailboats.
"There should be little restaurants, pubs and just places to hang out," he says.

This won't happen overnight. Tarrant County College has to build its downtown campus first, which is a four-year project. And it has to clean up the western edge of the TXU property, contaminated long ago by a lead smelter.

But the blueprint is being drawn now, and it has the potential to reshape the city.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[tamtagon]

Designer using his flair on new TCC campus

How many pieces of flair?

[CTroyMathis]

According to this page (http://texas.construction.com/news/Industry/), this should open up by 2008 sometime.

According to this previously mentioned site (http://www.tccd.edu/neutral/divisiondepartmentpage.asp?pagekey=664), this could expand and build-out by 2023.

For posterity, images attached if links die out.






Tarrant County College recently finalized a contract with Dallas-based Austin Commercial Inc., partnering with Con-Real Inc. of Arlington, in a joint venture as construction-manager-at-risk for construction of its downtown campus to open in fall 2008.




Q: HOW LARGE WILL THE CAMPUS BE?

A: Plans call for construction of about 400,000 square feet in the first phase, with anticipation that rapid growth will dictate plans for expansions in the first 10-year time frame. This could mean approximately 746,000 square feet by final build-out in 2023. This will be the College District’s fifth comprehensive campus, modeled in size and programming after the four existing campuses.

[dfwcre8tive]

TCC makes plans for dramatic downtown campus
MITCHELL SCHNURMAN
Posted on Wed, Nov. 15, 2006
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/classifieds/real_estate/16017089.htm

Take a look at the final design of the new Tarrant County College campus, and you see more than another Fort Worth landmark.

The collection of angled, rectangular buildings seems to point and pull to the Trinity River, magnetically drawn to the water and a spectacular, two-tiered walking bridge that links the city's central business district with the near north side.

Literally and metaphorically, the community college aims to connect Fort Worth's most affluent residents with some of its most impoverished. And it opens the city's urban core to the inspiring nature surrounding the Trinity.

"This college is extending a hand across the river," says Bing Thom, the Vancouver architect who designed the project with Gideon Toal of Fort Worth.

The design has been at least three years in the making, and construction begins on the buildings this month. Thom completed the design recently, and it's being shown to local leaders and the public. The reviews are good.

"The word stunning comes to mind," says Louise Appleman, a TCC trustee since 1988. "It's so unique and so totally different from anything in Fort Worth. It's going to be a whole new era for a community college."

If it can just get built.

The design may be finished and the money in hand, but the Army Corps of Engineers has yet to sign off on a key part of the plan.

Without that approval, the design may have to be altered significantly, and it's possible that the walking bridge would have to be delayed for up to eight years, or until the bypass channel is completed for the Trinity River Vision.

That's an unsettling proposition.

TCC has to move ahead on the campus, because it expects to host 3,500 students by its planned opening in fall 2008. If necessary, it can shift classes to buildings that aren't affected by the corps' decision and learn to live without the bridge.

If that happens, who knows whether the college district will still have the money and the political will to construct the grand bridge in the middle of the next decade?

"These big projects have a certain momentum," Thom says. "If you lose that momentum, you take a chance that things will change."

Gideon Toal engineers are trying to address the corps' concerns: The bridge and two north-side buildings near the river are designed to rest on 18 piers; driving those piers into the existing levees could weaken them and make the levees vulnerable to a flood.

"We couldn't allow anything that could raise the risk of flooding," says Michael Mocek, deputy district engineer at the corps' Fort Worth district office.

Developers often ask about putting projects near rivers and flood-control areas, but Mocek says, "I don't know of any others built on levees." Gideon Toal is talking about changing the spacing of the piers and other construction techniques that would prevent any kind of Katrina-type disaster. Randy Gideon says that the review process is still playing out and that the principals are hopeful about reaching a solution in the next four to six weeks.

The easy answer is to wait for the bypass channel. That will control flooding and allow the levees to be torn down, which would eliminate any concerns about the TCC piers.

Except that no one connected with the project wants to wait that long. The walking bridge is too fundamental to the entire design.

"The bridge is one of the most iconic elements," Thom says. "There's no bridge like it anywhere in the world."

It will have wide walkways and large viewing areas on two levels, connected by a wall of glass shingles.

Thom envisions water gently rolling against the glass, part of a water element that starts with a stepped waterfall at Belknap Street and meanders into reflecting ponds on the opposite end of the project.

The water is another connection to the Trinity, providing a cooling, calming influence.

The campus emphasizes its public spaces, reaching out to downtown workers and drawing them toward the river. Most will enter in the open plaza near the Tarrant County Courthouse, a place designed for gathering and eating a sack lunch.

Follow the path, crossing under Belknap, and you emerge between the future administration building and the conference center. One structure jets over the bluff in a cantilever effect reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater home, albeit with a lot less falling water.

One level of the walking bridge is at street grade, and both walkways follow the slope of the Main Street Bridge to the west. Thom loves the view from the riverbank, looking through the arches of the older bridge to the new.

The buildings will be made of earth-toned concrete, adorned by aluminum screens that reflect heat, cast shadows on the walkways below and add texture to the structures.

Thom says the buildings, about the size of a city block, are each unique in their shape and orientation.

From a bird's-eye view, they appear tilted, slightly off-center, and Thom says that's by design.

"Art is never obvious, but art should not be uncomfortable," he says. "Why do you do it? To make you come back the second time."

It will be about a 10-minute walk from one end of the complex to the other, a distance that Thom dictated because that's the maximum time between classes. As people move from one area to the next, they'll pass through wide and narrow spaces, in both shade and sunlight.

Thom says he's trying to re-create the feeling of walking through the woods, toward a river, opening upon one vista and then walking to the next beneath the trees.

"There's no one grand view that you see it all," Thom says. "It's a series of views that encourage you to keep coming."

All this doesn't come cheap. The price tag is currently $274 million, including $40 million for the land. The final cost will be announced in a few months, and it will probably be higher.

That's significantly more than TCC has spent on any previous campus, but the ambitions are much larger -- connecting the city in a new way.

The college "is not just trying to take the shortest route for itself," Thom says. "It's looking at what it can do to enhance the whole spirit of Fort Worth."

Now we'll see if they can get it done.

TARRANT COUNTY COLLEGE DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

Timing: Construction begins this month on buildings; campus scheduled to open for classes in fall 2008.

Costs: Current estimate is $274 million, including land.

Enrollment: 3,500 students initially; an additional 1,300 by 2010.

Architects: Bing Thom of Vancouver, Gideon Toal of Fort Worth.

Size: About 400,000 square feet initially; campus space could be nearly doubled by 2023.

Faculty: 70 full-time teachers at opening; eventually, TCC projects 120 full-time and 100 part-time faculty.

More Photos (javascript:openSlideshow('/mld/' + getPublication() + '/slideshow.htm?content_id=16017090&pub_name=' + getPublication() + '&language=en&palette_name=dfw&site_name=' + getSite() + '&start=2&component_title=&component_desc=',400, 703);)

[John T Roberts]

They've already started excavating the bluff where the buildings will be built into it.

[dfwcre8tive]

They've already started excavating the bluff where the buildings will be built into it.


Great! I think this project will be very good in connecting downtown Fort Worth to the river and putting a focus on riverfront development.

[FoUTASportscaster]

Now if only our leaderhip could be so forward-thinking...

[cowboyeagle05]

Now if only our leaderhip could be so forward-thinking...

Who ya talkin?
We already have El Centro Community College Downtown that is currently renovating another West End Building to turn it into a El Centro Nursing Center then as I have heard there are plans to Expand the culinary division when the Nursing Dept moves into their new Building.

I wish they would buy the Parking Lot next to the Purse Building at the corner of Elm St. and Market St.. Then construct a building that would house a new student restaurant and student Bakery. They could even offer meeting space that are also classrooms of course for business at a cheaper price since run by the students. Maybe they could be even payed with larger culinary student population they could operate a real restaurant. Maybe the money would be credited to the student for payment of classes and books and if the student leaves the funds could either be transfered or dissolved depending on what strategically makes sense.

Market St would then be a College Campus street in addition to a Entrance into the West End. They would then have a excellent campus size with room for expansion of the Technology program in the main building. They are already lacking in attendance. I get private tutors all the time when taking Technology classes like Digital Sound and Digital Video since no one else signs up, it sure is a great deal anyways.

[FoUTASportscaster]

I meant using the river as park space and neighborhood connections, rather than a tolled high speed highway.

[cowboyeagle05]

I meant using the river as park space and neighborhood connections, rather than a tolled high speed highway.

Sorry, I jumped the river I guess! :2oops:

[columbiasooner]

I am glad that you guys like my new project.

http://trinityrivervision.org/News.asp

[FoUTASportscaster]

It's good to see you benefitting yourself for a project that benefits a lot of people, instead of the last one where you took money from a corporation whose ultimate goal was to suck the life dry from the region for their gain.

[columbiasooner]

Keep in mind it's just a job.

Although I must say this one is really exciting. I just wish everyone saw the overall benefits like most of us do.

[dfwcre8tive]

Construction photo from the Fort Worth Forum (http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=270&view=findpost&p=34125)

http://img02.picoodle.com/img/img02/7/1/23/f_TCCon1210i_289fm_7008c46.jpg

[dfwcre8tive]

TCC campus faces setback
By SANDRA BAKER
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/16533366.htm

FORT WORTH - Construction of a flood wall at the new Tarrant County College campus in downtown Fort Worth is an unexpected development that could delay construction of the campus and likely push costs beyond the current estimate of about $234 million.

Before the college district can begin construction on the portion of its planned campus on the north side of the Trinity River, it must build a flood wall to protect the levee during construction, the college has been told by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Engineers hired by the college district have asked engineers in the Corps' Fort Worth office to help them in determining the type, size and placement of the wall, said David Wells, vice chancellor for operations and planning services at TCC.

But what is designed and approved in the local office will still need to be approved by the Corps' Dallas and Washington offices before TCC can start building that portion of the campus, officials said.

"We are working with the college's engineers, and one of the alternatives we are looking at is a wall that could be built as part of the levee system," said Michael Mocek, deputy district engineer at the Corps' Fort Worth office. "It's not a quick and simple process."

Wells said he did not know how much it will put the project behind schedule because the college can shift its plans and work on the southern sections of campus first. The campus is planned to open in fall 2008.

Moreover, the college district won't be able to determine a cost until a flood wall design is approved, Wells said.

The concrete flood wall, which would help prevent seepage and underflow, is needed to protect the integrity of the levee while piers are drilled into and just beyond the levee for the northern section's buildings and for a pedestrian bridge.

The southern section, where some work has begun, sits on the bluff of the northern edge of downtown.

In other action, TCC's board of trustees Tuesday approved a $916,000 contract extension with Whitehead and Mueller environmental consulting and construction company to remove contaminated soil on the block of land that it recently got in a trade with Tarrant County.

Remediation has already been done on the site, at Belknap and Commerce streets, but more contamination was found when a building was demolished on a corner lot, Wells said.

Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727 sabaker@star-telegram.com

[texan1337]

I don't see why this new campus is necessary, and I question the use of tax dollars on it. TCC already has four good campuses in the metroplex, why add a fifth. I'm a former student of the south campus, and found it to be a great enviroment. There's TONS of open space and public fields around it, that give ample room for parking and expansion. The buildings were nice, and all modern ammenities were present.

I hope they make provisions for ample parking for the college students. TCC is a commuter school, and I worry that with the relative lack of space downtown they will cut corners on road infrastructure and parking. Downtown Fort Worth, and the city as a whole, has been known for its good roads, and ample parking spots -- this is a key contributor to the high quality of life in the area.

[dfwcre8tive]

Posted on Wed, May. 23, 2007
Campus is still worth the price
By MITCHELL SCHNURMAN
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/111812.html

It's easy to second-guess Tarrant County College on its downtown campus as construction costs balloon to $300 million.

It's easy to criticize the audacious plan to span the Trinity River and build atop the levees; turns out that the engineering feat requires a massive steel-and-concrete retaining wall, something the district never anticipated.

But to challenge the Bing Thom design of the sunken plaza out front - and to do so at the 11th hour?

Usually, such nitpicking is off-limits, especially when work is already under way across the street. But everything's fair game now and for good reason: The college district appears to be in over its head.

TCC may be building a jewel of a campus in downtown, but it's paying dearly in money and lost credibility.

That leaves it vulnerable to critics, who are talking about changing the design. (Too late for too much of that.) And by association, it creates new doubts about the larger Trinity Uptown project.

They're separate deals, but they're closely connected, with the campus envisioned as an anchor of uptown and both dealing with the river and flood control. It's not a stretch to worry that TCC's experience may be repeated elsewhere in the Trinity River Vision, with officials vastly underestimating the technical difficulties and the costs.

We've already been disappointed by the headquarters of RadioShack and Pier 1 Imports, also key pieces in the river vision. Their buildings are wonderful and serve as seed investments for the river project. But both companies are struggling and laying off workers, and the two gleaming structures stand as a testament to what can happen when executives take their eyes off the ball.

As costs soar for the TCC campus, it's legitimate to wonder whether college leaders were blinded by ambition and the adulation of local officials, who heartily embraced the idea of an architectural masterpiece.

That's largely an academic question now, however. We're in too deep to start over, and, as the district trustees concluded, it's wiser to do this job right than to delay it for years or slash it to the bone.

The campus addition began as a simple downtown location for nearby students and morphed into a signature project that community college students would be proud of. Then it became a symbol of the future link between Fort Worth's rich and poor, and old and new.

Heady stuff, if you can afford it. The TCC district apparently can, because it's been collecting money for five years and never had to submit the idea to a bond vote.

It's hard to imagine that taxpayers would have approved this price, considering that TCC built its Arlington campus for $40 million a decade ago.

In 2002, the district said a downtown campus would cost $25 million to $75 million. Two years later, after it picked locations on both sides of the Trinity, it put the price at $135 million, plus $40 million for the land.

Later, the district said those numbers excluded soft costs - furniture, equipment, engineering, architecture fees and more. Throw in those, along with updated estimates, and the price was at $234 million in March 2006.

That was sticker shock for a lot of people.

"It's one thing to pay cash, but it's still the public's money, so we have to spend it wisely," Trustee Randall Canedy said at the time.

Fast-forward a year, and the price is now at $297.5 million, not including the land - and after removing a pair of buildings and trimming the width of the pedestrian bridge across the Trinity.

TCC trustees approved the higher price last week as officials said more delays would make it even more expensive.

"It's a significant increase, and it causes me heartburn," Canedy said at the meeting. "We just can't have any more."

The original design's cost rose $100 million in about a year, a 45 percent increase. That reflects the difficulty of building around the levees and the ramp-up in commercial construction in the Metroplex. The costs for local labor, materials and transportation are running three to four times higher than core inflation.

The Dallas Cowboys stadium, once projected to cost $650 million, is expected to top $1 billion. The Southwest Parkway project, initially put at about $350 million, is approaching $1 billion, too.

Altering the campus' sunken plaza won't save any money - and could undermine the design and the way it pulls the public toward the river.

There's no harm in talking about small improvements, such as adding trees and bike paths, and enabling the plaza to do double duty as a small amphitheater.

But the die has been cast, tons of limestone have been excavated from the river bluff and tons of concrete have been poured.

We don't get a do-over, so the best we can do is finish it well.

Make the campus the asset that everyone expects, and people will savor it long after they've forgotten about the price.

[SCARLETandBLACK]

I haven't kept up with this project, somewhat intentionally. I think that I stopped reading about it when they first announced something about a split campus, though I think it was very vague at the time.

It was highly predictable that TCC would have at LEAST these problems (and probably more in the future regarding this campus) because they have taken an oddly irresponsible stance on the whole campus design, as a whole, since their primary purpose is to educate students at the first two years of the post-secondary level.

The problem with this project could be one of a couple of things. Either the architectural programming phase of this project was vastly incompetent, the designer or the client or someone has greatly strayed from the architectural program, or conditions have changed to such a degree (from such things as Hurricaine Katrina) -though that should still have been covered in the programming phase, since such levee issues have been around for millenia- that the design has become too costly, and/or dangerous to build in its original form.

I am not sure who started it (other than Gehry), but this entire international idea of "signature designs" has become a ridiculous epidemic that has stricken municipalities and other entities, both large and small, like TCC of a vast amount of capital, both private and public. In many ways, I feel that it would be better for people to just be responsible with what they build, meaning that it should be well built (lets not get into the definition of that right now), not necessarily flashy or for-its-own sake.

[garlander4]

But don't forget it should be good design, not nessecarily flashy, but something that functions for the site and looks good.

[RobertB]

But don't forget it should be good design, not nessecarily flashy, but something that functions for the site and looks good.
I'm not a student of architecture, but there have been a number of pictures posted of buildings that were built to highly functional standards that are now recognized as butt-ugly abominations. Is it Boston where the City Hall and surrounding sterile plaza are due to be replaced with something that works on a more human scale?

And I'm pretty sure the designers of the 1950's Kaufman County Courthouse thought they were doing citizens a great favor by demolishing the "outdated" 1800's building in favor of the highly functional architecture of the time. It's so "functional" that we had a movie crew use it for on-location filming... of a scene with a hospital in the background.

While I agree that the "signature design" concept can be taken too far -- possibly in this case -- I think the public's acceptance of the idea stems from frustration with the functionalism of the previous generation of architecture.

[dfwcre8tive]

Posted on Sat, Jul. 14, 2007
TCC board postpones vote on sunken plaza
By SANDRA BAKER
Star-Telegram staff writer
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/168859.html

Tarrant County College trustees are going to take another week to decide whether to forge ahead with plans for a sunken plaza at TCC's new downtown campus or change the design.

The seven-member board was scheduled to meet Tuesday to vote on the issue. But that meeting will now be held July 24 to give trustees more time to consider comments they heard at a public hearing last Tuesday, a college official said Friday. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at TCC's Northwest Campus, off Loop 820 and Marine Creek Parkway.

More than 150 residents attended this week's hearing, and many offered comments on the pros and cons of the current design. The hearing was held a month after an outside consulting team, brought in at the request of downtown leaders led by Sundance Square developer Ed Bass, reviewed the plans and recommended that the college change the plaza design.

Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza was unable to attend the meeting, but on Thursday contacted the trustees and asked whether they would agree to a week's delay.

"The chancellor talked to the board members, and they felt much more comfortable with that," said Bill Lace, de la Garza's executive assistant. "We've been getting quite a bit of input. They just need more time."

The plaza is planned for the block enclosed by Commerce, Calhoun, Weatherford and Belknap streets and would include a welcome center for the community college's riverfront campus. Designed by architect Bing Thom of Vancouver, British Columbia, the plaza would connect to a walkway under Belknap Street, leading visitors down to a pedestrian bridge leading across the river to the north side of the campus.

Those objecting to the design say that sunken plazas are not inviting public spaces and that a street-level plaza would better serve the downtown community.

A few trustees said Friday that they have had some additional public input since the hearing.

Louise Appleman said she agreed to the week's delay because she doesn't want anyone to think that the board is rushing into a decision.

"If it takes another week, it takes another week," she said. "I want it to be the right decision. If we can afford the time, I'd rather err on the side of caution."

Board President J. Ardis Bell said he was prepared to meet Tuesday, but if other board members feel that they need the additional time, "that's fine with me."

Trustee Robyn Winnett said a few additional people have contacted her, and Randall Canedy said he has been forwarded some correspondence the chancellor's office received regarding the issue.

"Another week is not going to do any harm, but I don't want to go any further than that," Canedy said.

Construction on the downtown campus began several months ago. It is being built into the bluffs overlooking the Trinity River.

The campus is scheduled to open for the spring semester of 2010. The trustees in May entered into final construction contracts and are spending $297.5 million on the first phase of the campus.

[dfwcre8tive]

Panel: Construct TCC plaza at street level

http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/139075.html

[dfwcre8tive]

WFAA VIDEO (http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?nvid=160825&shu=1)

Tunnel plan leads to campus controversy
July 22nd, 2007

Taxpayers could end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep Tarrant County College from using a block in downtown Fort Worth. At issue: A unique building design the school is using to create a tunnel to its campus. Chris Hawes reports.

[vman]

FORT WORTH -- Tarrant County College may again be forced to delay the opening of its new downtown Fort Worth campus and pay even more for its construction because of problems in obtaining permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to build over the Trinity River.

"We have not completed our work for the Corps of Engineers permit," said David Wells, TCC vice chancellor for operations and planning services. "We thought we'd be through. The delay is going to impact cost and the schedule."

Wells said he will wait until later this year when the college gets closer to final corps approval to pinpoint a new opening date.

It's also too early to say how much the delays will affect the construction budget, Wells said.

In May, TCC entered a contract with Austin Commercial after trustees approved a $63.5 million budget increase for the project, bringing the construction cost to $297.5 million. But that figure was based on having final corps approval, Wells said.

As is the process in most large construction projects, TCC set aside $22 million as a contingency for possible cost overruns, and the contingency may cover the increases.

"This is a slow process and a time-consuming process," Wells said. "It is taking more time than anticipated."

TCC's board of trustees was briefed on the project Wednesday night.

Concerned about the escalating costs, Trustee Bobby McGee said the board may have to explore different designs for the campus or it may become prudent for the college to abandon the site.

"We are all very committed to this, but there is a limit," McGee said.

"I wish we had known about this before we got this far along, but we didn't. We're all bracing here for really bad news."

TCC is building a campus that will span the Trinity River along the bluff on the north edge of downtown. The Corps of Engineers governs work on the river's levees.

Officials with the Corps of Engineers' Fort Worth office said that they are aware of TCC's time constraints and that their engineers are just as eager to get the project moved on, but there are strict processes that need following.

"We're working as rapidly as we can," said Gene Rice, project manager with the Corps of Engineers. "It's a very complicated process and a complicated design to have the college build over the river and the levee."

This could be the second time that TCC moves the opening date because of delays with obtaining the corps' approval. In March, the college pushed back the opening of the campus by 17 months and said it would be ready for the spring semester of 2010. At that time, officials said they hoped to have corps approval of the project by September.

TCC's engineers are conducting a hydrology study that looks at how the flow of the water in the river would be affected by the campus structures and a pedestrian bridge. But TCC has now been asked to conduct a "cultural resources" study that looks at environmental impacts of the construction.

The environmental study requires a 60-day public comment period, which will begin with a hearing Oct. 9.

Wells said college officials are looking at Dec. 15 for submitting work for final approval.

Once it receives approval in the Fort Worth office, the project needs approval from the corps' regional office in Dallas and national office in Washington, D.C.

Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727
sabaker@star-telegram.com

[dfwcre8tive]

http://media.star-telegram.com/smedia/2007/11/01/05/922-249559-203763.embedded.prod_affiliate.58.jpg

Posted on Thu, Nov. 01, 2007
TCC campus faces new roadblock
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/287753.html
By SANDRA BAKER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Tarrant County College will have to enter formal talks with local, state and national historical organizations regarding its new downtown campus as part of the federal permitting process that will allow construction on the Trinity River levee.

In a 39-page report issued last week, the Army Corps of Engineers found that the project will have an "adverse effect" on historical aspects of the levee itself, the bluff and views of the Tarrant County Courthouse and the Main Street Viaduct. If they agree to do so, the historic groups will work with the college as consulting parties to find ways to avoid, reduce or mitigate these effects.

The corps wants the college to satisfy Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, a federal law designed to minimize the effect of federal projects on historic properties. Although the campus is not a federal project, classroom buildings and a pedestrian bridge would be built on the levee, for which the corps is responsible.

Officials said that construction work on the campus will continue as the review process goes on. "The placement of the new downtown campus in this historic Fort Worth setting does not destroy integrity to these structures, but it is undeniable that it significantly changes the setting, location and viewshed of some of the historic properties," the report states. "Placing a bold architectural statement in a historic setting is sometimes, but not always, negative. However, it is usually controversial."

David Wells, the TCC vice chancellor overseeing the campus construction, said he doesn't expect that the review will delay the college's plan to file its permit application with the corps in December.

Officials are hoping that a permit will be issued within a few months, perhaps by March.

"We fully expected that there would be implications" of Section 106, Wells said. "I don't know that it will contribute to a delay. It depends on the next steps in the process. We'll move forward on it."

Construction of the campus began early this year with work on the bluff, or south side of the campus. The college is planning a 38-acre campus that will span the Trinity River on the north end of downtown, including a sunken plaza south of Belknap Street with a walkway to lead pedestrians to the river.

College officials decided this summer to move forward with the plaza after considering pleas from downtown business interests, led by developer Ed Bass, who wanted the plaza built at street level.

The corps is asking the Texas Historical Commission in Austin to concur with the report's findings and participate in the review. Also being asked to participate are the city's Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, Historic Conservation Inc., Historic Fort Worth Inc., Historic Landmarks Inc., the National Trust for Historic Preservation, North Fort Worth Historical Society, Tarrant County Historical Commission, the Tarrant Regional Water District, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington.

An agreement will need to be reached with the consulting parties, the corps and the college before the corps can issue the permit to build on the levee.

The agreement could call for making changes to the campus, or the parties may allow the college to continue building as planned.

Debbi Head, senior communications specialist with the Texas Historical Commission, said that her office received the request and report on Monday and that it was too early to comment on their plans. The commission has 30 days to respond.

Jerre Tracy, executive director of Historic Fort Worth, said the process will be good.

"It's certainly time for the public process to begin in order for the college to move forward," she said.

Daniel Carey, director of the Southwest office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, also said he is looking forward to participating.

College officials have been working to complete water-flow studies for the corps and had hoped to have their permit application filed in September. Delays in getting the application completed have caused costs to increase and twice prompted the college to push back the opening date for the campus.

The college has not yet determined a new opening date, last planned for the spring semester of 2010, and it is still calculating costs.

Officials said in September that if costs continue to rise, they may have to scale back the scope of the campus, including possibly putting off construction of the pedestrian bridge across the river.

In May, TCC entered a contract with Austin Commercial after trustees approved a $63.5 million budget increase for the project, bringing the cost of construction to $297.5 million for the first phase. TCC set aside $22 million as a contingency for possible cost overruns.

* * *

The Army Corps of Engineers found four areas where the downtown campus will have an adverse effect:

The levee. Building on the levee diminishes its physical features, which contribute to its integrity. The report calls for no mitigation here because the corps will decommission the levees in a few years so that the Trinity River Vision flood-control project can be built.

The Tarrant County Courthouse. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The location, setting, feeling and association retains enough integrity for it to remain on the list, but the qualities are diminished by the significant loss of the wooded area of the bluff adjacent to the courthouse, qualities essential to its listing.

The Main Street Viaduct. Also listed on the register, but the qualities are diminished by the introduction of the new pedestrian bridge that obstructs views of the viaduct.

The bluff. Although the integrity of its location, setting, feeling and association remains intact enough to retain qualification for the register, these qualities are significantly diminished by the loss of the wooded area of the bluff, a quality essential to its listing.

Source: Army Corps of Engineers

[dfwcre8tive]

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/722076.html
Posted on Wed, Jun. 25, 2008
TCC to buy RadioShack campus, nix bridge
By SANDRA BAKER and MAX B. BAKER
sabaker@star-telegram.com

The Tarrant County College District abandoned its complex, controversial plan for a downtown Fort Worth campus Wednesday, and instead announced it will pay $238 million to buy the RadioShack headquarters from a German real estate fund.

TCC said it will pay $235 million to KanAm Grund for the Trinity Riverfront property and use it for a new downtown campus. The college district said it will begin an $80 million renovation later this year and plans to start classes in September 2009.

TCC's previous plan called for a downtown campus that it would have built on the north and south sides of the Trinity River, connected by a pedestrian bridge.

But costs for the proposed project had run up significantly. The district said Wednesday it no longer plans construction north of the river, and it's struck the bridge from its plans. The college's controversial plan for a sunken plaza on the south side of the river also is now up in the air.

TCC's chancellor, Leonardo de la Garza, said he'll likely recommend that the college's board abandon the sunken plaza and put the land up for sale.

TCC said it plans to continue construction on four buildings south of the river that are currently underway. Jim Lane, a Tarrant Regional Water District board member, said he understood those buildings will be used in part for administration. TCC said it will sell an administrative headquarters building it owns near the south end of downtown, with plans to consolidate administrative functions at the new campus.

"By purchasing the Radio Shack property, we have more space for our growing student and faculty populations, we have better facilities, we can open a downtown Fort Worth campus quicker and our new campus will bring us cost certainty," Leonardo de le Garza, the TCC chancellor, said in a statement.

RadioShack said in a securities filing this morning that it will remain in the 400,000 square feet of space it currently occupies in the headquarters complex through June 2011, and has an option to remain in "a portion of the complex through June 2013."

RadioShack kicked in $2.25 million in the sale deal, which it will pay to KanAm. It's also kicking in 14 acres around the headquarters campus that TCC will acquire. And RadioShack also will sell the oil, gas and other mineral rights underneath the complex to TCC in the deal.

In exchange, RadioShack gets its rent free in the complex through June 2011. After 2011, it has an option to rent one building in the complex through June 2013 at market rates.

RadioShack did not say anything of its plans for after then, and a spokeswoman said RadioShack will have no further statements Wednesday.

"Our lease agreement with TCC will enable us to greatly reduce our on-going occupancy costs while allowing us to remain in our current headquarters," Julian Day, RadioShack's chief executive, said in the securities filing. "In addition, our ability to maintain our current location will ensure we remain focused on our business without creating any unnecessary disruptions or distractions for our staff.

"We're pleased the 500,000 square feet of space we were either not using or underutilizing will help a leading Tarrant County educational institution create a positive new dimension for the downtown business community," Day said in the filing.

Lane and other officials praised the purchase by TCC. But they were shocked to find out about it Wednesday morning.

Lane, an attorney, was standing on the fifth floor of the Tarrant County Justice Center overlooking the RadioShack campus when he received a call notifying him of the deal.

“I almost fainted,” Lane said. “I was looking out the window and no activity and such a beautiful complex and we worked so hard to keep RadioShack downtown. What a brilliant idea for a college campus. It’s a phenomenal deal.”

Lane, a former Fort Worth City Council member who worked to keep Radioshack downtown, said he didn’t think the developments would hurt Trinity Uptown.

G.K. Maenius, the Tarrant County administrator, said “I think that the decision by the Tarrant County College to purchase the RadioShack facility was a good decision. It ensures that there will be a viable downtown campus for Tarrant County College in a great location."

Maenius, also president of the Trinity River Vision Authority, the agency overseeing construction of the Trinity Uptown project, said the college’s decision will change the $576 million flood control and economical development effort.

“It changes the complexion of the Uptown project. You have more property that will have direct riverfront that will be available,” Maenius said. “I think it is going to be good for Fort Worth as a whole and good for the Uptown project.”

Clyde Picht, a former Fort Worth City Council member and frequent critic of Trinity Uptown and the downtown TCC campus, said he thinks TCC is probably getting more for its money. But it doesn’t erase the errors of the failed decision-making in the past, he said.

The previously planned expensive college campus “was the wrong building for the wrong price,” Picht said. “It was puzzling. It was either to support Trinity Uptown or to realize the grandiose dreams of de la Garza.”

“I think it hurts Trinity Uptown," he said. "It is already an adornment that’s bailing out and not getting done. I think it diminished Trinity Uptown immediately.”

Trinity River Vision Authority Executive Director J.D. Granger was in Austin giving a presentation and taking pictures of the trails around Austin’s Town Lake when he was informed of the RadioShack purchase. He didn’t have any prior knowledge of the purchase.

But he was quick to say that TCC buying the RadioShack campus will have a positive effect on Trinity Uptown since it will not only free up more than a half-mile of riverfront for development, but put students along the shores of the Town Lake that is part of their project.

It will also create more tax base for Trinity Uptown, since it will create a mixed-use, dense economic mix that will pump money into the tax increment financing district that was created to help develop the 800-acres on the city’s near north side.

“Keeping that student body on the Town Lake. They will go to the restaurants and the business down there and put people in the chairs of those restaurants all day long,” Granger said.

RadioShack opened the 38-acre campus in March 2005, but by December sold the campus to KanAm Grund Kapitalanlagegescellschaft for $222 million and began a sublease that keep the electronics retailer in there for 20 years.

In June 2007, it put the East Fork building, one of three six-story structures, up for lease, but the property didn't attract takers.

TCC unveiled its downtown campus plans in October 2004 and has been seeking federal approval to build on the levee on the north side of the Trinity River.

The process has delayed the opening of the campus by two years and added $3.4 million to construction costs. The college had hoped to open the campus in 2010. The first phase was on track to cost $297.5 million, but it wasn't clear what the price for an all-phase build-out would be.

Under the plan to center its new downtown campus around the RadioShack property, TCC said it expected to have a total $488 million invested in the downtown complex.

Under the new plan, TCC said it expected to have more than one million square feet of space downtown, compared to 750,000 square feet under the old plan.

Staff writers Scott Nishimura and Dianna Hunt contributed to this report.

Sandra Baker, (817) 390-7725

[NThomas]

^ This is great for DTFW. It'll increase the presence of TCC & attract more people to DT.

But why is this is the Suburban Thread? I know they're some who consider FW a burb of Dallas but come on. Really? It even has Downtown in the TITLE!!!

[vman]

Why is all the the FW stuff in the surburban thread?? I think this story is one of the more interesting development stories in a while. Maybe it's ignored because it's in FW or maybe because no one is seeing it. Anyway, the whole TCC campus has been a mess and a sad joy to watch. This story sums things up pretty well.


TCC’S epic vision wound up unfocusedschnurman@star-telegram.com

At least Tarrant County College has stopped digging.

That’s the first rule when you’re stuck in a hole, and TCC’s downtown campus was a black hole indeed, sucking down money like oxygen. Now the college district is punting its plans for a new deal to take over RadioShack’s headquarters, and we’re supposed to believe that two wrongs can make a right?

Maybe it’ll work out fine for TCC and its students, and RadioShack will get what it cares about most these days — another way to cut costs and become even less visible. But don’t count this as a "win-win," to quote Fort Worth’s favorite phrase, because it’s far from what we bargained for when leaders sold everybody on their grandiose ideas.

Their separate failures are disappointing, costly and more than a little sad. Before this ends, close to $100 million in taxpayer money will have been squandered, along with a huge amount of political capital.

It’s enough to make you wonder whether we do more harm than good when we roll out the public payola and over-the-top support for big projects.

Four years ago, the college district unveiled its design for a campus on both sides of the Trinity River, connected by a wide pedestrian bridge. The vision of Vancouver architect Bing Thom bowled over the TCC board and many others, including yours truly.

"It’s the kind of architecture," I wrote at the time, "that makes you shake your head and say, 'Can they really do that?’ "

TCC wanted to reinvent the notion of a junior college and make the facility a source of inspiration as well as education. The district was also willing to shoulder the costs for things that would benefit more than just its students.

The school’s gateway to the river would be a welcome ramp for all visitors, and the bridge was to be a symbolic and literal connection between downtown Fort Worth’s two societies.

That won’t be happening.

"It’s a reason why my heart aches a little bit," Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza said Tuesday.

It’s not all grim, because the district stumbled upon a fortuitous alternative. Who would have imagined that RadioShack, not long after building its own gleaming headquarters on the Trinity, would be willing to walk away completely?

I guess $96 million in local tax breaks doesn’t buy what it used to.

In the RadioShack corporate campus, TCC gets first-class space with a great finish-out, so students are likely to be impressed. Classes will begin much sooner, given that the complex only has to be retrofitted, not built from scratch.

For the city’s ambience, the student activity will be a godsend to a place that has become a dead zone; it’s practically empty around RadioShack all day, and the company locks the front door and directs visitors through the garage.

Perhaps most important for TCC, the RadioShack price is fixed, with no more surprises.

For the past three years, spending on the downtown campus has spiraled out of control. Much of the problem is directed at Hurricane Katrina, a disaster that led to tougher standards for every project that penetrated a flood levee, including the TCC bridge crucial to Thom’s design.

Ultimately, cost control rests with the school district and its partners, Thom and Gideon Toal, the local architectural and planning firm involved from the start. Pick your scapegoat, because there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Best evidence: TCC expects to spend $170 million on the structure under construction in the central business district, which totals about 148,000 square feet. For RadioShack’s campus, it’s paying $238 million for roughly 1 million square feet, plus 2,000 parking spaces.

In other words, RadioShack is a bargain and TCC’s campus is a boondoggle.

TCC’s project includes tens of millions of dollars in "soft costs," such as engineering and architecture fees. Those would have been spread over the rest of the campus, presumably lowering the costs for the next stages. Still, it’s real money — and makes you wonder whether some fees ought to be contingent on getting the deal done.

What good is a great design if it can’t be built close to budget?

The project should have had an alternative path that didn’t hinge on the approval of the Army Corps of Engineers, the agency that controls the levees and, in effect, controlled the project’s timing.

TCC thought that wouldn’t be a problem, but then Katrina hit. If it had had a Plan B, it could have pursued building on both sides and waited patiently, if necessary, for the bridge approval. I asked de la Garza if that was the biggest mistake.

"If I’d known then what I know now, the answer would be a resounding 'Yes,’ " he said.

This isn’t just a matter of hindsight being 20-20. Thom, for one, worried that if the bridge wasn’t built with the rest of the project, it might never get done. In de la Garza, he had a soul mate who shared his passion, and together they held firm.

In the end, they lost the baby with the bath water.

MITCHELL SCHNURMAN'S COLUMN USUALLY APPEARS SUNDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS. 817-390-7821

[vman]

What a disaster!! This article ( though a little long and draggy) illustrates how FW is so overlooked. I can't help but think if this was any other larger US city this mess would have been covered nationally. According to the artricle, if this campus is completed it will end up costing $1538 per sq. foot!!!


http://fwweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=676%3Ataj-mahal-on-the-trinity&catid=30%3Acover-story&Itemid=375

[NThomas]

What a disaster!! This article ( though a little long and draggy) illustrates how FW is so overlooked. I can't help but think if this was any other larger US city this mess would have been covered nationally. According to the artricle, if this campus is completed it will end up costing $1538 per sq. foot!!!


http://fwweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=676%3Ataj-mahal-on-the-trinity&catid=30%3Acover-story&Itemid=375
And this is getting paid by how? Property taxes? Jeez, didn't realize there were THAT many homes in Tarrant County

[NThomas]

TCC trustees OK final budget of $203 million for Trinity bluff project
May 12, 2009
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By Bill Hanna (billhanna@star-telegram.com)
Full Article (http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/1373675.html)

Tarrant County College trustees, in a 4-3 vote Tuesday night, approved a final budget of $203 million for completion of the controversial Trinity River bluff campus in downtown Fort Worth.

The decision was made after consultants and staff assured the board that the costs for the campus, which have skyrocketed since it was first conceived, won’t climb any further.

"We can’t have this go over $203 million, or there are going to be people on this board who lose face," said board member Randall Canedy, who voted in favor of the project.

Trustees also determined that the bluff campus will be used for nursing and TCC’s Allied Health programs, including a simulated hospital. When completed in spring 2011, the 132,000-square-foot campus will have 70,000 square feet of classroom space.

During Tuesday night’s special meeting, board members heard reports from staffers indicating that TCC may need the bluff campus because the Trinity River Campus, the former RadioShack headquarters, may fill its classroom space more quickly than first projected once it officially opens this fall.

But the three board members who voted against the bluff project — Bobby McGee, Robyn Winnett and Joe Hudson — expressed skepticism over those projections.

"I kind of feel like we’re trying to re-size the foot to fit the shoe," said McGee, the board vice president.

Winnett said she believes that the bluff campus is being built more to meet the desires of the Trinity River Vision project than for educational purposes.

"I think we’re rushing to find something to put into that facility," she said...