The property, which straddles MoPac Expressway along Braker Lane, is most likely destined to serve UT's academic and research needs, says Randy Charbeneau, who was chairman of the committee involved with the plan. He's associate dean for research in the College of Engineering.
"We looked at opportunities for continued research program development out here as well as bringing academic programs out," he tells GlobeSt.com. "At this point, we would consider residential as well. The idea would be to make this a 24-hour campus as opposed to an 8-to-5 campus as it is right now."
The main UT campus in central Austin is cramped and has little room to grow. Presently, UT conducts engineering and research programs on the 225-acre Pickle Research Campus on the east side of MoPac. West of MoPac, UT owns the MCC building and 180 acres. UT already leases some of that property to office and retail developments.
Charbeneau says private sector involvement in development probably would come in the form of co-development projects or retail operations. "If we were to develop the campus, you might see some leases to things like coffee houses and stuff like that," he says. "There is some discussion in the possibility of co-development of facilities, kind of an outreach, high-tech type of a thing to co-develop some programs. Nothing more specific than that."Fort Worth-based Carter & Burgess Inc., an engineering and consulting firm, helped develop the Phase 1 report.
Charbeneau says the Phase 1 report has been sent to UT's president, Larry Faulkner, who will decide when and how to proceed. But the professor doesn't expect much action. "With the financial situation the university is in now, I don't see that we're going to do anything anytime soon," he says.
The report at least helps to set a context for developing the north Austin property and not preclude development opportunities "by doing things today that don't make sense for what we could do in the future," Charbeneau says.
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