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'Life-changing' | Texas A&M invests half a billion dollars in new Houston complex

The complex is the largest development project in the Texas Medical Center area. It will help house TAMU's Engineering Medicine program.

HOUSTON — Texas A&M's logo will soon grace the Houston skyline after the university announced Thursday it is investing over half a billion dollars and building a complex in the Texas Medical Center area.

Texas A&M invited members of the media to fly to Houston Thursday morning and help announce the $547 million dollar project, but only if it was kept under wraps until the big announcement at 11 a.m. 

The Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System said it is the largest development project in the Texas Medical Center area. They said it could be one of the "grandest in Houston" in recent memory.

The complex is being designed to house the university's Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program and provide housing for students in the Houston area. The expansion includes three major projects, which will be funded by public-private partnerships, or "P3s", according to a press release given by Texas A&M.

Chancellor John Sharp said the university is in desperate need of housing for its nursing and medical students in Houston and this project will provide relief. "The Houston medical scene is about to see the benefits of Aggie ingenuity and our dedication to service," Chancellor Sharp said.

A breakdown of the cost shows $145 million dollars will go towards the purchase and renovation of an 18-story building. The other $401 million will be used to build two new towers.

The location of the new EnMed building is set for 1020 Holcombe Blvd. Students involved in this program have the opportunity to earn a master's degree in engineering from Texas A&M University and a medical doctor's degree from the university's Health Science Center. Students will be expected to invent new devices to help solve complicated health problems before they graduate. Texas A&M hopes to have this part of the project completed by summer of 2020.

The student housing complex will be 19 stories high with 572 units and 704 beds, according to the press release. The size of the building is 365,000 square feet and will include a 1.2 million square foot parking garage with 3,444 spaces. They hope to have that part of the project done by June 2022.

The project also calls for the building of an Integrated Medical Plaza, which is said to be a new medical office building that takes up 587,000 square feet and will be 30 stories high. This section will include a 13-story parking garage, have a 72,000 square foot retail space and have 8,700 square feet of green space. This part of the project is set to be done by June of 2023.

The developer for the P3 projects is Medistar Corporation. The financing team includes American Triple I Partners, which was founded by Texas A&M alum Henry Cisneros.

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