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The University of Texas is walking away from plans to expand in Houston with a 300-acre campus just south of the 610 Loop near NRG. In a press release, UT system chancellor William McRaven said he was concerned about the Houston campus "overshadowing the extraordinary work underway on the 14 campuses of the UT system."
The plan had been in the works for years. The system closed on 250 of the 300 acres, expecting to close on the final 50 at the turn of the new year. McRaven recommended to the regents that UT's real estate office begin work to sell the land, which it paid $215M for.
The expansion plan was met with resistance from the outset, most notably from leadership at the University of Houston, just miles from the proposed expansion. Last year McRaven said he should have consulted the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board before moving forward with the plans.
"The University of Houston is pleased that UT is not expanding in Houston," said Tilman Fertitta, the UH board of regents chairman. This was a group effort by elected leaders, our board of regents, our administration and supporters to stand our ground against an unnecessary duplication of resources that didn’t align with the state’s plan for higher education."
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