This is long overdue in so many ways.
First, the buildings they are going to be tearing down really are the ugliest buildings on campus. I remember hearing talk that with the buildings along Hebrard gone, they would build a nice plaza to tie in Cypress Swamp with the street so that it's not surrounded by buildings.
Moreover, the union sucks. The only time I ever went into the union when I was in school was to go to the bookstore. I would hope that the expansion also includes a complete revamp of the current union, including a facelift of the part that faces McKinley. The fact that the Union is oriented toward the lake is nice, but most people see it from McKinley.
The union should be the heart of the campus and these improvements should go a long way in helping UL to shed its commuter school image.