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Retail center, residential site planned east of downtown
By KIM JACKSON
Chronicle Correspondent
In a city where the old is often replaced by the new, developer Alan Atkinson is making a statement by using two historic buildings as the centerpiece for the modern, mixed-used Americas Plaza development in the eastern shadow of downtown Houston.
Situated on the corner of the Navigation Boulevard/Canal Street intersection, the 116-year-old former Anson Jones Elementary School building has evolved into the One Americas Plaza office building and reception hall.
Directly across the street, a 58-year-old warehouse, which most recently housed used office furniture and a retail blood bank, is taking shape as Two Americas Plaza — a 28,000-square-foot retail center built around a central plaza.
Atkinson, owner of AVA Limited, purchased seven adjoining properties over a four-year period before launching the Americas Plaza development. The ultimate goal is to add mid-rise and high-rise residential development to the 10-acre mix, Atkinson said.
"We are trying to do things differently. We are not following the traditional development models," Atkinson said. "This part of town has had low development expectations for several years, so all of the spaces are being designed to a high level of finish. We want local residents to take pride in what is happening to the neighborhood."
The Americas Plaza development is similar to the more established mixed-used Midtown district, Atkinson said. He said the two areas are like "bookends" on opposite sides of downtown Houston.
"That area has become a hotbed of life and activity, and that's what I see happening here," Atkinson said. "We are four blocks from the (Minute Maid) baseball stadium, four blocks from the proposed (Dynamo) soccer stadium, and one block from Guadalupe Park and hike-and-bike trails on Brays Bayou."
Atkinson added with the completion of the Alexan Lofts complex and 71 townhomes across Canal, there are about 900 more residents in the neighborhood.
AMERICAS PLAZA
Two historic buildings are being used as the centerpiece for the modern, mixed-used Americas Plaza development east of downtown Houston.
• One Americas Plaza: Situated on the corner of the Navigation Boulevard/Canal Street intersection, the 116-year-old former Anson Jones Elementary School building has evolved into the One Americas Plaza office building and reception hall.
• Two Americas Plaza: A 58-year-old warehouse building, which most recently housed used office furniture and a retail blood bank, is taking shape as Two Americas Plaza — a 28,000-square-foot retail center built around a central plaza.
Continue Reading
Americas Plaza development takes shape
Houstonians, Hate Traffic?
Written by Houston Business Journal
{Houston is one of 23 large metro areas in the United States facing an infrastructure challenge, according to an Urban Land Institute report released Tuesday.
ULI reports that Houston and other Sunbelt areas such as Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix, "choke in suburban car dependence and a history of disconnected regional development just as driving becomes increasingly expensive."
Among the challenges facing these cities are expanding road capacity and retrofitting pedestrian-unfriendly subdivisions with mass transit, the report says.
The report shows that since 1980 vehicular travel in the United States has grown 95 percent, but road capacity has grown by only 4 percent. Los Angeles leads the largest cities with an average annual commute time of 72 hours in 2005, up from 45 hours in 1982. Houston's commute in 2005 was 56 hours a year on average, up from 30 hours in 1982.
ULI said Houston is focusing on controlling congestion and enabling mobility, and creating new transit methods such as the Light Rail.
"Houston expects traffic to double, but pins hopes on transit and highway funding to control congestion increases," the report says.
In terms of annual funding allocations for both transit and highway, ULI shows Houston spending less than $1 billion for short-term transit, almost $2 billion on long-term transit, and close to $3 billion each on short- and long-term highway projects.
However, the report warns that investing in transit isn't enough to fix the ailing infrastructure in "coreless metropolitan areas" such as Houston, Dallas and Phoenix.
Cities like Houston need to align transit projects with land use planning, or people will remain car-bound, the report suggests.
"Although transit budgets constitute about 50 percent of aggregate expenditures in long-range plans (approximately $610 billion), the expected share of transit commuting averages a measly 5.5 percent," the report says. "Although most plans seek behavioral changes in driving habits, they assume continued growth patterns toward the suburban edge, where car-dependent lifestyles predominate out of necessity."}
KBR confirms plans for West Houston campus
Houston Business Journal - by Jennifer Dawson
KBR Inc. on Friday confirmed plans to develop a West Houston campus near Katy.
The global engineering and construction firm intends to lease about 910,000 square feet of office space that will be constructed near the Grand Parkway and Interstate 10.
While company officials have declined to comment previously, they now say construction will begin on the new corporate campus before the end of the year and be finished in 2010.
KBR (NYSE: KBR) signed an earnest-money agreement on the deal, and plans to enter into a long-term lease for the new facility.
The company's West Houston campus will consist of low-rise buildings with tiltwall construction and will follow Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specifications for sustainable development.
The Houston-based firm will also maintain a presence in downtown Houston.
William Utt, KBR chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement that it will be beneficial to have employees at both ends of the Energy Corridor -- an area in West Houston along I-10 where many oil and gas companies are located.
"Not only will the new campus enable KBR to meet our future growth demands, but it will also provide the company with a more favorable location amongst its growing employee and customer base in the Houston metropolitan area," Utt said.
KBR serves clients in the energy, petrochemicals, government services and civil infrastructure sectors.
Will Houston ease through recession?
Written by Houston Business Journal - by Casey Wooten
Though they expect the nation to slip into a recession, nearly half of Houston executives anticipate the Bayou City will fare better than the rest of the country, according to a survey by KPMG LLP.
Sixty-two percent of local business leaders polled said the national economy is headed towards a recession. But among those polled, 46 percent said Houston's economy will avoid much of the economic malaise. Only eight percent said Houston will fare worse.
Executives echoed those feelings when asked about their own business prospects, with 73 percent anticipating improved performance over the next year, according to the survey released Friday. That number, however, is down from last year's 80 percent.
"It is reassuring to know that though Houston execs are not immune to the trying times suffered by others in the U.S., they are seeing less impact," said Edgar Giesinger, managing partner of KMPG's Houston office. "They indicate that their firms will continue to add staff and invest in technology and product development, just not at the same levels as a year ago."
Houston's most promising industries, according to the survey, are energy, healthcare and retail/distribution, the same as the previous year. Energy was far ahead of the pack, however, with 49 percent saying it would experience the most growth.
The New York-based audit, tax and advisory firm surveyed 104 executives from a diverse range of companies, both public and private.
$300 million intermodal facility and industrial park under development
Houston Business Journal - by Jennifer Dawson Houston Business Journal
A $300 million intermodal facility and industrial park under development in Fort Bend County could create 2,000 jobs over the next 15 years.
The Kansas City Southern Railway Co. and Chicago-based CenterPoint Properties Inc. formed a joint venture agreement last month on the 800-acre project. The intermodal hub will serve as a transfer point to move goods between rail cars and trucks for distribution.
The project is comparatively modest in size, according to Curtis Spencer, president of Webster-based IMS Worldwide Inc., a logistics consulting firm.
"As intermodal terminals go, that is relatively small," says Spencer.
He notes two existing intermodal terminals in Houston are more than 300 percent larger than the planned Fort Bend County project.
Spencer acknowledges, however, that the newcomer has a lot of economic potential.
Between 1,000 and 2,000 employees are expected to work in the proposed industrial facilities. An undetermined number of construction jobs are connected to the project in addition to an unknown number of jobs at the intermodal facility.
Barkley Peschel, vice president of development and operations for the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, sees direct and indirect benefits.
He expects the project to have a major impact on Kendleton, a small town near the intermodal site about 24 miles southwest of Sugar Land.
Whole Foods to build store between Montrose and Waugh
Development will include apartments, stores
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Whole Foods Market plans to build a store between downtown and River Oaks as part of a 13-acre development that will include apartments and shops.
The Austin-based natural and organic grocery chain will lease the northeast corner of West Dallas and Waugh from the Finger Cos., the firms said Tuesday.
Alongside the market, the Houston-based developer is preparing to build a six-story, 445-unit apartment complex on the property. Construction will start early next year.
"It's a great intersection," president and CEO Marvy Finger said. "It's very exciting."
Plans for the site, along West Dallas between Montrose and Waugh, call for additional retail space and possibly a high-rise residential tower.
AIG complex
Finger said the project will tie into the AIG office complex, to the north of the site.Real estate in this area, as well as the corridors running along Memorial Drive, Allen Parkway and Washington Avenue, has been transitioning as older properties are redeveloped and vacant parcels filled in.
The Allen House Apartments have been cleared as the owner prepares to build a compact urban-style development of shops, restaurants, offices and residential units there.
And a historic warehouse on Allen Parkway and Montrose was demolished after the property was sold more than a year ago to the Aga Khan Foundation for a Muslim Ismaili center.
There were almost 30 offers for the 688-unit Bayou Park apartment complex on Memorial at Shepherd after it went on the block, according to brokerage firm Apartment Realty Advisors, which marketed the property, anticipating redevelopment of the 15-acre site.
Boston-based multifamily management investment firm Berkshire Property Advisors acquired it.
'Very urban'
"That whole corridor is getting very urban," said Scott Shillings, senior vice president of Staubach Retail.Area land prices are more than $100 per square foot, according to David Cook of real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.
"Even if Whole Foods hadn't happened, it's a great location with its proximity to downtown and River Oaks," said Cook, who represented the owner that sold Finger the land for the grocery store and apartments earlier this year.
Though Whole Foods operates another store nearby at West Alabama and Kirby, Westheimer or San Felipe could divide the trade areas, with customers who live to the south shopping at the Kirby store and those on the north supporting the West Dallas location, Shillings said.
At 50,000 square feet, the new market is planned to be larger than the average store size of about 38,000 square feet.
"Since we continue to evolve and experiment, this store will have new features existing stores don't have by the time it opens," spokeswoman Kate Lowery said.
The company hasn't set an opening date.
It announced the new Houston lease during an earnings call Tuesday, in which it said net income in the recently completed quarter fell to $40 million, or 29 cents a share, from $46 million, or 32 cents a share, a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter rose 28 percent to $1.87 billion.
Development at Beltway 8 and West Road
Written by Houston Business Journal
{Houston's newest industrial development player -- which finalized its first local land purchase this week -- is bringing some major firepower to the market through a deep-pocketed investment partner.
Dallas-based White Rock Commercial LLC and GE Real Estate acquired 10.8 acres near the northeast corner of Beltway 8 and West Road for development of an industrial-type office building. The deal marks White Rock's entrance into the Houston market.
The firm also has plans to acquire....}Continue Reading
Houston to restrict land use near its airports
Posted by the Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Houston must institute zoning-type restrictions barring certain types of development around its three airports or risk losing future federal grants, city and Federal Aviation Administration officials say.
To comply, city officials are putting together a plan to prohibit new residential construction on property closest to the airports. Other new development may need soundproofing.
City planners are mapping out... Continue Reading14-acre mixed-use development around Lake Conroe
By BROOKE HATCHETT
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
A new development on Lake Conroe is bringing shops, restaurants and resort-style condominiums to the waterside.
Waterpoint is a 14-acre mixed-use development at the intersection of Texas 105 and Tejas Boulevard between Conroe and Montgomery. It's slated to have 63 condominiums and 100,000 square feet of retail space, said Scott Gordon, principal of Gordon Partners, the Houston-based commercial real estate company heading up the retail aspect of the project.
Several retailers have already opened their doors to the public and construction crews broke ground on the condominiums in early April. The combination of lakeside property and steady traffic made the property the ideal locale for the project, Gordon said.
"(With) 14 acres total on the lake mixed with 40,000 cars driving by on (Texas) 105 everyday makes this the right piece of land to build a mixed-use development on," he said.
Gordon has been... Continue ReadingFriendswood may not be Re-Developed
Posted at Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
The development of Friendswood's downtrodden downtown area and improving parks are hot topics among the two people running for City Council's Position 2 seat in the city's May 10 election.
The race pits Jim Barr against Brett A. Nichols for a three-year term to succeed outgoing first-term Councilman John LeCour, who did not seek re-election.
Barr, 46, a ticket broker, has lived in Friendswood since 1996.
"I want to see a change in our city government," Barr said. "I want to see a more streamlined effort. I want to see a cooperative effort between city staff and the developers."
Nichols, 49, a real estate broker, is a five-year Friendswood resident.
"I felt this is my obligation," Nichols said. "When I can contribute and help, I'm a volunteer. That's what I do."
Barr's and Nichols' emphasis on stimulating Friendswood's downtown area is not a new idea.
Previous efforts by the city have largely been unsuccessful.
In February, attorney Tony Buzbee said he would abandon his downtown development project, which drew... Continue ReadingKey council vote set for development near Bush
Key council vote set for development near Bush: "A Houston developer plans to lease 10 acres near the George Bush Intercontinental Airport from the Houston Airport System to build a mixed-use project. It would be the first of its kind for the airport system.
San Antonio apartment community to make way for major mixed-use project
San Antonio Business Journal - by Tricia Lynn Silva
A local developer's purchase of an apartment community in North Central San Antonio could hold the key to jump-starting new development along a major artery feeding into the expanding Fort Sam Houston.
Philip Bakke, president of Bakke Development Corp., has purchased the El Chaparral Apartments. The community is located on approximately 10 acres of land at 3819 Harry Wurzbach.
His plan for the property: Redevelop the site into a mixed-use community known as the Village at Oakwell Farms.
The current design for the Village calls for roughly 300,000 square feet of new development. The bulk of that space, some 234,000 square feet, will be earmarked for 218 apartment units.
Pearland Town Center to add 20 new shops
Houston Business Journal
Twenty more retailers and restaurants are being added to the 1.2 million-square-foot Pearland Town Center mixed-use development set to open on July 30.
Those set to open include: Ann Taylor Loft, Coach, Icing, Journey's, Yankee Candle, Select Comfort, Jos. A. Bank, James Avery, Kay Jewelers, Gymboree, New York & Co., Children's Place, Zumiez, A'gaci, Fossil, Learning Express, Express, Cork Wine Bar, Marble Slab Creamery, Gamestop, Vans and Paciugo Gelato, according to development owner CBL & Associates Properties Inc. (NYSE: CBL).
The retailers join anchors Dillard's, Macy's and Barnes & Noble, as well as fashion retailers including Chico's, Brooks Brothers Country Club, Hollister Co., The Buckle and Forever 21.
Pearland Town Center will also have a 110-room, four-story Courtyard by Marriott hotel, office and multifamily residential space above the retail, a 25-acre lake and miles of walking paths and parks.
Office Building for The Woodlands
By NANCY SARNOFF
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
The Woodlands commercial district continues to grow.
A nine-story office building called 4 Waterway Square will soon break ground, as a nearby property, 24 Waterway Avenue, is completed.
Located at Waterway Square Place and Woodloch Forest Drive in The Waterway Square District of The Woodlands Town Center, the new office building will have 216,000 square feet of space and connect to a 1,900-space garage when it is completed in the summer of 2009, according to The Woodlands Development Co.
Elkus-Manfredi of Boston designed the project, which will be constructed by Harvey Builders.
Gensler is the architect of record, and Conine & Associates is leasing the building.
The office vacancy rate in The Woodlands-Conroe area is less than 6 percent, the lowest in the Houston area, and rents are some of the highest, according to Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate firm.
Tenants have already started moving into the nearby 24 Waterway Avenue.
All of its 308,000 square feet of space is committed and the building is substantially complete.
Office tenants include Common Resources, American Financial & Automotive Services, HMT and Winstead.
A Hubbell & Hudson market will occupy 23,000 square feet on the ground floor. The store will sell locally grown produce, artisan bakery items, wines and other specialty products. It will also have a bistro and offer catering services.
A boutique hotel and condo tower are planned for the area, along with additional office buildings.
Office demand is being driven in part by existing Woodlands tenants that need more space or want to be in a higher-profile location and newer building, said Susan Vreeland-Wendt, director of marketing for The Woodlands Operating Co.
Houston, Grand Parkway
The Grand Parkway (SH 99) is a proposed 180+ mile circumferential scenic highway traversing seven counties and encircling the Greater Houston region. The project has been shown on governmental planning documents since the early 1960's. Currently 20 miles of the highway, Segment D, from US 59 near Sugar Land to IH 10 near Katy, have been constructed and is a toll free road open to the traveling public since August 31, 1994. Other segments are in various stages of project development. For detailed segment information, please click on the segment's tab to the left.
For Current Status click here.
More restaurants open at downtown's Pavilions
More restaurants open at downtown's Pavilions: "Diners have four more options at downtown's Houston Pavilions development with the recent openings of restaurants totaling more than 21,000 square feet. Houston restaurateur Youssef Nafaa has opened Andalucia Tapas Restaurant & Bar, which offers traditional Spanish dishes, and Mia Bella Trattoria specializing in Italian fare.
Austin To Get A 30-story Pelli-designed Tower
(AUSTIN, TX) -- The Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) unveiled a rendering for the new downtown Museum facility and multi-purpose co-development that will be built on the block it owns at Fourth and Guadalupe Streets today. Additionally, a lead gift of $3 million from Bettye H. and William C. Nowlin for this phase of the institution’s capital campaign was announced. The new Museum building will be developed in partnership with international developer Hines and acclaimed architectural firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.
“We’ve chosen to make this additional gift to AMOA, the largest gift we’ve made to any capital campaign, because this project is affordable, achievable, and what’s right for Austin right now,” said Bettye Nowlin, whose decade of philanthropic support for Austin civic and cultural organizations include service as the current president of the AMOA Board of Trustees. “This truly will be Austin’s Museum of Art, featuring the work of local, regional, and national artists and reflecting the diversity and vitality of the area presented in a way that’s uniquely Austin.”
AMOA anticipates a campaign of approximately $23 million to cover hard and soft construction costs, transition expenses, and an increase of $2 million to the operating endowment. Funds already committed for the new project total 60 percent of the goal, and are comprised of donations remaining from the previous campaigns, the sale of the land, the Nowlin’s lead gift, and several anonymous gifts, leaving just over $9 million for AMOA to reach their goal.
“We’ve spent the past five years strengthening our organization, building our audiences, and broadening our base of support in order to strategically position ourselves to succeed with this carefully-planned step forward,” explained Dana Friis-Hansen, AMOA’s Executive Director. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved downtown in our current facility—great exhibitions with established and emerging artists, the permanent FamilyLab, and innovative education programs for schoolchildren, families and adults—but a larger purpose-built facility will allow us to do so much more.”
The new downtown facility will feature a three-story 40,000-square foot space at Fourth and Guadalupe Streets more than doubling the exhibition and education spaces from the Museum’s present location. This will enable the Museum to increase the size, frequency, and variety of art on view, and expand educational programs.
The currently undeveloped block just south of Republic Square will also be home to Museum Tower, a 30-story, 425,000-square-foot office building that will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified office project in downtown Austin. Both the museum and the tower will be designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects of New Haven, CT, and developed by Hines, the international real estate firm. The Museum’s owner’s representative will be David Stauch, President and Founder of Herndon, Stauch & Associates, an Austin firm specializing in project and construction management. Bart Matheney of Aquila Commercial will be the exclusive leasing agent for Museum Tower.
The lead architect at Pelli Clarke Pelli echoed Nowlin’s assessment. “Austin is a city very close to our hearts,” said senior principal Fred Clarke, a graduate of the UT-Austin School of Architecture. “We have seen it become one of the most vibrant and successful communities in the country. Designing the museum, one of the most progressive programs in the country, as well as designing a new tower for the premier developer in Texas makes this one of the most significant commissions in the city.”Hines has operated in Austin since the mid-1970s, when it developed one of the city’s first modern office buildings, the Bank of America Tower located at Fifth and Congress. The firm owns and manages 301 Congress, which is four blocks from the new museum site, and has developed office and civic projects around the globe, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Audrey Jones Beck Building designed by Rafael Moneo. Hines recently announced plans to develop a Jean Nouvel-designed mixed-use tower in midtown Manhattan adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) that will include a 50,000-square-foot expansion of the museum’s galleries. The Hines and Pelli Clarke Pelli team was recently selected to develop the Transbay Transit Center and Tower in San Francisco. In addition, the two firms are working together on a major mixed-use project at Boston’s historic South Station.
“Environmental sensitivity and energy efficiency have been distinguishing features of our projects for decades, and we are looking forward to developing the first LEED-certified office building in downtown Austin,” said Hines Vice President Travis Overall. “We are very pleased to partner with AMOA in bringing two important projects to the last undeveloped block in this area of the CBD.”
The new development will add to the strength of the civic and cultural district emerging around Republic Square, including Austin’s City Hall, Ballet Austin Dance Education Center, renovated Austin Music Hall, the growing retail and residential activity along Second Street, and planned Austin City Limits Studio, and future federal courthouse.
“Strong cultural institutions like the Austin Museum of Art provide the backbone for vibrant urban centers,” said Austin Mayor Will Wynn. “The permanent downtown location for AMOA will be one of downtown’s cultural jewels, transforming a surface parking lot into a 21st century museum and a LEED-certified office tower while continuing to build the city’s tax base and bring life to our urban core.”
Carriage Crossing sees increase in traffic with Marriott, power center
Memphis Business Journal - by Einat Paz-Frankel Staff writer
Robust development at Houston Levee and Highway 385 is driving more shoppers to The Avenue Carriage Crossing in Collierville.
The open-air mall is now enjoying traffic from two new additions to the area: the 131-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel and a new power center that features big-box retailers such as Sports Authority, which occupies nearly 40,000 square feet.
Carriage Crossing MarketPlace, the 188,525-square-foot power center, was developed by Montgomery, Ala.-based Jim Wilson & Associates LLC, which co-developed The Avenue Carriage Crossing with Atlanta-based Cousins Properties, Inc.
Carriage Crossing MarketPlace opened to the public in March with large and mid-size retailers such as Dress Barn and rue 21. Old Navy, Ross Dress for Less, Petco and Payless ShoeSource are scheduled to open this month, "which would leave us with three very small spaces," says Kay Yarbrough, marketing director for Jim Wilson & Associates.
Metro pushing ahead with second rail line
Written by Houston Business Journal
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County has chosen Parsons Transportation Group for the next phase of the authority's light rail project.
The agency awarded a $77.3 million contract to Washington Group International in May 2007 for Phase I development work, but decided to go with Washington, D.C.-based Parsons, an infrastructure developer, for Phase 2, according to Metro.
Metro's decision not to work further with WGI was based on factors including "failure to deliver an acceptable and reasonable price for the next phase of construction and its failure to deliver on promises made in its original proposal," Frank Wilson, Metro's president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Parsons was one of three contractors bidding on the light rail's second phase, which will begin with the East End rail line in June. The East End rail corridor will begin downtown off of the Southeast line and go east to the Magnolia Transit Center Station.
The contract with Parsons will award $12 million to the company through December.
