HOUSTON | General Developments

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http://swamplot.com/heres-an-8-story-office-and-apartment-complex-for-heights-studewood-low-point-on-white-oak-bayou/2018-06-04/

Here’s an 8-Story Office and Apartment Complex for Heights’ Studewood Low Point on White Oak Bayou
06/04/18 1:00pm
by Dan Singer



ENGINEERING firm The Interfield Group is hoping to score a trio of variances that will allow it to swap out its existing dingbat office building (above) at the Heights landing point of the Studemont St. bridge for a much larger mixed-use development (depicted at top) dubbed Heights Gateway. The new 8-story complex rests on the stealth-bomber-shaped parcel at 401 Studewood outlined in the aerial above. It’s split between a residential portion (shown beneath the lettering in the rendering) and a glass curtain-walled office section to the north — all of which rests atop a floodable 2-story parking garage plinth.

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The Sophie

c/o 'Twitter1' on HAIF



City Place Memorial Park


c/o 'Twitter1' on HAIF





Giorgetti Houston - Site Prep

c/o 'Twitter1' on HAIF

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...o-undergo.html

A rending of the completed renovations to the Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza, located between Houston Public Library’s Julia Ideson and Jesse Jones buildings.

COURTESY LAUREN GRIFFITH ASSOCIATES

Houston Public Library's downtown plaza to undergo more renovations costing $5M

By Jen Para – Web producer, Houston Business Journal
2 hours ago

Former first lady Barbara Bush died April 17 at age 92, but the city of Houston plans to honor her literacy legacy for decades to come at the Houston Public Library.

Designing and planning of the second phase of renovations to the downtown Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza has begun, Lauren Griffith of Houston-based Lauren Griffith Associates, the lead designer and consultant on the project, confirmed to the Houston Business Journal in a statement. The 0.75-acre plaza is located between Houston Public Library’s Julia Ideson Building and its Jesse H. Jones Building, also known as the Central Library, at 550 McKinney St.

The Houston Chronicle reported that the Houston City Council awarded $396,582 to the landscape architecture firm on April 25 for the design and construction work. Griffith said construction on the second phase is expected to start in early 2019 and will finish by the end of that year.

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Some site prep appears to be getting underway on a couple of blocks in midtown - this location will reportedly be home to 215 apartments atop a garage.

HAIF Thread on project here.

Photo from 'Froosh12' on HAIF

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http://realtynewsreport.com/2018/06/07/lbj-monument-to-be-built-in-downtown-houston/

LBJ rendering by Chas Fagan

LBJ Monument to be Built in Downtown Houston

HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – A fundraising campaign, kicked off with a $250,000 grant from the Brown Foundation, has started with the goal of creating an 8-foot statue and a monument to honor President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

The monument will be located on a tract, called Little Tranquility Park, on a downtown block bounded by Capitol, Walker, Bagby and Smith.

With the nearby existing monuments for President George H.W. Bush and James A. Baker, the area has the beginnings of a walkable historic area, said CK Pang, formerly of Gensler architecture, which is designing the LBJ monument.

A native Texan, President Johnson is credited as the key force in securing NASA for Houston.

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Tradition Buffalo Speedway

The Tradition Buffalo Speedway by russell.hancock, on Flickr

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Originally Posted by Wattleigh

Some site prep appears to be getting underway on a couple of blocks in midtown - this location will reportedly be home to 215 apartments atop a garage.

Additional work taking place today...

Photo c/o 'DrLan34' on HAIF

[The Best Forumer]

awesome. thanks for the updates.

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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...t-12994522.php

Deal of the week: Cossaboom Family YMCA to get new use as gym and self-storage project

By Katherine Feser
June 14, 2018

Friendswood attorney Jerome Karam has purchased the shuttered 1950s-era Cossaboom Family YMCA on the South Loop for his next project.

Karam, who is behind redevelopments such as Texas City’s Mall of the Mainland and Galveston’s Falstaff brewery, plans to repurpose the property into a five-story gym and a separate 45,000-square-foot self-storage facility. The gym, Maxx Fitness, will contain up to 38,000 square feet with a focus on cardio equipment. Opening is targeted by November, Karim said.

The YMCA cited future flood risks as a reason for selling the facility, which has flooded multiple times and was damaged in Hurricane Harvey. The building is at 7903 South Loop East near Interstate 45.

Craig Guidry of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Anderson Properties represented Karam, who purchased the building through JMK5. Mark Nicholas of JLL represented the YMCA in the sale. The price was not disclosed.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...ty-breaks.html

Senior living project for Asian community breaks ground in southwest Houston



By Fauzeya Rahman – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jun 13, 2018, 2:56pm CDT Updated Jun 13, 2018, 3:02pm CDT

The Pines at Bellaire, a senior assisted living and memory care project that broke ground June 9, will have all of the elements expected in a traditional senior housing environment, such as a dining area, a chapel, outdoor space and library.

But, a few elements may be more fitting to the project’s targeted demographic — Houston’s aging Asian population. Some examples include a mostly Chinese- and Vietnamese-inspired menu, bilingual staff and an outdoor garden planned for the property. The building’s colors, material and orientations will also be centered around feng shui design philosophy, said C. C. Lee, project architect and part owner of the Pines at Bellaire. Lee is also president and CEO of Houston-based STOA Architects. That means a southeast corner room, which reflects more of a wood energy, would have a color scheme reflective of that, said Lee.

The 143-unit, three-story project at 12420 Bellaire Boulevard will be close to Houston’s Chinatown. The building will address a need currently not met in today’s senior living market, Lee said. He estimates total construction costs to be close to $34 million for both phases of the project, the first of which is set to be complete by summer 2019.

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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...k-12992698.php

World Cup could cap off plans for downtown park atop I-45 project

By Dug Begley June 13, 2018 Updated: June 14, 2018 10:44am


Photo: Texas Department Of Transportation/HNTB / Texas Department Of Transportation/HNTB

Plans call for a green space atop depressed sections of Interstate 45 and Interstate 69 as part of a major redesign of downtown Houston freeways. State transportation officials, however, will not fund any park development, as seen in this 2015 rendering of the project

Houstonians with no interest in soccer might still score if the North American 2026 World Cup brings games to town — potentially kick-starting a project to develop a parklike space atop a buried freeway east of the central business district.

The World Cup promises a spending spree much like the Super Bowls in 2004 and 2017, which focused officials on transit and public space improvements such as light rail and beautification of Broadway. Chosen cities can expect an estimated $400 million in economic impact, so officials are planning a massive fundraising and improvement campaign should Houston get the nod.

“The exposure is exponentially greater than some of those other events,” said Doug Hall, vice-president of special projects for the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority.

Even just the prospect of landing the games in Houston helps prioritize and buoy major projects, officials said.

“It does give something to point the efforts toward, and it raises the consciousness of the efforts,” said Bob Eury, executive director of the Houston Downtown Management District.

Local officials celebrated the announcement that a joint American, Mexican and Canadian bid to host the premier event in international soccer was successful.

[harryc]

w.t.

[harryc]

w.t.

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Crane now up at The Sophie


c/o 'ekdrm2d1' on HAIF

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...on-museum.html

Houston developer begins construction on Museum District condo project

By Jen Para – Web producer, Houston Business Journal
Jun 19, 2018, 8:49am CDT

Construction has begun on a 37-unit mid-rise condominium project in the Museum District.

After preselling more than 50 percent of the condos, Houston-based Surge Homes secured construction financing through the Houston office of Dallas-based PlainsCapital Bank to build Museum Blvd, according to a press release. Construction began in May on the $12 million project, which is expected to be completed fall 2019, a spokesperson said.

Located at 4819 Caroline St., Museum Blvd is on an empty half-acre plot of land appraised at $1.2 million, according to records with the Harris County Appraisal District. An entity called 4819 Caroline LP has been the owner since January 2017 and has the same address as Houston-based LSR Communities, owner and manager of multifamily apartments and condominium homes in greater Houston and Palm Beach County, Florida.

Museum Blvd is nestled among other condos, including Urban Flat Builders’ Oaks on Caroline, a six-story, 28-unit mid-rise condo at 4820 Caroline St. Prices for those units ranged between $300,000 and $700,000 about a year ago.

Rendering c/o Surge Homes

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Azure

c/o EDI International





Alta West Gray

c/o EDI International

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http://swamplot.com/how-much-progress-has-been-made-on-holocaust-museum-houstons-new-flat-topped-backyard-building/2018-06-19/

How Much Progress Has Been Made on Holocaust Museum Houston’s New Flat-Topped Backyard Building

06/19/18 2:00pm
by Dan Singer

PHOTOS FROM THE 13th floor of the office tower at 1200 Binz St. look northeast to show the state of things at Holocaust Museum Houston’s construction site off Caroline St. Peeking out behind the chimney-like roof cylinder on the existing wedge-shaped building, you can seek 3 stories of steel now standing behind it. They make up a nearly three-times-larger structure now taking shape where the museum’s previous single-story northern building was torn down earlier this year. In its place, the new 57,000- sq.-footer designed by Mucasey & Associates will house a 200-seat theater, bigger exhibition spaces, more classrooms, a larger library, and more offices than its predecessor.

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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...t-13013893.php

Historic Main&Co project debuts new downtown creative office space
By Katherine Feser
June 21, 2018

Downtown's historic Raphael and Dorrance buildings, collectively known as Main&Co, are renovated and ready for new office and retail tenants.

Houston-based NewForm Real Estate announced completion of the five-story mixed-use redevelopment on the corner of Main and Commerce in northern downtown. Located on the MetroRail line, Main&Co includes creative office space, plus contemporary arts and retail space.



The Cottonmouth Club and Lilly&Bloom cocktail lounges and LCD Gallery are already open.

"The redesign of these two iconic buildings focuses on preserving and restoring as much of the original interior character as possible, while also incorporating modern, sustainable and creative conveniences found in new state-of-the-art buildings," NewForm Real Estate president Dan Zimmerman said in an announcement.

"The final product is Main&Co, a unique real estate offering located in the heart of Downtown that complements the area's resurgence as a destination for work, life and play."

The Dorrance Building, 114 Main, was built in 1903 by John M. Dorrance, a vice president of the Houston Cotton Exchange. The Raphael Building, 110 Main, was built in the late 1800s.

Several photos from the article

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Lyric Centre Market

c/o 'urbanize713' on HAIF

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https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2018/06/18/exclusive-hotel-with-ballroom-to-break-ground-in.html



Rendering from article.

Exclusive: Hotel with ballroom, office space to break ground in Sugar Land

By Cara Smith – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jun 18, 2018, 1:51pm CDT

An upper midscale hotel in Sugar Land is looking to bring more to the table than turndown service and a continental breakfast.

Houston-based The Avalon Group is developing a 122-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton at the intersection of State Highway 6 and Highway 90 in Sugar Land. When the hotel delivers in October 2019, it'll offer 3,500 square feet of office space, a 3,000-square-foot ballroom and banquet space and an 800-square-foot full bar, Anil Verma told the Houston Business Journal.

Verma, president of The Avalon Group, said Sugar Land's growing population and economy will be able to support the hotel's unconventional amenities.

"Sugar Land is a very unique city, and it has demand for all of these features," Verma said. "None of the hotels have this."

While ballrooms and banquet spaces are common in upscale and luxury hotels, they're rarely seen in upper midscale hotels, such as a Hampton Inn & Suites, a Holiday Inn Express or a Fairfield Inn. Verma said the hotel's office space will likely be available for lease to non-guests, and a business center will be built for the hotel's guests.

Construction should start soon on the hotel, Verma said. The cost associated with the development and the architect and contractor weren't disclosed.