HOUSTON | Development Thread II

[The Best Forumer]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Rendering:

Not sure about this... given that Montrose is an "artsy/weird" part of town... this corporate box could... no... SHOULD take on a more... eclectic or futuristic design. Something better. Thoughts?

[vasu]

Anyone know which New Orleans-based brewery is going in at Sawyer Yards?

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...irst-ward.html

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by The Best Forumer

Not sure about this... given that Montrose is an "artsy/weird" part of town... this corporate box could... no... SHOULD take on a more... eclectic or futuristic design. Something better. Thoughts?

Sigh. Yet another typical ugly Houston box.

[The Best Forumer]

I know... but at least it tried to interact with street level.

[TexasPlaya]

I think it's kinda funky and 70/80s boxy retro if they go with that color. I can dig it.

[Wattleigh]

Block 58 Tower


c/o 'AmyP' on HAIF





The RO - Soil Testing

c/o 'ekdrm2d1' on HAIF

[The Best Forumer]

thanks for the update!

[Urbannizer]

Update on Montrose Gardens:

- 6,000 sq ft (down from 24,000 sq ft), Khun Kai Thai's Cafe will return
- 6 levels of parking (down from nine - one retail; six residential)
- 12 levels of residential (up from 10, 100 condo units)

The owners of Khun Kay Thai Café want to develop a 20-story tower called Montrose Garden, replacing the longtime restaurant along Montrose Boulevard.

Houston-based CE Engineers & Development Consultants Inc. submitted a variance request for the project to the city of Houston’s Planning & Development Department last month, according to the agenda for the Planning Commission's Sept. 13 meeting. Plans for the tower include “everything from a retail shopping center, multifamily condominiums and parking to pedestrian-friendly walkways, green areas and bike rentals,” per the variance request form included in the agenda. “The owners plan to relocate their 37-year-old landmark restaurant inside the Montrose Garden development.”

Now, the Sumriths are planning the tower because they realized “that a revitalization is underway in Montrose” and aim to start construction in 2019, per the form. In fact, the Montrose Garden site is across the Montrose-West Clay intersection from El Tiempo's 1308 Cantina, which will be replaced by an eight-story apartment project. However, the groundbreaking for that project was delayed shortly after plans resurfaced.

The first story of Montrose Garden is expected to include about 6,000 square feet of retail divided into four 1,500-square-foot spaces. One of those is slated for a restaurant, and another potentially will house a Starbucks. The retail portion of the building will have a dedicated level of parking on the second floor, and the “ground floor will have required bike racks and loading berth per City’s requirements,” the form states.

The form notes that the developer is already negotiating with HoustonBcycle to install the bike-share system.

Five stories of residential parking are planned for the third through seventh floors, with 100 multifamily condo units on floors eight through 20. Plans currently call for 59 one-bedroom units, 28 two-bedroom units and 13 three-bedroom units. Because there are six total stories of parking, screens could be installed to cover those floors, the form notes.

The ground floor will feature a walkway for pedestrians, landscaping and fountain area. However, the developer is requesting permission for a 9-foot building line along Montrose instead of the required 25 feet and a 5-foot building line along West Clay instead of 10 feet because the existing requirements would make one-quarter of the land unusable for the building. Reducing the building’s footprint to meet the existing requirements would leave less than 4,000 square feet for retail and less than 50 residential units, which would make the project financially unfeasible, per the form.

“If granted the variance needed to move forward on this project, we will comply with City’s requirement on the walkway and make it convenient and user-friendly for all the residents in the neighboring and visitors to the area,” the form states. “This project is in-line with the City’s trend and intention of creating additional sidewalk space and we are eager to get it approved.”

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...mixed-use.html

[Urbannizer]

Midtown Set to Launch Affordable Housing/Office Projects in Fall

The Midtown Redevelopment Authority is nearing completion on plans for the Revive Emancipation!, an affordable housing, retail and office development in the Northwest Third Ward.

The Midtown Affordable Housing Plan, which was drafted in the summer of 2017, has several components. Two of the phases are estimated to reach the construction stage by November, according to filings with the state. They have an estimated project cost of $28.5 million.

Terra Surveying Company Inc. brought two buildings in the project before the Houston Planning Commission last week for a variance on the building setback, but that request was deferred for two weeks at city staff’s request. Most of the larger structure (Emancipation Center One) is dedicated to above surface parking.

Midtown wants the building setback lines at 10 feet instead of 25 feet. They are located at the northwest and northeast corners of Elgin Street and St. Charles Street and the smaller structure (Emancipation Two) to the northeast will include 20 multifamily units.

The units are to be marketed to households with incomes from 30 to 120 percent of the Area Median Income.

“At the northeast corner of Emancipation Avenue and Elgin Street is a MRA-owned tract that has been designated for a multi-level office building with ground floor retail and 20 multi-family units. Also within the district are proximate tracts owned by MRA where there are plans for a roughly 200-unit multi-level, high density multi-family housing development with commercial/retail uses on the ground floor. These catalyst projects will demonstrate the impact that new construction can have as relates to neighborhood revitalization and community-building.

[The Best Forumer]

Emancipation Center TWO looks really nice! Very... modern.

[Urbannizer]

Pearl Rosemont: 13-story multifamily building by The Morgan Group and Ziegler Cooper slated for Midtown.

[clubtokyo]

nice updates!

[The Best Forumer]

Originally Posted by clubtokyo

nice updates!

I know... I wish this last one would add 30 floors to it... THAT would be awesome!

[JManc]

Originally Posted by The Best Forumer

I know... I wish this last one would add 30 floors to it... THAT would be awesome!

Nah, I'd rather have a bunch of these 8-10 story mid-rises around than a 30-story here or there. These add density are great infill.

[The Best Forumer]

Originally Posted by JManc

Nah, I'd rather have a bunch of these 8-10 story mid-rises around than a 30-story here or there. These add density are great infill.

That's what I mean... a bunch of those and a bunch of 30 - 40 story towers... cool

[DBGHouston]

Originally Posted by The Best Forumer

That's what I mean... a bunch of those and a bunch of 30 - 40 story towers... cool

Once upon a time (twelve years ago?) the height of new low-rise apartment buildings in Houston was about three stories. A few taller ones came along (like Ventana or that hulk in Montrose) but they seemed out of place. Now five is the bare minimum and 8 through 12 seem to be everywhere: heights, med center, montrose, washington ave, midtown, rice village....the density on the west side must be increasing!

[The Best Forumer]

Originally Posted by DBGHouston

Once upon a time (twelve years ago?) the height of new low-rise apartment buildings in Houston was about three stories. A few taller ones came along (like Ventana or that hulk in Montrose) but they seemed out of place. Now five is the bare minimum and 8 through 12 seem to be everywhere: heights, med center, montrose, washington ave, midtown, rice village....the density on the west side must be increasing!

It most certainly is. Which is a good thing.

[Urbannizer]

15-story office tower to break ground near River Oaks District

A 200,000-square-foot office building will soon rise inside the Loop near the River Oaks District.

Austin-based Stonelake Capital Partners will break ground in January 2019 on Park Place Tower, a 15-story office building at the intersection of Westheimer Road and Mid Lane, William Peeples, vice president at Stonelake, told the Houston Business Journal. Stonelake is already negotiating with two tenants to occupy space in the building, according to Stonelake's co-founder Kenneth Aboussie.

Both tenants are financial services companies with presences in Houston, according to Aboussie. The building should deliver in spring 2020, Peeples said.
“We believe this is the right time to deliver to the Galleria area a new, Class-A, luxury office building with first class amenities,” Peeples said in a statement.
Park Place Tower will contain retail on the first floor.

There will also be multiple signage opportunities at the building, Peeples said.

Back in August 2016, Stonelake developed a five-acre park on the land at Westheimer Road and Mid Lane. The park was always a placeholder, though – Stonelake eventually planned to develop a mixed-use project on the land.

Stonelake still has 1.4 acres available at Park Place, but Aboussie said that land will remain undeveloped as an open green space.

"We are committed to maintaining a large park for open space," Aboussie said. "Having a well-designed urban park in the center of the development will be one of many features that distinguishes Park Place."

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Pearl Rosemont: 13-story multifamily building by The Morgan Group and Ziegler Cooper slated for Midtown.

Houston: Morgan Group Plans Another Pearl Brand Luxury Tower

Houston (Harris County) — Morgan Group has revived its plans to build a 13-story Pearl brand luxury apartment tower in the north end of Midtown.

The Pearl Rosemont project has been in the works since at least 2015, probably earlier. It was introduced then as a five-story wood frame podium style apartment building with zero building lines on all sides. It’s located at 102 Dennis Street, three blocks south of West Webster Street Park. The design firm was Wallace Garcia Wilson and it had a price tag of $20 million. It’s going to cost much more than that now.

It was supposed to have been built between July 2015 and July 2016 but more than three years later this 153-unit project remains listed on the Morgan website with a “TBD” anticipated opening date.

Meanwhile, Morgan did get underway on a Pearl brand project elsewhere in town. The Pearl Midtown is a six-story, 264-unit building with a 24-hour cyber cafe, resort style pool, retail and parking garage, located at 3120 Smith Street. Currently under construction, it’s scheduled to open end of the year.

Back to Pearl Rosemont, Morgan has submitted plans on the 102 Dennis Street project that on one document refer to it as Pearl on Helena. The project was before the Houston Planning Commission on Thursday for a 3-foot building line variance (zero line for balconies and overhangs) on Drew Street, a zero building line on Helena, and a 5-foot building line on Albany Street.

The project site is a full city block and has an area of 50,000 square feet. City staff took note that Morgan has moved the structure back from adjacent rights-of-way and increased the height.

“The Helena and Albany pedestrian realms will feature a distance of 26.5’ between the back of curb and proposed structure. The Drew and Denis pedestrian realms will each feature 15’ of space. The Albany pedestrian realm will feature additional space in order to protect the root structure of an existing mature tree. A tree protection easement is being required as a condition to approve the variance.”

The developer’s briefing notes to the commission recall its previous version:

“This project was previously approved for four floors of apartments over two floors of garage in July of 2014. This site is within
the Midtown TIRZ, which has an adopted Project Plan approved by Council that calls for buildings to be constructed up
close to the sidewalk as a way to promote a walkable pedestrian environment.

“The plan for this property is consistent with the Midtown Plan. An urban style apartment building with nine floors of apartments over a four-floor garage is proposed.”

“There is a very large street tree on Albany, which the builder proposes to save by notching the building back 8.5’. New trees to be planted will be a minimum of 3” caliper. Sidewalks will be a minimum of 6’. Other streetscape amenities will include pedestrian scale lighting and a mural from a local artist on one of the walls.

[Urbannizer]

The owners of Crowne Plaza in Detroit are planning a hotel in Houston after plans for expansion there failed to gain city approval.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/editori...l-crowne-plaza

City Council roadblocks have cost Detroit a much-needed hotel project, and there's no good reason that should have happened.

The council for the second time last week voted against rezoning for a proposed second tower of the Crowne Plaza (formerly known as the Hotel Pontchartrain). The owners now say they're putting the project on hold indefinitely in favor of building a hotel in Houston.