HOUSTON | East River

[Wattleigh]

Website: https://www.eastriverhtx.com/

Project in Brief: This is an extensive redevelopment of a 150-acre section of land along Buffalo Bayou, just east of Downtown Houston in the rapidly developing and densifying EaDo area. Houston-based Midway Companies is the developer.

The first phase is between 20-30 acres and should be complete later this year and includes residential, office & retail. The Houston Maritime Museum will also be located here as well. A 9-hole golf course tied to the development called East River 9 has already opened on the southeastern edge of the development.

What happens here will also tie into the planned $310M in improvements that the Buffalo Bayou Partnership is spearheading over the course of the next decade through their Buffalo Bayou East plan - enhancing and building trails, bridges and developing parks in the area, as well as integrating the parks and trail system with the area's neighborhoods - from Downtown to the Port of Houston.

This is a broad overview from the Houston Business Journal recapping some of the events, circa August 2021.

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2021/08/26/midway-east-river-breaks-ground-new-tenants.html

Midway breaks ground on 150-acre East River development, reveals new tenants

By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant managing editor, Houston Business Journal
Aug 26, 2021
Updated Aug 26, 2021, 8:44pm CDT

Houston-based Midway broke ground on its long-awaited East River development Aug. 26.

The 150-acre mixed-use project in the historic Fifth Ward, adjacent to the East End District, will be completed in multiple phases over many years.

The first phase, which will span about 26 acres at the intersection of Jensen Drive and Clinton Drive, is slated to be complete in 2023. It will include approximately 250,000 square feet of office space, 110,000 square feet of retail space and more than 13,000 square feet of plaza greenspace.

“Our team toured nearly two dozen leading-edge projects in five states across the country to examine best practices in repurposing industrial and commercial waterfront developments,” said Jamie Bryant, Midway’s president and COO. “We continue to distill the best ideas, adapt and apply them. East River Phase One will set the tone for a world-class, community-oriented destination by focusing on connecting Houston’s urban fabric to central green spaces, active transportation, upgraded infrastructure and an impressive mile of waterfront along Buffalo Bayou that was inaccessible to Houstonians for decades.”

Along with the groundbreaking, Midway also announced three new tenants for the first phase on Aug. 26.

Houston-based commercial architecture firm Method Architecture will occupy 9,000 square feet in East River 1 (Building C). The firm currently has offices in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

Teal, which provides a cloud-based system for delivering hot water to buildings without water heaters, has leased 12,000 square feet in the same building for its new corporate headquarters. The company currently has offices in Missouri City, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta and Denver.

Finally, the owners of The Astorian event venue near Sawyer Yards will open a new 20,000-square-foot private event space and rooftop bar in Trail Head 1 (Building F). The yet-to-be-named event space will include a ballroom, bride and groom suites, and an outdoor wraparound deck with panoramic views of downtown Houston and Buffalo Bayou. The Buffalo Bayou location and natural surroundings will influence the design of the venue, which also will feature smart technology, configurable spaces and a partially covered patio to accommodate a variety of events. The rooftop bar will be open to the public as well as available for private parties.

Previously announced plans for East River include an apartment community as well as a golf course anchored by a restaurant and patio bar. The five-story multifamily component, called The Laura, offer 360 apartment units. Teal will provide hot water for The Laura, which is part of East River Phase One.

Site overview from Midway


Renderings, also from Midway