[MontroseNeighborhood]

March 8, 2008, 3:07AM
REAL ESTATE
Westheimer's High Street 'is real'
With financing locked, mixed-use project joins others around Houston

By NANCY SARNOFF
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Trademark Property Co. has locked in financing for High Street, the $105 million real estate development designed to include apartments, shops and offices in an urban, walkable setting east of the Galleria.

Investment management firm Coventry Real Estate Advisors of New York has joined the deal as an equity partner, and Kosene & Kosene Residential of Indianapolis is partnering as the residential developer.

"We're financed. We're under construction. It's real," said Terry Montesi, founding partner of Trademark Property, a Fort Worth-based developer.

This is the second high-density, mixed-use project to start construction in recent months.

Work has begun on Ed Wulfe's BLVD Place on Post Oak Boulevard and San Felipe, and the first phase is expected to open by the end of the year.

Other than Whole Foods Market and some existing retailers in the properties being demolished for the project, Wulfe hasn't announced any other tenants.

But he's betting that some luxury stores in the Galleria mall will consider a street-level location, as well — even if it's just down the street.

"That's what they're doing in a lot of cities," he said in a recent interview. "It really supplements their mall location."

Meanwhile, San Diego-based OliverMcMillan said it will develop another close-by Westheimer site with condos, shops, office space and hotels in a project called River Oaks District.

And Regent Square is still planned for the site of the old Allen House Apartments on Allen Parkway.

Two other mixed-use projects, downtown's Houston Pavilions and West Ave on Kirby and Westheimer, are further along.

The developers of Houston Pavilions have lined up about two dozen retailers and restaurants, including House of Blues, Forever 21, BCBG, McCormick & Schmick's, Marble Slab and Yogurberry.

With all this new space, analysts have questioned if there's enough demand. Retail sales have been slowing as the economy weakens.

Montesi isn't worried.

"Houston is one of the top recession-proof places in the country right now," he said. "We're cautious, but optimistic."

Construction company Linbeck is building High Street, which will be on nearly 7 acres on the north side of Westheimer between the West Loop and Highland Village where Central Ford used to be.

The project was designed by Long Beach, Calif.-based Perkowitz + Ruth Architects. Gensler and Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston were originally associated with the project's design. Gensler is now doing the office interiors.

Montesi said High Street will have 100,000 square feet of shops and restaurants and 80,000 square feet of office space. Four stories of apartments will be built above the retail space. A parking garage will accommodate shoppers and tenants.

Restaurants from outside Houston, as well as national and local retailers, have expressed interest in the project, Montesi said, but no deals have been signed.

Page Partners and Trademark are leasing the retail space. CB Richard Ellis is handling the office component.

The opening is scheduled for fall 2009.

[alex1]

could you left align the text? Not even going to attempt to read this in its current format.

[MayDay]

Don't bother reading the other posts he just made - centered text is fine for a old-school wedding invitation, not an article.

[urbanactivistTX]

I guess I'm not as critcal of text alignments, and I did actually read the article...

These developments should all be great successes. Our market is still going pretty strong. These are just good investments for the innerloop-Galleria at this point, because they encourage centralization. Most of these projects are also in anticipation of increased rail transit, which will come along after these are complete.

[Xeelee]

Yeah I dont know what's the big deal. I mean I can read from left to right. :) This is good news. I was wondering when they would get started on this.

[Steely Dan]

i fixed the text alignment.

montrose neighborhood, in the future do not post articles with center alignment, they are a pain in the ass to read.

[scguy]

Shouldnt this go in a Houston development thread or even in the Texas sub-forum? Whats it doing in City Discussions? It is good news but the same sort of thing is going on all over the country...at least here in the SE.

[edluva]

^montroseneighborhood likes to post articles people don't care about in hopes of shining a positive light on his houston, despite the fact that his postings fail miserably at this because they tend to involve extremely mundane or commonplace topics (eg. houston builds a three-story mixed use apartment in loop, houston has artists who do nude figure sketches, houston now has whopping three whole foods markets in thirty mile radius of loop, etc etc) which, ironically, make his city sound even more podunky and provincial.

normally i wouldn't care, but when he goes on posting-sprees in city discussions and noone clicks to view his threads (as i just did), and he decides to post them anyways, it can get annoying.

[Xeelee]

When did this become such a hateful thread? This shouldn't have anything to do with text alignment or what others may think of certain posts/threads. Does anyone REALLY care that much about text alignment and whatnot? Are we going to start editing each other's posts to correct their syntax and grammar? Come on...

Back to the topic... I think there was some doubt as to this projects ability to get off the ground. This story seems to confirm that it's going ahead no matter what.

[MayDay]

It doesn't matter WHAT city would be mentioned - if a new world's tallest was being built in Cleveland and someone decided to center-align their text, I'd still tell them to knock it off. As far as correcting syntax and grammar... :hmmm:

[Xeelee]

It doesn't matter WHAT city would be mentioned - if a new world's tallest was being built in Cleveland and someone decided to center-align their text, I'd still tell them to knock it off. As far as correcting syntax and grammar... :hmmm:

Are you uh... are you uh... are you an Engrish teacher?

[alex1]

When did this become such a hateful thread? This shouldn't have anything to do with text alignment or what others may think of certain posts/threads. Does anyone REALLY care that much about text alignment and whatnot? Are we going to start editing each other's posts to correct their syntax and grammar? Come on...

Back to the topic... I think there was some doubt as to this projects ability to get off the ground. This story seems to confirm that it's going ahead no matter what.

i do care about how the text is aligned. it's the difference between reading something and skipping it, as I did the first time I visited this thread.

and it's a proven fact that center aligned texts are much harder to read. So there is merit in requesting that anyone left align their posts.

[alex1]

Are you uh... are you uh... are you an Engrish teacher?

he's a designer. it's 101 stuff. really. this isn't something that needs to fester. Left-align your texts so everyone can read with ease. It's the casual thing to do. It's considerate and considerate is the new "cool".

[Xeelee]

Designer eh? Cool. Well I just want us all to get along.

:cheers:

[urbanactivistTX]

^montroseneighborhood likes to post articles people don't care about in hopes of shining a positive light on his houston, despite the fact that his postings fail miserably at this because they tend to involve extremely mundane or commonplace topics (eg. houston builds a three-story mixed use apartment in loop, houston has artists who do nude figure sketches, houston now has whopping three whole foods markets in thirty mile radius of loop, etc etc) which, ironically, make his city sound even more podunky and provincial.

normally i wouldn't care, but when he goes on posting-sprees in city discussions and noone clicks to view his threads (as i just did), and he decides to post them anyways, it can get annoying.



Everyone makes these kind of "promote my city posts". That seems to be the bulk of the forum, AS IT SHOULD BE. If you note most of the other posts in city discussions... "A Question for Chicagoans about Millenium Park" etc., They're all concerning the one city. I'd much rather see these types of things in the general forum anyway. How else am I going to learn all of the cool things that are going on in LA???

[dharper6]

^montroseneighborhood likes to post articles people don't care about in hopes of shining a positive light on his houston, despite the fact that his postings fail miserably at this because they tend to involve extremely mundane or commonplace topics (eg. houston builds a three-story mixed use apartment in loop, houston has artists who do nude figure sketches, houston now has whopping three whole foods markets in thirty mile radius of loop, etc etc) which, ironically, make his city sound even more podunky and provincial.

normally i wouldn't care, but when he goes on posting-sprees in city discussions and noone clicks to view his threads (as i just did), and he decides to post them anyways, it can get annoying.

Typical Edluva post. Rarely has anything good to say and thrives on cutting other cities down (besides L.A.).

[vjhe]

Nevermind.

[edluva]

Typical Edluva post. Rarely has anything good to say and thrives on cutting other cities down (besides L.A.).

^typical thing to assume for someone who is too lazy to actually read any of my posts, and yet wants to appear as though he does to the rest of us.

because if you did, you'd see that probably 90% of my "negative" posts are directed at LA. i'm just making a comment which summarizes dozens of montroseneighborhood's ill-conceived attempts at portraying houston as being "with-it", and cluttering city discussions with junk threads noone bothers to care about. this actually has less to do with houston than with montroseneighborhood. but hey, if this is the best he can come up with....

[VivaLFuego]

Note how Chicago has a Chicago: General Developments thread. Maybe Houston should have something similar, for posts like these?

[dharper6]

^typical thing to assume for someone who is too lazy to actually read any of my posts, and yet wants to appear as though he does to the rest of us.

because if you did, you'd see that probably 90% of my "negative" posts are directed at LA. i'm just making a comment which summarizes dozens of montroseneighborhood's ill-conceived attempts at portraying houston as being "with-it", and cluttering city discussions with junk threads noone bothers to care about. this actually has less to do with houston than with montroseneighborhood. but hey, if this is the best he can come up with....

Another typical Edluv post.

[dktshb]

Typical Edluva post. Rarely has anything good to say and thrives on cutting other cities down (besides L.A.). If you believe that then you probably don't know how to read. :haha: This really didn't need to be in a city discussion thread and could have been in the local Houston forum

[mhays]

It's fine to talk about Houston trends in City Discussions. But it doesn't reflect well on Houston if this sort of development is rare, as the article suggests.

[dharper6]

If you believe that then you probably don't know how to read. :haha: This really didn't need to be in a city discussion thread and could have been in the local Houston forum

Then let's agree that there will be no discussion of anything L.A.-related in this forum. Eh?

[dktshb]

Then let's agree that there will be no discussion of anything L.A.-related in this forum. Eh? Articles about developments going forward go in certain forums... that's all I am saying and that's just my preference. If it is an article about a new mixed use development in LA that may go forward I don't think it should be in the city discussion thread.

[urbanactivistTX]

I'm still at a loss as to why there is so much bickering on this forum. Urban Planet seems to be absent of this type of behavior. We shouldn't have to close perfectly reasonable threads (notice that I didn't specify THIS as 'perfectly reasonable') because people don't like each other. Also isn't trolling punishable from the admin?? If no one is going to talk about the thread topic I don't see why it's even here.

:shrug: :shrug: :yuck: :shrug: :shrug:

[mhays]

Some of it's bickering, which we don't need. But much of it is simply a desire for accuracy and context. People who say incorrect things can and should be corrected. I'm not saying that's the case here.

[edluva]

Rarely has anything good to say and thrives on cutting other cities down (besides L.A.).

^typical idiot who needs to learn to read.

look, if any of you guys (dlharper, montroseneighborhood) have a hard time understanding why this deserves to be in the houston development thread and not city discussions, you need to take another look at other city discussions threads - you'll notice they don't talk about mundane developments such as apartment buildings or liquor stores. that's what the development threads for YOUR CITY are for. LAforumers, as obnoxious as many can be, still don't oost an entirely new thread in city discussions for each new laundromat or strip mall going up in LA, nor do Atlanta forumers, Dallas forumers, etc.

anyhow, this thread will probably soon be closed, as it deserves to be.

[urbanactivistTX]

It's fine to talk about Houston trends in City Discussions. But it doesn't reflect well on Houston if this sort of development is rare, as the article suggests.

These types of developments are all over the city. If it were my thread, I probably would have made a mini-compilation to talk about the city's steady build up. Or focus on a single boom area like the Galleria, Downtown, TMC, or Clear Lake. All are surging with residential, combos, or office right now.

[edluva]

^that might be a better topic. i think that a thread about a single development, without tying it to something more interesting such as a general trend, is inappropriate for city discussions.

[mhays]

These types of developments are all over the city. If it were my thread, I probably would have made a mini-compilation to talk about the city's steady build up. Or focus on a single boom area like the Galleria, Downtown, TMC, or Clear Lake. All are surging with residential, combos, or office right now.

That would be more interesting.

[Shasta]

Quite frankly, I appreciate articles about how Houston is changing to become a more liveable city.

I think it is BIG news that a mixed use project with retail and office space, apartments, and condos is replacing a FORD DEALERSHIP. Especially when the project is located Inside the Loop. It's also BIG news since the nation is clearly hitting hard economic times and lending for ANY development is drying up.

Seems as if Houston can't win no matter what she does. If a Houston forumer posts a project like this, he or she is seen as boasting rather than informing. The city is seen as lacking instead of progressing. The old drivel about sprawl, podunkness, pollution, etc... come out of the woodwork.

However, the facts are simple to anyong who isn't blinded by hate or envy or disgust. Houston is moving forward. The signs are everywhere like the following;

1) A widely successful light rail line with future expansion coming on-line

2) A Ford Dealership giving way to a mixed use project (High Street)

3) A gas station giving way to a mixed use project (West Avenue)

4) A Walgreens and a stip mall giving way to a mixed use project (The Sonoma)

5) 3 surface parking lots downtown going away for a mixed use project (The Pavilions)

6) Surface parking lots being replace with underground parking garage and a new downtown city park (Discovery Green)

7) A strip mall and nearly abandoned mall giving way to a mixed use project (BLVD Place)

8) An older garden style apt community being replaced with a mixed use project (Regent Square)

9) Another garden style apt community about to be torn down and replaced with a mixed use project (River Oaks District)

10) 3 downtown office towers breaking ground in the same week on vacant lots (Main Place, Discovery Tower, and 6 Houston Center)

11) The first new build residential builing going up in downtown in decades (One Park Place)

12) UH developing a mixed use project with 1000 beds and retail on the ground floor

13) The Texas Medical Center exploding with growth, especially along the light rail

[urbanactivistTX]

Quite frankly, I appreciate articles about how Houston is changing to become a more liveable city.

I think it is BIG news that a mixed use project with retail and office space, apartments, and condos is replacing a FORD DEALERSHIP. Especially when the project is located Inside the Loop. It's also BIG news since the nation is clearly hitting hard economic times and lending for ANY development is drying up.

Seems as if Houston can't win no matter what she does. If a Houston forumer posts a project like this, he or she is seen as boasting rather than informing. The city is seen as lacking instead of progressing. The old drivel about sprawl, podunkness, pollution, etc... come out of the woodwork.

However, the facts are simple to anyong who isn't blinded by hate or envy or disgust. Houston is moving forward. The signs are everywhere like the following;

1) A widely successful light rail line with future expansion coming on-line

2) A Ford Dealership giving way to a mixed use project (High Street)

3) A gas station giving way to a mixed use project (West Avenue)

4) A Walgreens and a stip mall giving way to a mixed use project (The Sonoma)

5) 3 surface parking lots downtown going away for a mixed use project (The Pavilions)

6) Surface parking lots being replace with underground parking garage and a new downtown city park (Discovery Green)

7) A strip mall and nearly abandoned mall giving way to a mixed use project (BLVD Place)

8) An older garden style apt community being replaced with a mixed use project (Regent Square)

9) Another garden style apt community about to be torn down and replaced with a mixed use project (River Oaks District)

10) 3 downtown office towers breaking ground in the same week on vacant lots (Main Place, Discovery Tower, and 6 Houston Center)

11) The first new build residential builing going up in downtown in decades (One Park Place)

12) UH developing a mixed use project with 1000 beds and retail on the ground floor

13) The Texas Medical Center exploding with growth, especially along the light rail

Gotta go with you there:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Houston is a great place... I hate to see it so torn down on the forum here too. Hopefully people are starting to see that the city is MUCH different than Houston of the late 80s, and changing by the minute.

[mhays]

That's a lot more impressive than the original article. At the same time, the fact that you're listing individual projects isn't the best sign, even when you're grouping some like the Medical Center. I watch my own city like a hawk and I'd have no chance at listing the dozens of major infill projects outside of Downtown, or the hundreds of smaller infill projects within the city limits.

In truth I'm impressed with the direction Houston is going.

[Shasta]

Downtown Houston projects

1) The Pavilions. 3 full city blocks. 3 stories of retail. 11 stories of office space. House of Blues with a 2000 seat stage. Lucky Strike. Dozens of restaurants. Located on the light rail. Topped out. Replaces surface parking lots.

2) Central Library. About to reopen after major reconstruction over the last 2 years.

3) Discovery Green. A new downtown park. Underground parking garage. 2 new restaurants. Outdoor performance venue. A new lake. A new dog run. Officially opens in a few weeks. Replaces surface parking lots.

4) One Park Place. 37 floors of apartments. Around 380 new units of housing. Ground floor retail including a 35,000 sq foot upscale market. overlooks the new park. Getting close to topping out. Replaces a vacant lot.

5) Main Place. 46 floors of office space. Ground broken last week. Replaces dilapidated old hotel and skanky store. LEED certification. Ground floor retail. On light rail line.

6) Discovery Tower. 30 floors of office space. Ground broken last week. Overlooks new park with ground floor retail. Wind turbines on the roof. LEED certification. Replaces surface parking.

7) 6 Houston Center. Site cleared. Ground breaking in 45 days. 29 floors of office space. replaces surface parking although the beautiful Medical Arts Tower once stood here. LEED certification.

8) Broookfield's Gateway Tract. A 50 story office tower in the Allen Center. Proposal. Wont break ground until 50% leased but rumors of Devon Energy signing a big lease are everywhere. Would seek LEED certification.

9) Hines' second project downtown after Main Place. Would also be located on Main Street on the site of a former suburban McDonald's! Rumors of a massive mixed-use project with office, retail, hotel, and residential space. Rumors of Mandarin Oriental.

10) Dynamo Stadium. Soccer Stadium is likely to be built just East of Minute Maid Park. City has approved a land swap to make it happen.

11) Sheraton-Lincoln Hotel. The long abandoned hotel is in the process of being re-opened into a 400 plus room Omni Hotel.

12) Embassy Suites. A 22 story hotel proposal for a vacant lot overlooking the new park. Would be adjacent to the Hilton Americas Hotel.

13) La Quinta Hotel. A proposal for a new hotel located between the new park and Minute Maid Park. Will have a parking garage so wont be a suburban model.

14) Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. New Catholic Diocese Church, plaza, and belltower. Almost completed.

15) New downtown firestation almost completed.

16) Courthouse Plaza with fountain, underground garage, and jury assembly room proposed for a surface parking lot.

17) New convention hotel. Early in proposal stage but City is considering selling stake in the highly successful Hilton Americas to help finance the project. Early talks call for a 1300 room hotel to be built across the new park from the Hilton. Rumors of affiliation with Westin or Renaissance.

18) Conversion of the old Texaco Bdlg into residences. Proposal. No real info known.

19) Conversion of old Sakowitz Bldg into new retail space on light rail line on Main St.

20) The Edge. New 6 story condo bldg just opened.

21) Camden 4th Ward. New 4 level apartment community just opened across from the Allen Center area of downtown.

22) Baldwin Terraces. Midrise proposal adjacent to the Edge Condos.

23) Sunset Coffee Bldg. Proposal for empty bldg to be turned into restaurant space, mtg space, canoe rental and launch overlooking Buffalo and White Oak Bayous.

[JMancuso]

is #8 that proposed building to be built in that empty space/ grassy area between enron II and continental center?

2: all they need to do now is prevent the homeless from bathing in the bathrooms and shitting in the isles.

9: that's still alive?

16: is this the lot in front of both criminal court building?

18: which texaco building?

[Great_Hizzy]

^^^ The old Texaco Bldg at the corner of Fannin @ Rusk. There has been talk about the once stalled renovation going forward again with new residential.

[Wheelingman04]

Houston is awesome. I cannot believe how many quality construction projects are happening.