[Wattleigh]

http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2013/12/developer-to-ramp-up-tenant-amenities-in-new-downtown-tower

Developer to ramp up tenant amenities in new downtown tower
Posted on December 12, 2013 | By Nancy Sarnoff

This architectural model represents 609 Main at Texas, a downtown office tower scheduled to break ground in March.

An executive at Hines, which recently developed 811 Main, also known as BG Group Place, said the company took a similar amenity package but brought it up several notches.

“We’ve taken this building and reacted to what tenants are looking for,” project manager Philip Croker said at the company’s offices at 811 Main.

For the new building, that means a much larger gym, a 35,000-square-foot green roof with more places to sit and more trees to provide shade, and three times as much retail space than what’s in 811 Main. The lobby, too, will be designed to encourage tenants to interact or work on laptops, with more seating areas.

Croker said there’s been interest by tenants to lease the space, but this time of year is usually slow. The company is seeking rents in the mid-$30 per square foot per year range.

A crane is set to go up in about a week to start dismantling the Texas Tower, an empty building that’s being removed on the site.