[htownswami]

It's basically the area from Briar Forest/Westheimer and Beltway 8 down to about Bellaire and Beltway 8. From Briar Forest to about Westpark is the Westchase District and Bellaire/Beltway8 is Houston's Unofficial China/Vietnam town

[ArchitecturalPRGirl]

The project is on track and is going to be completed Spring 2008. Below are the specs for the project.

Park 8 will consist of three beautiful 23 floor high-rise condominiums with commercial retail center and recreational facilities. Using the high-rise condominium concept, 1.2 million square feet are created over 17 acres of land, with 250,000 square feet allocated for commercial retail usage. Near downtown Houston, the building complex includes an adjoining parking lot and features swimming pools, fitness rooms, and game rooms, while also allowing pedestrian access to shops along the street.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Near downtown Houston seems like a stretch. Sure, 12 miles isn't very far on a map, but during rush hour... that's at least a 30-minute trip by car, if not longer.

[Montrose1100]

ArchitecturalPRGirl, on Thursday, March 29th, 2007 @ 2:26pm, said:

The project is on track and is going to be completed Spring 2008. Below are the specs for the project.

Park 8 will consist of three beautiful 23 floor high-rise condominiums with commercial retail center and recreational facilities. Using the high-rise condominium concept, 1.2 million square feet are created over 17 acres of land, with 250,000 square feet allocated for commercial retail usage. Near downtown Houston, the building complex includes an adjoining parking lot and features swimming pools, fitness rooms, and game rooms, while also allowing pedestrian access to shops along the street.

Near Downtown Houston? April Fools, right?

Has construction started already? The completion date is only a year away!

[Jax]

Just to add a note about the two chinatowns, when I moved to Houston last summer, my supervisor at work was Chinese. When I asked her how to get to Chinatown, she told me to go to Bellaire. I asked her "isn't there a chinatown downtown" and she said no. But I read online that there was a chinatown downtown, so I decided to find out for myself. I took the metro downtown, walked to the GRB convention center and crossed the 59. All I saw were abandoned buildings, warehouses, the odd random townhouse (which looked out of place in such a desolate environment). I finally found ONE chinese grocery store and bought some tea. I asked the owner if there were any restaurants nearby. She said ther was one but it wasn't very good, and that I should go to Bellaire for good chinese food. I decided to check out the restaurant that she mentioned and it was boarded up. She didn't even know it was closed. And that was about all there was to "downtown chinatown".

Three months later when I bought a car, I drove out to Bellaire and it was MUCH more active, and the chinatown area in Bellaire was actually huge, although much more suburban than the chinatowns I've been to in NYC, Montreal, and Toronto.! So it doesn't surprise me that the development is there as opposed to the downtown chinatown.

That being said, I really wish there was a chinatown downtown that wasn't all strip malls and shopping centers like in Bellaire. Oh well...

[VelvetJ]

There seems to be a lot of activity going on here over the past two weeks. A number of large pieces of equipment appears to be there and lots of dirt moving. Anyone know if this is finally under construction, or is this flood control work once again?

[The Great Hizzy!]

I meant to ask this same question the other day. Thanks, Velvet, for bringing it up.

[Gary]

Looked like they were taking soil samples yesterday when I drove by. I think this thing is actually starting.

[ArchitecturalPRGirl]

Gary, on Friday, June 8th, 2007 @ 11:10am, said:

Looked like they were taking soil samples yesterday when I drove by. I think this thing is actually starting.

Yes, construction is beginning. Below is the project detail information.

Park 8 will consist of three beautiful 23 floor high-rise condominiums with commercial retail center and recreational facilities. Using the high-rise condominium concept, 1.2 million square feet are created over 17 acres of land, with 250,000 square feet allocated for commercial retail usage. Near downtown Houston, the building complex includes an adjoining parking lot and features swimming pools, fitness rooms, and game rooms, while also allowing pedestrian access to shops along the street.

[Gary]

ArchitecturalPRGirl, on Friday, June 8th, 2007 @ 11:28am, said:

Near downtown Houston, the building complex includes an adjoining parking lot and features swimming pools, fitness rooms, and game rooms, while also allowing pedestrian access to shops along the street.

Near downtown Houston?

[ArchitecturalPRGirl]

Gary, on Friday, June 8th, 2007 @ 11:32am, said:

Near downtown Houston?

No it's not at all. It's like at the Beltway in new Chinatown. I don't know why our project description sheet says that.

[Gary]

ArchitecturalPRGirl, on Friday, June 8th, 2007 @ 11:34am, said:

No it's not at all. It's like at the Beltway in new Chinatown. I don't know why our project description sheet says that.

Probably written by someone who's never been to the site, or the city.

[Saddleman]

I'd also question the 'beautiful' part.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Subjective. It is what it is. I don't find much about Manhattan beautiful either but again... subjective.

However, the "near" downtown part is hilarious. I suppose if you wanted to assume that Westchase was DT Houston, then yeah...

This post has been edited by The Great Hizzy!: Friday, June 8, 2007 at 2:52 PM

[ChannelTwoNews]

The large crane on the site caught my eye as I was driving into town this morning... thought I'd take a few pics and share.

This post has been edited by ChannelTwoNews: Sunday, August 5, 2007 at 1:51 PM

[strickn]

Neat dragonfly in the first picture.

The website lists them as three 26-storey towers, if I recollect correctly. If it was 23 before, then maybe sales are strong.

[lockmat]

...

This post has been edited by lockmat: Saturday, September 1, 2007 at 8:23 PM

[ricco67]

ChannelTwoNews, on Sunday, August 5th, 2007 @ 1:48pm, said:

The large crane on the site caught my eye as I was driving into town this morning... thought I'd take a few pics and share.

That dragonfly must have been huge!

[ChannelTwoNews]

ricco67, on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 @ 10:08pm, said:

That dragonfly must have been huge!

You don't even know the half of it!

[ChannelTwoNews]

Per the marketing office that is involved with the project, they are building the retail component and one condo tower & parking garage at the moment.

[ChannelTwoNews]

Here are two shots of the large model of the site in their sales office. I was told the 50% of the first tower's units had already been sold. Also had a brief discussion with the President of the project.




One thing that seems to never be mentioned is the fact that University General wants to build a 9-story hospital as a component of the project, but then most times we only see the view of the model from the west.

I was shown a 3D tour of the site on DVD, which they will begin mass producing for interested parties within the upcoming months. After a bit of hunting, I found it here as well.

They also gave me a few of their marketing mags and such, the majority of which are in chinese. Pretty pictures though! A long article portrays the residential component as somewhat of a senior-oriented development in conjunction with the hospital. Kinda caught my attention.

[Captain Impossible]

This looks like the eighties.

[The Great Hizzy!]

The project's a lot more ambitious than I thought.

[strickn]

Captain Impossible, on Sunday, October 21st, 2007 @ 2:21am, said:

This looks like the eighties.

When one goes overseas, even to cutting-edge countries outside the English-speaking world (my experience has been Italy), designed media production values (like TV stations and so forth) are astonishingly 80s - even when the real-life merchandise and retail spaces are present-day.

This post has been edited by strickn: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 11:30 AM

[lockmat]

The video shows a lot of the detail. Looks good.

However, some of those units are staring right into the parking garage.

[Trae]

When I was i Westchase last weekend, it felt like I was in Asia. Didn't feel like Houston at all.

[Jeebus]

Trae, on Thursday, October 25th, 2007 @ 6:27pm, said:

When I was i Westchase last weekend, it felt like I was in Asia. Didn't feel like Houston at all.

What do you mean? Where in Westchase were you?

[Trae]

We drove down Bellaire. The areas in Chinatown didn't feel like Houston. I guess since I haven't been in that area in so long.

[NewMND]

What is the song singing? Do I love my mother?

[dmoneybangbang]

Trae, on Thursday, October 25th, 2007 @ 9:31pm, said:

We drove down Bellaire. The areas in Chinatown didn't feel like Houston. I guess since I haven't been in that area in so long.

I don't think that Bellaire is considered Westchase. However, I kow what you mean. I've lived at Beltway @ W. Airport (Basically Beltway @ 59S) and it's amazing at how diverse the area has become.

[Trae]

Bellaire is Westchase. Just a small part of it.

This post has been edited by Trae: Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 5:52 PM

[Jeebus]

Trae, on Sunday, October 28th, 2007 @ 5:50pm, said:

Bellaire is Westchase. Just a small part of it.

None of the Chinese or Vietnamese businesses are in Westchase. The Westchase Development District extended it's southern border to include Halliburton, which only covers one block west of the Beltway, along Bellaire. Here's a link to the Westchase District's website showing the land use. The City of Houston recognizes an even smaller land area as Westchase.

This post has been edited by Jeebus: Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 6:10 PM

[Trae]

We were just outside of Westchase. I just say Westchase to define the general area.

[lockmat]

New Chron article talking about this:

http://www.chron.com...iz/5403060.html

[Gary]

Thanks for the article. I was wondering what was going on seeing that they've done NOTHING since putting the first crane up 5 months ago. I drive by the site a couple of times a week and there's been zero activity.

[wildthangjim]

I drive by this site every day as well, and I still don't see any progress. Their sign facing the freeway is now faded and mostly illegible. That crane has been there since August and I wonder every day how much that's costing someone to leave it there without activity.

[Trae]

Yeah, I have seen that, too. Is this thing happening?

[The Great Hizzy!]

I wonder if they're held up because the probect is located so close to Art Storey Park, which is undergoing serious upgrades/construction as its associated with the Sims/Brays/etc restoration projects?

[Gary]

The Great Hizzy!, on Saturday, February 9th, 2008 @ 11:24am, said:

I wonder if they're held up because the probect is located so close to Art Storey Park, which is undergoing serious upgrades/construction as its associated with the Sims/Brays/etc restoration projects?

Drove by Wednesday and there is still no movement with the construction site.

[jgriff]

The crane has been up at this site for at least 8 months now with no progress. I can see this thing from my building and it hasn't moved a bit. This has got to be one of the worst examples of construction scheduling I've ever seen. I wonder how much it costs to rent a crane like that for 8 months.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I'm sure the Bank of America located right next to it would like a view of something different at this point.

[Gary]

Ok folks, there is movement at the site. I drove by earlier, and there were two huge tractor trailor cranes right beside the main crane.

[Boris]

Hehehe, for some reason that just sounded funny.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Gary, on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 @ 3:31pm, said:

Ok folks, there is movement at the site. I drove by earlier, and there were two huge tractor trailor cranes right beside the main crane.

I know that main crane had to be lonely. It had been sitting there by itself for months. I'm still wondering if the slowdown at the site had anything to do with the renovations to Art Storey Park? Maybe a water main that runs through that site is connected to the big pond that's being redone as part of the overall renovation (and I believe the renovation is part of Project Brays as well).

This post has been edited by The Great Hizzy!: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 4:22 PM

[Gary]

The Great Hizzy!, on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 @ 4:21pm, said:

I know that main crane had to be lonely. It had been sitting there by itself for months. I'm still wondering if the slowdown at the site had anything to do with the renovations to Art Storey Park? Maybe a water main that runs through that site is connected to the big pond that's being redone as part of the overall renovation (and I believe the renovation is part of Project Brays as well).

That's a good point. They seem to have finished the park a few weeks ago, so it makes sense.

[jgriff]

I drove by about three hours ago. The new crane on-site is disassembling the tower crane that's been sitting idle for months.

[ricco67]

jgriff, on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 @ 9:36pm, said:

I drove by about three hours ago. The new crane on-site is disassembling the tower crane that's been sitting idle for months.

Tower Cannibalism?

[jgriff]

ricco67, on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 @ 9:53pm, said:

Tower Cannibalism?

The new one is not a tower crane. I don't know if this project is cancelled but the fact that the tower crane is going away is not a good sign.

[Gary]

Yep, just drove by, and the crane is down. To bad.

[wernicke]

So how is it a development firm/construction company could make it through all the phases of preconstruction planning, start clearing the site, and throw up a crane only to have the project dissolve?