Boris

I asked a worker who was unloading some material off of the blue truck seen in the picture what the building was going to be. And he said, "I don't know senor." and I said, "ah, sta bueno."

CityCentre signs first round of high-profile retail tenants

Houston Business Journal - November 10, 2006by Allison WollamHouston Business Journal

After months of speculation about the tenant lineup at Midway Co.'s CityCentre, several prime retailers have confirmed plans to occupy the much-buzzed-about mixed-use project.

Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Lifetime Fitness, Dallas-based Studio Movie Grill and New York-based RA Sushi will all be a part of the planned project, located at the southeast corner of the Sam Houston Tollway and Interstate 10. CityCentre -- which is being developed on the old Town & Country Mall site -- will also include lofts, a hotel, shops and more restaurants.

After a sample site plan complete with the names of proposed retail tenants slipped out into the public this summer, Houston-based Midway Co. has remained mum about details on CityCentre. And the center's leasing agent, Nick Hernandez of Page Realty Partners Ltd., refers all questions regarding the center to the developer.

Mark Anawaty of Midway Co. could not be reached for comment on the first batch of tenants to have committed to the project, which will eventually encompass 350,000 square feet of commercial space.

But Lifetime Fitness has confirmed that it is bulking up its Houston presence with its first three-level facility, which will be one of the anchors of CityCentre.

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Meanwhile, cinema-eatery chain Studio Movie Grill plans to open a new 36,000-square-foot theater in CityCentre by the end of next year.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...3394000^1374812

5.4-Acres of Land on San Felipe Street & Woodway Drive.

Google Satellite has the following addresses on the vacant parcel:

7503 San Felipe Street
7709 San Felipe Street
7715 San Felipe Street
7727 San Felipe Street

Seniors' condo to be built at Memorial Villages

Houston Business Journal - 12:59 PM CST Mondayby Allison WollamHouston Business Journal

http://www.thesterlingseniorcondo.com/memorialvillage/images/photo_rendering.jpg

Sunrise Senior Living is planning the first high-rise condominium inside Beltway 8 to offer home ownership exclusively for seniors.

The 27-story Sterling at Memorial Villages will be located on the west side of Voss between San Felipe and Woodway, near the upscale neighborhoods of Memorial Villages, Briargrove and Tanglewood.

The high-rise, to open in June 2010, will feature 166 residences that will be priced from the high $400,000s.

One-, two- and three-bedroom condominium options are available, ranging from approximately 950 square feet to 2,200 square feet.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...tml?jst=b_ln_hl

Great photos. I was trying to figure out exactly where you where when you took them. Here's an image from Google Earth. But it shows the area as Fannin and MD Anderson Blvd. rather than John Freeman. Is Google right?

Man, all four parts were very cool. Thx.

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON PHASE I OF ENERGY CENTER

HOUSTON

JackinNYC in SSP made this collage of the photos. I don't know how he did it but it's awesome:

Here's a video of the fair and tower:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYP8oSp2WTQ...ted&search=

That's amazing Jason. I don't know how you could have figured out what type of camera/recorder I was using, but I am officially freaked out.

Bayou Place ready to rock with latest tenant

Houston Business Journal - 11:27 AM CDT Wednesdayby Mary Ann AzevedoHouston Business Journal

R

From this weekend's trip to SA.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0039.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0041.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0043.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0044.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0045.jpg

New Convention Center Hotel Construction Site:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0047.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0048.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0049.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0050.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/PIC_0051.jpg

Here's a link for a view of full size shots of these and all other photos:

http://rgv.7.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=479

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Children's Museum to unveil major expansion

Houston Business Journal - 12:10 PM CDT Fridayby Greg BarrHouston Business Journal

The Children's Museum of Houston intends to double its exhibition space and boost its community outreach programs in a $35 million expansion project.

The downtown museum, at 1500 Binz, has raised about $20 million in its capital campaign so far. It intends to reach out to the business community to help raise 10 percent of the goal, or $3.5 million, to support its new science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, exhibits.

The museum will unveil the expansion plans at an Oct. 17 press conference.

Among the new STEM exhibits is PowerPlay, created in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine,

...................................

Another STEM exhibit, Invention Convention, developed in cooperation between the M.I. T. Media Lab and the University of Houston, among others, will allow visitors to create inventions and share them with others.

Other new exhibits in the expanded museum will include Kidtropolis, a child-size city, an outdoor Water Power exhibit and an expanded Tot Spot exhibit for toddlers up to age 3.

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The Children's Museum of Houston is ranked as the country's No. 2 children's museum by Child magazine.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...ml?surround=lfn

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Good, the current museum is way too small for a city this size.

This article in the Houston Business Journal gives an idea of Baylors initial investment:

Baylor to build teach hospital independently

Houston Business Journal - 2:38 PM CDT Friday

Baylor College of Medicine is building its own adult, private teaching hospital.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital became the primary, private adult-teaching hospital for Baylor in April 2004 after Baylor ended its 50-year affiliation with The Methodist Hospital.

But now Baylor officials are laying out plans for an integrated Baylor Clinic and Hospital that will serve as the college's teaching hospital without St. Luke's as a partner.

BCM's relationship with St. Luke's may change, but the college intends that the relationship will continue to be strong, according to a Baylor spokeswoman. The two institutions will continue to share programs, and Baylor's residents will continue to rotate through St. Luke's, she added.

The Methodist Hospital had represented that school for Baylor until 2004 when the two institutions ended their 50-year affiliation. Officials had clashed over Baylor's intentions to open an ambulatory care center.

On Sept. 28, Baylor President Dr. Peter Traber sent a note to employees notifying them that Baylor's board had authorized an expenditure of $10 million in preliminary spending toward the plan for building the teaching hospital.

.......................................

A 35-acre tract of land that Baylor has owned since 1988 has been identified as a site for the Baylor Clinic and Hospital. The Parkwood Apartments are currently on this site, which is adjacent to the DeBakey VA Medical Center and is bordered by Old Spanish Trail, Wyndale, Cambridge and the Texas Medical Center-owned property along Avenue G in an area that the TMC calls the mid-campus.

In June 2005, St. Luke's and Baylor announced plans to merge, only to call off the deal three months later -- around the same time Baylor and Methodist announced a renewed, redefined collaboration at the urging of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...ml?surround=lfn

This is the third project mentioned in the BP article.

Here's a rendering of Brazos Town Center:

and site map with new addition across Hwy 59 (only could find this small one):

NewQuest expands Fort Bend mixed-use project

Houston Business Journal - 3:08 PM CDT Fridayby Jennifer DawsonHouston Business Journal

Executives at NewQuest Properties decided that 430 acres wasn't enough space for the company's Brazos Town Center development in Fort Bend County, so they have purchased an additional 125 acres for a second phase dubbed Brazos Town Commons.

NewQuest paid an undisclosed sum last month for the vacant tract. The seller was TriStar Real Estate Investments Inc., which was represented in the transaction by Spencer Stone of Prime Texas Realty.

Steven Alvis, NewQuest's managing partner, represented his firm in the land buy, which gives NewQuest a total of 555 acres in the area serving Richmond and Rosenberg.

The new site, which faces the original development, is on Highway 59 between Reading Road and FM 762.

Brazos Town Commons will include between 700,000 square feet and 800,000 square feet of retail space, 320 multifamily units, 50 single-family homes and 100,000 square feet of medical/professional office space.

The retail center will be anchored by Academy Sports & Outdoors, which has leased 83,500 square feet for a store that will open in the fall of 2007. Alvis worked with Dudley Carpenter, Academy's representative, on the lease transaction.

Rosenberg City Manager Jack Hamlett and Rosenberg's Economic Development Council were instrumental in landing Academy as the first tenant for Brazos Town Commons.

David Meyers of NewQuest says even though Brazos Town Center will have approximately 850,000 square feet of retail space, there was not enough room to accommodate all of the interested anchors, including Academy.

"We felt like there was enough retail demand out there" to justify the additional development, Meyers says.

When Brazos Town Center is completed, it will have 850,000 square feet of retail space with 25 pad sites; 600 high-end apartments; 330 single family homes; 251 patio homes; 152 townhomes and professional office space.

Stores in Brazos Town Center that are expected to open later this year include Target, Petco, Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, Best Buy and Famous Footwear. NewQuest also has lease agreements with Hobby Lobby, Texas Roadhouse, Lane Bryant, On the Border and Texas State Optical. A Cinemark Theater opened there in May of this year.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...ml?surround=lfn

Pearland Town Center sees growing tenant roster

Houston Business Journal - 4:18 PM CDT Tuesdayby Allison WollamStaff Writer

Several new fashion retailers have signed on to join the proposed Pearland Town Center.

Chico's, White House/Black Market, Ann Taylor Loft, Coldwater Creek and Forever 21, are a few of the retailers that will be part of the 1.2 million square-foot mixed-use development, which will feature 710,000 square feet of retail space.

In addition, 346 Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Paiva, Victoria's Secret and Hollister have also signed on to open locations at the center.

Dillard's, Macy's, and Barne's & Noble had already committed to the project, which will be located at FM 518 and Highway 288 and will include a total of 70 specialty retailers and restaurants.

Chattanooga, Tenn.-based CBL & Associates Properties Inc. (NYSE: CBL) is developing the project. Construction is scheduled to be begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with a grand opening scheduled for 2008.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...tml?jst=b_ln_hl

The HEB's to be an HEB Plus with over 140,000 square feet.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4038303.html

Pearland to get major retail center

Extra-large H-E-B will be project's anchor

By DAVID KAPLAN and ABBY TERRELL

Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Pearland is getting a major retail center anchored by a supersized H-E-B, Transwestern Commercial Services announced Monday.

The 600,000-square-foot project, called Shadow Creek Ranch Town Center, is a joint venture of Transwestern Development Co. and WCF Development.

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A 142,000-square-foot H-E-B will anchor the town center. Developers are also in talks with a sporting goods retailer, a hobby store, cafes and banks, according to a written statement from Transwestern. Officials from Transwestern and WCF were not available for comment late in the day.

The town center will be in the Spanish eclectic style and feature red tile pitched roofs and asymmetrical facades.

The Pearland H-E-B will be much larger than typical H-E-B stores, which are 78,000 to 90,000 square feet.

"We are so excited to be in Pearland where we have not had a presence," said Scott McClelland, president of H-E-B Houston and Central Market. "It's the corner to be on. It's a regional site that can draw a long way to the north and south."

The larger H-E-B concept is called a "Plus Store," McClelland said. The first Plus Store in the Houston area will open Aug. 2 on Fry Road in the Grand Parkway area.

Pearland lifestyle center breaks ground

Houston Business Journal - 2:45 PM CDT Thursday

Construction is officially under way on the Promenade Shops at Shadow Creek following today's groundbreaking ceremony in Pearland.

The Promenade Shops will be an 800,000-square-foot lifestyle retail center at the southwest corner of Highway 288 and Beltway 8. The project is being developed by Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers, which is based in Memphis, Tenn.

Business and government officials gathered Thursday morning for the ceremonial start to the Promenade Shops, which will be anchored by a large Bass Pro Shops location. Initial plans also include a movie theater, specialty grocery store, bookstore and specialty fashion retailers.

Promenade Shops is part of the 1,000-acre Spectrum at Clear Creek, a master-planned business and lifestyle development that the City of Pearland and Pearland Economic Development Corp. hope will attract biotech companies to the area.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...tml?jst=b_ln_hl

http://www.pm-lifestyle.com/lifestyle_cent...reek/index.html

http://www.globest.com/newspics/hou_energycentertcc.jpg

http://www.globest.com/news/houston/

"JV Unveils 630,000-SF Energy Center Plan

HOUSTON-Looking to invest $750 million to $1 billion into a spec class A office development program, Trammell Crow Co. and Principal Real Estate Investors are rolling out their first local project: two buildings, totaling 630,000 sf on 9.4 acres. The Energy Center will be the submarket's first class A office development since 2000.

Based on today's construction costs for upper-end class A space, the 330,000-sf first phase most likely will cost $60 million to $70 million to get out of the ground. A September groundbreaking is planned for the 13-story building along Eldridge Parkway between Dairy Ashford Road and Katy Freeway. It's estimated the spec project will take a year to 14 months to deliver. ...."

More Pearland growth - Promenade Shops at the Spectrum - 5/23/2006

(Pearland) - Poag & McEwen said it will break ground next month on an 850,000-square-foot lifestyle center. Bass Pro Shops, a sporting goods retailer, will occupy a 130,000-square-foot outlet at the center, called the Promenade Shops at the Spectrum. Tenants have committed to about 72 percent of the project. The center, on 127 acres at the southwest corner of Texas 288 and Beltway 8, is part of a larger complex under development called the Spectrum. The project, comprising 1,000 acres, is geared toward attracting biotech firms. The Pearland Economic Development Corp. is developing the initial infrastructure and offering development incentive packages. Groundbreaking will begin June 22, with completion slated for fall of 2007.

[Houston Chronicle]

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Found this info at TAMU's Real Estate Website.

Here's a link to the entire story:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12571852/from/RL.2/

Looks like construction on the Condos will be getting started very soon:

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Luxury condos added to Memorial City mix - 5/1/2006

MetroNational Corp. is expected to break ground in May on a luxury mid-rise condominium project near Memorial City Mall in west Houston. The condo site is located east of Memorial City Mall - which is also owned by MetroNational - near Interstate 10 between Bunker Hill and Memorial City Way. The property was cleared a few months ago. Stakes are in the ground, and construction equipment appeared on the site this week. MetroNational intends to build 120 luxury units that will be for sale in a mid-rise format. The residences will be ready for move-in by late 2007. MetroNational's planned condo project is almost directly across Gaylord Drive from a collection of townhomes MetroNational recently built under a subsidiary named Westside Builders Ltd.

[Houston Business Journal]

Barnes & Noble Takes Dibs on 29,000 SF in Town Center Project

By Amy Wolff Sorter

Last updated: April 13, 2006 06:31pm

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)

PEARLAND, TX-Barnes & Noble is taking 29,000 sf of anchor space in a long-term deal for the proposed 150-acre Pearland Town Center.

The national bookseller joins anchors Dillard's and Macy's, which have inked leases for a combined 355,000 sf of the 700,000-sf power center, set to rise at the intersection of FM 518 and Texas 288. Construction will begin in late 2006, with a completion scheduled for late 2008. "In general, we're phasing the construction and working on everything concurrently," says Michael Lebovitz, senior vice president of CBL & Associates Properties Inc. in Chattanooga, TN.

CBL, the developer on the project, also is handling leasing. "We're negotiating for about 80 to 85% of the space," Lebovitz tells GlobeSt.com. "We've had a tremendous amount of interest from national retailers in this project."

Lebovitz wouldn't comment on a specific preleasing goal, but did indicate that, on the basis of interest received, Pearland Town Center should enjoy a strong tenant base when opening date comes around. "We just opened Southaven Towne Center in Mississippi, same type of center, and it was 100% leased when it opened," Lebovitz says. "We have a pretty strong track record with these types of projects."

Lebovitz says one major focus for the Pearland Town Center leasing campaign is making deals with quality, sit-down restaurants. "In today's world, restaurants act as anchors so we're working with several restaurants and will be announcing those in the near future," Lebovitz adds.

Pearland Town Center's quoted rate isn't available. The going rate, on average, for retail space in the immediate area ranges from $20 per sf to $25 per sf.

Pearland Town Center is being constructed in a submarket that is boasting huge gains in residential housing and retail development. Other projects on the docket for the area are the 800,000-sf Promenade Shops at Shadow Creek and 700,000-sf Crossing at 518.

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This should be a very nice development.

Here's the article:

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Pearland talks end

Negotiations with a Tennessee developer seeking financial support from the city of Pearland to help build a large shopping center have been called off.

The Pearland City Council voted to suspend talks for financial incentives with CBL & Associates Properties to focus on other commercial projects in the area further along in the development process, it said.

CBL plans to go forward without the city's help.

The company said it's still on track to build Pearland Town Center, a 700,000-square-foot open-air center planned for the southwest corner of Texas 288 and FM 518. It's expected to have shops, restaurants, office space, residential units and a hotel.

While the company hasn't started construction, Macy's and Dillard's have agreed to anchor the project, as well as a nationally known bookstore, said Michael Lebovitz, senior vice president of CBL.

"In no way does this jeopardize the project going forward," Lebovitz said of the failed incentive package, which neither party would discuss in detail.

Meanwhile, Pearland said it remains pro-development.

"As such, we feel it is our responsibility to see our existing commercial projects through to fruition and study their impact on the future growth of Pearland," City Manager Bill Eisen said in a prepared statement.

One of the projects he's referring to is the Spectrum at Clear Creek, a 1,000-acre development that includes another retail center that will compete with CBL's project.

The Promenade Shops at Shadow Creek, a proposed 800,000-square-foot shopping center at Texas 288 and Beltway 8, is being developed by Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers, a Memphis company.

Outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops will anchor the new development, scheduled to open in 2007.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/busine...ff/3780536.html