The Allen: Mixed-Use Development At Allen Parkway & Gillette St.

[IntheKnowHouston]

I'm posting this again here. I am not sure why it was moved in the first place when the post was specifically about Thompson Houston at the Allen (which is what this topic is about since it is part of the Allen mixed-use development) to a thread about "The Lack of Luxury Hotels in Houston." 


 

I searched but didn't see anyone post about this: Thompson Hotels has an Instagram and website for the forthcoming Thompson Houston. Both may have launched last fall. I'm not for certain.

The hotel is part of the Allen mixed-use development. It's located at 1701 Allen Parkway, but building permits also list the address as 1711 Allen Parkway. Thompson Houston is slated to open Fall 2023 (though some recent job listings also note spring and summer 2023 as possible opening timelines).


https://www.hyatt.com/hotel/texas/thompson-houston/iahth

https://www.instagram.com/thompsonhoustonhotel

Edited February 15 by IntheKnowHouston

[mattyt36]

The juxtaposition of this development next to public housing is . . . interesting.  One wonders when that land will inevitably be sold.

[Houston19514]

4 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

The juxtaposition of this development next to public housing is . . . interesting.  One wonders when that land will inevitably be sold.

Unfortunately, I'm thinking the answer may be "never".

[004n063]

4 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Unfortunately, I'm thinking the answer may be "never".

Wait why is that unfortunate? I'm all for private development and all, but public housing is also really important.

If it came down to it (it won't), I'd certainly take critical social infrastructure over a weird fancy Space Mountain building like the Allen...

[j_cuevas713]

7 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Unfortunately, I'm thinking the answer may be "never".

That's one of the oldest public housing units in the city. I think it's even designated a city landmark. I agree with @004n063There is nothing unfortunate about that. People of different income's have a right to live in better parts of the city and not be displaced

[SMU1213]

7 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

That's one of the oldest public housing units in the city. I think it's even designated a city landmark. I agree with @004n063There is nothing unfortunate about that. People of different income's have a right to live in better parts of the city and not be displaced

That land is worth $200m+. They could easily sell it to a developer and require the developer to include a brand new 400 unit affordable housing tower as part of the master planned development. More affordable units that are brand new would be a positive outcome.

[Montrose1100]

1 hour ago, SMU1213 said:

That land is worth $200m+. They could easily sell it to a developer and require the developer to include a brand new 400 unit affordable housing tower as part of the master planned development. More affordable units that are brand new would be a positive outcome.

I said this a few pages back. It's not that public housing doesn't belong here, it's that garden style apartments don't belong here.

[Texasota]

It was a huge missed opportunity when they tore down half of the original campus to replace it with... low density garden apartments, but uglier.

[mattyt36]

2 hours ago, SMU1213 said:

That land is worth $200m+. They could easily sell it to a developer and require the developer to include a brand new 400 unit affordable housing tower as part of the master planned development. More affordable units that are brand new would be a positive outcome.

Regardless of whether it was "fortunate" or "unfortunate," the above is the simple reality.  The current configuration is getting more "inefficient" from a land use perspective by the day.

The proceeds could also be used to develop additional housing units elsewhere, as they have in plenty of other jurisdictions.

Even if buildings are public landmarks, it doesn't mean they have to continue to be used for the same purpose.

Below is a link from a Cite article from 1995 with a historical overview, including several proposals to sell the property going back to 1977.  Evidently Kenneth Schnitzer wanted it in the early 1980s.

https://offcite.rice.edu/2010/03/DepletedLegacy_Lang_Cite33.pdf

(Didn't they recently sell part of the land already?)

Edited February 16 by mattyt36

[Houston19514]

14 hours ago, 004n063 said:

Wait why is that unfortunate? I'm all for private development and all, but public housing is also really important.

If it came down to it (it won't), I'd certainly take critical social infrastructure over a weird fancy Space Mountain building like the Allen...

Selling this very valuable land could provide more funds for replacing the existing housing with more and better public housing in another location, or, as others have suggested, replaced with housing using a smaller footprint, and included within other development. Win-Win

Edited February 16 by Houston19514

[mattyt36]

1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:

Selling this very valuable land could provide more funds for replacing the existing housing with more and better public housing in another location, or, as others have suggested, replaced with housing using a smaller footprint, and included within other development. Win-Win

What?!  You mean you're not just an evil capitalist trying to stick it to the people?!  Your "plan" could even include additional public housing?!  

This idea that people in rental units, public or subsidized low-income rental housing, etc., have inherent rights that somehow are superior to rights extended to every other renter or property owner is absurd.  No one who rented an apartment at the Lofts at the Ballpark seriously thought that that gave them a right to live there for the rest of their lives at some nominal annual increase in rent versus their original lease, come hell or high water, I'm not sure why people living in public housing should think the same--they already have the rent control and legal rights to reaccommodation, which is more than pretty much everyone else.

Edited February 16 by mattyt36

[Luminare]

5 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

What?!  You mean you're not just an evil capitalist trying to stick it to the people?!  Your "plan" could even include additional public housing?!  

This idea that people in rental units, public or subsidized low-income rental housing, etc., have inherent rights that somehow are superior to rights extended to every other renter or property owner is absurd.  No one who rented an apartment at the Lofts at the Ballpark seriously thought that that gave them a right to live there for the rest of their lives at some nominal annual increase in rent versus their original lease, come hell or high water, I'm not sure why people living in public housing should think the same--they already have the rent control and legal rights to reaccommodation, which is more than pretty much everyone else.

as an evil capitalist myself, I want the land to build a large mattressfirm warehouse. Now that is a win-win!

[004n063]

6 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Selling this very valuable land could provide more funds for replacing the existing housing with more and better public housing in another location, or, as others have suggested, replaced with housing using a smaller footprint, and included within other development. Win-Win

I mean, I'm all for that hypothetical outcome. I'm just skeptical of its likelihood. I'm no more a fan of the left-urbanist strain of nimbyism than I am of any other. But Houston's record on increasing the supply of legitimately affordable housing for the bottom income quintile (citywide) to keep pace with demand - arguably the best such record in the country, mind you, which is not an altogether comforting fact - is mixed at best. Every year it gets harder for low-income people to find affordable housing, but it doesn't get any harder to be low-income.

 

We can pat ourselves on the back all we want for doing better than most other US cities in this regard, but the reality is that any public housing teardown (or online conversation thereabout) is going to spark perfectly valid anxieties among residents (and, to be candid, their teachers). 

Is it an inefficient land use? No doubt. Is it nearly as inefficient, from a public service perspective, as the thousands of acres of surface parking lots and single-use garages and literally empty lots that abound in every corner of this city? No. 

Again, I'm all for densification, and I'm all for increasing the net supply of housing in the city. But I also think there's a tendency here to be a little hasty in sweeping the sometimes devastating personal/individual effects of a project under the rug of a (often not very rigorously hypothesized) net macroeconomic win. 

[mattyt36]

40 minutes ago, 004n063 said:

I mean, I'm all for that hypothetical outcome. I'm just skeptical of its likelihood. I'm no more a fan of the left-urbanist strain of nimbyism than I am of any other. But Houston's record on increasing the supply of legitimately affordable housing for the bottom income quintile (citywide) to keep pace with demand - arguably the best such record in the country, mind you, which is not an altogether comforting fact - is mixed at best. Every year it gets harder for low-income people to find affordable housing, but it doesn't get any harder to be low-income.

 

We can pat ourselves on the back all we want for doing better than most other US cities in this regard, but the reality is that any public housing teardown (or online conversation thereabout) is going to spark perfectly valid anxieties among residents (and, to be candid, their teachers). 

Is it an inefficient land use? No doubt. Is it nearly as inefficient, from a public service perspective, as the thousands of acres of surface parking lots and single-use garages and literally empty lots that abound in every corner of this city? No. 

Again, I'm all for densification, and I'm all for increasing the net supply of housing in the city. But I also think there's a tendency here to be a little hasty in sweeping the sometimes devastating personal/individual effects of a project under the rug of a (often not very rigorously hypothesized) net macroeconomic win. 

Federal funding regulations are relatively watertight--I doubt they'd let any land sales to be diverted away from the Housing Authority as a condition of receiving grants to begin with.  So it's not like the funds could be used for, say, highway expansion.  (Oh, the supreme irony for people who wanted to use highway funds to convert Lofts at the Ballpark to low-income housing!)  I suppose they could just sit on the proceeds, but I am sure there are at least some performance requirements as well.

Edited February 17 by mattyt36

[Luminare]

21 hours ago, 004n063 said:

I mean, I'm all for that hypothetical outcome. I'm just skeptical of its likelihood. I'm no more a fan of the left-urbanist strain of nimbyism than I am of any other. But Houston's record on increasing the supply of legitimately affordable housing for the bottom income quintile (citywide) to keep pace with demand - arguably the best such record in the country, mind you, which is not an altogether comforting fact - is mixed at best. Every year it gets harder for low-income people to find affordable housing, but it doesn't get any harder to be low-income.

 

We can pat ourselves on the back all we want for doing better than most other US cities in this regard, but the reality is that any public housing teardown (or online conversation thereabout) is going to spark perfectly valid anxieties among residents (and, to be candid, their teachers). 

Is it an inefficient land use? No doubt. Is it nearly as inefficient, from a public service perspective, as the thousands of acres of surface parking lots and single-use garages and literally empty lots that abound in every corner of this city? No. 

Again, I'm all for densification, and I'm all for increasing the net supply of housing in the city. But I also think there's a tendency here to be a little hasty in sweeping the sometimes devastating personal/individual effects of a project under the rug of a (often not very rigorously hypothesized) net macroeconomic win. 

This is why strangely at this point one should be for a recession and a dramatic move from inflation to deflation. The biggest enemy of low-income working class all the way up to upper-middle class is inflation. If one wants actual home/apartment affordability then real estate needs to plummet, inflation needs to go back to 2% at least, and I would argue into the negative. Crush demand in the market to send prices for all construction products which will make every building cheaper to build and by that make rent cheaper. No matter what anyone does right now its technically impossible to maintain any kind of "low-income" housing during an inflationary period, or when the market is red hot. No government program can fix this, no bureaucracy can fix this, and not even architects can fix this. At this point the only solution is a recession to reset prices across the board. Its bad to say, but its the truth that every knows needs to happen even though everyone is either pretending this isn't how it works or is fighting to make sure they don't get the blame for it.

Edited February 17 by Luminare

[mattyt36]

5 minutes ago, Luminare said:

This is why strangely at this point one should be for a recession and a dramatic move from inflation to deflation. The biggest enemy of low-income working class all the way up to upper-middle class is inflation. If one wants actual home/apartment affordability then real estate needs to plummet, inflation needs to go back to 2% at least, and I would argue into the negative. Crush demand in the market to send prices for all construction products which will make every building cheaper to build and by that make rent cheaper. No matter what anyone does right now its technically impossible to maintain any kind of "low-income" housing during an inflationary period, or when the market is red hot. No government program can fix this, no bureaucracy can fix this, and not even architects can fix this. At this point the only solution is a recession to reset prices across the board. Its bad to say, but its the truth that every knows needs to happen even though everyone is either pretending this isn't how it works or is fighting to make sure they don't get the blame for it.

Deflation an economic no bueno as secondary effects will likely be more pronounced on wages.  Wages are just not going to remain the same in a deflationary environment--it's hard enough to get producers to increase wages in an inflationary environment, so the thought that they'd leave them unchanged in a deflationary environment is pollyannish--wages are linked to the price level, certainly not perfectly and certainly not in lockstep, but they are tied very closely. 

"Crushing market demand" will result in another housing crisis--more foreclosures as mortgages go "underwater" and wipe out of a lot of middle-class wealth (sure, it may be on paper, but that's not how people think of it).

Disinflation, fine.

What Is Deflation? Why Is It Bad? – Forbes Advisor

[cityliving]

[hindesky]

[MidCenturyMoldy]

I hope I live long enough to see that building finished. 

Edited February 25 by MidCenturyMoldy

[Houston19514]

12 hours ago, MidCenturyMoldy said:

I hope I live long enough to see that building finished. 

Are you in hospice care or something?

[mattyt36]

1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:

Are you in hospice care or something?

Maybe he's Jimmy Carter.

[MidCenturyMoldy]

2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Are you in hospice care or something?

Nope. Just not getting any younger…

[bobruss]

It has been an inordinate amount of time for this project to come together. And if you look at some of the earlier images from DC Partners it won't be nearly as impressive as they were originally planning. There were going to be four towers, and a pedestrian bridge to access the Bayou Park. These people worked with Randall Davis too often.

[MidCenturyMoldy]

54 minutes ago, bobruss said:

It has been an inordinate amount of time for this project to come together. And if you look at some of the earlier images from DC Partners it won't be nearly as impressive as they were originally planning. There were going to be four towers, and a pedestrian bridge to access the Bayou Park. These people worked with Randall Davis too often.

Did I miss something? I thought this was just the first phase and the other towers would follow at some point. 
I also think the tower, as seen in cityliving’s photo below, is a lot nicer than I expected when the revised version was first announced. Except for that asymmetric balcony thing.
 

 

Edited February 25 by MidCenturyMoldy

[MidCenturyMoldy]

SAY WHAT???

[Big E]

11 hours ago, MidCenturyMoldy said:

Did I miss something? I thought this was just the first phase and the other towers would follow at some point. 
I also think the tower, as seen in cityliving’s photo below, is a lot nicer than I expected when the revised version was first announced. Except for that asymmetric balcony thing.
 

 

The other towers were cancelled. And there's no telling when the second phase will start at this rate.

[Yonkers]

4 hours ago, Big E said:

The other towers were cancelled. And there's no telling when the second phase will start at this rate.

Other towers were going to be office, I think. And with office doing horribly right now they canceled it, like you said. I think they're looking to replace it with multifamily apartments and retail now.

I assume they'll have to wait until after they finish condo sales before they start phase two since their sales office is in that space now. They're at 75% sold so maybe another year?

[toxtethogrady]

On 2/24/2023 at 8:25 PM, MidCenturyMoldy said:

I hope I live long enough to see that building finished. 

It's like watching the dam burst in "The Castle of Fu Manchu".

[IntheKnowHouston]

Exterior photos of the Residences at the Allen and Thompson Houston hotel. These were posted last month by B&D Landscape Contractors.

The Residences at the Allen and Thompson Houston hotel are located at 1711 Allen Parkway in the Allen mixed-use development.


From the Instagram post:


"Work continues at Allen Tower amenity deck!"

https://www.instagram.com/p/CovLD79JWh9

 

[cityliving]

[j_cuevas713]

On 2/16/2023 at 6:58 AM, SMU1213 said:

That land is worth $200m+. They could easily sell it to a developer and require the developer to include a brand new 400 unit affordable housing tower as part of the master planned development. More affordable units that are brand new would be a positive outcome.

Looks like a facelift is in the works. @bookey23posted this 

 

[hindesky]

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 10/18/2022 at 4:47 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

I think this may be the first known dining / restaurant tenant for the Allen, the mixed-use development at 1701 Allen Parkway: Toca Madera.

Toca Madera is a contemporary Mexican steakhouse from The Madera Group. There are locations in West Hollywood, Scottsdale, and Las Vegas. 

Back in March, Los Angeles-based hospitality and lifestyle company Noble 33 announced the expansion of one of its dining concepts, Casa Madera, and Toca Madera. According to a press release, "Noble 33 leads the management and continued expansion of iconic brands Toca Madera and Casa Madera in partnership with The Madera Group while independently developing new restaurants."

The press release also notes additional outposts of Casa Madera and Toca Madera are opening in various cities in 2023. One of the cities listed is Houston. However, the press release nor other reports from several news outlets in July, included which restaurant is landing in Houston. 

This week's Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations filing indicates Toca Madera is leasing a unit at the Allen. It will be located at 1755 Allen Parkway in the Allen Lifestyle Pavilion (the Allen Pavilion).

Toca Madera's Houston location will be a 12,000 sq ft restaurant with an outdoor patio. Abel Design Group is designing the space. Estimated completion of the buildout is June 2023.

Food Fight Concepts, a company offering "investors the opportunity to bring concepts to light," lists Toca Madera's forthcoming Houston outpost as one of its investments:

https://www.foodfightconcepts.com/toca-madera-houston

https://www.tocamadera.com/


Press release from March:
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/casa-madera-launches-a-new-dining-experience-in-toronto-featuring-organic-mexican-coastal-cuisine-836706900.html


TDLR filing:
https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/TABS/Search/Print/TABS2023003354

 

On 11/11/2022 at 10:07 AM, hindesky said:

Anyone know what the restaurant is?

 

 

On 11/14/2022 at 1:38 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

...the restaurant along with Toca Madera are coming soon to Houston, according to Noble 33's website.

There is also this on the site:


 "Noble 33 is a hospitality and lifestyle company with an ever-evolving lineup of unique, social dining restaurants stateside and abroad, Noble 33 leads the management and continued expansion of iconic brands Toca Madera and Casa Madera, while also developing brand new concepts such as Sparrow Italia and Maizon Mediterrania that will further expand the boundaries of high-energy fine-dining. Future targets for new locations include West Hollywood, Houston, New York, and Miami."

https://www.noble33.com/

 

 

On 2/12/2023 at 7:39 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

Although Toca Madera is confirmed as a retail tenant, it wasn't disclosed (or known) which floor the restaurant will be located within for the Pavilion at The Allen / The Allen Lifestyle Pavilion.

Toca Madera will be located on the first floor. The address for the contemporary Mexican steakhouse is 1755 Allen Parkway, Suite 101.

 

A few weeks ago, Toca Madera officially announced its expansion into the Houston market. The announcement was shared on the restaurant's social media platforms. On the bio section of its Instagram page, Houston is listed as coming soon.

Per the video announcement, the anticipated opening is summer 2023.

Toca Madera is a contemporary Mexican steakhouse from The Madera Group and Noble 33 Collection. It's opening in Houston either in late 2023 or early 2024.

Toca Madera will be located on the ground floor of the Allen Lifestyle Pavilion, part of the Allen mixed-use development. The restaurant's address is 1755 Allen Parkway, Suite 101.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpLXkX3OUev




 

Edited March 10 by IntheKnowHouston

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 10/18/2022 at 4:47 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

I think this may be the first known dining / restaurant tenant for the Allen, the mixed-use development at 1701 Allen Parkway: Toca Madera.

Toca Madera is a contemporary Mexican steakhouse from The Madera Group. There are locations in West Hollywood, Scottsdale, and Las Vegas. 

Back in March, Los Angeles-based hospitality and lifestyle company Noble 33 announced the expansion of one of its dining concepts, Casa Madera, and Toca Madera. According to a press release, "Noble 33 leads the management and continued expansion of iconic brands Toca Madera and Casa Madera in partnership with The Madera Group while independently developing new restaurants."

The press release also notes additional outposts of Casa Madera and Toca Madera are opening in various cities in 2023. One of the cities listed is Houston. However, the press release nor other reports from several news outlets in July, included which restaurant is landing in Houston. 

This week's Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations filing indicates Toca Madera is leasing a unit at the Allen. It will be located at 1755 Allen Parkway in the Allen Lifestyle Pavilion (the Allen Pavilion).

Toca Madera's Houston location will be a 12,000 sq ft restaurant with an outdoor patio. Abel Design Group is designing the space. Estimated completion of the buildout is June 2023.

Food Fight Concepts, a company offering "investors the opportunity to bring concepts to light," lists Toca Madera's forthcoming Houston outpost as one of its investments:

https://www.foodfightconcepts.com/toca-madera-houston

https://www.tocamadera.com/


Press release from March:
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/casa-madera-launches-a-new-dining-experience-in-toronto-featuring-organic-mexican-coastal-cuisine-836706900.html


TDLR filing:
https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/TABS/Search/Print/TABS2023003354

 

On 11/11/2022 at 10:07 AM, hindesky said:

Anyone know what the restaurant is?

 

 

On 11/14/2022 at 1:38 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

...the restaurant along with Toca Madera are coming soon to Houston, according to Noble 33's website.

There is also this on the site:


 "Noble 33 is a hospitality and lifestyle company with an ever-evolving lineup of unique, social dining restaurants stateside and abroad, Noble 33 leads the management and continued expansion of iconic brands Toca Madera and Casa Madera, while also developing brand new concepts such as Sparrow Italia and Maizon Mediterrania that will further expand the boundaries of high-energy fine-dining. Future targets for new locations include West Hollywood, Houston, New York, and Miami."

https://www.noble33.com/

 

 

On 2/12/2023 at 7:39 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

Although Toca Madera is confirmed as a retail tenant, it wasn't disclosed (or known) which floor the restaurant will be located within for the Pavilion at The Allen / The Allen Lifestyle Pavilion.

Toca Madera will be located on the first floor. The address for the contemporary Mexican steakhouse is 1755 Allen Parkway, Suite 101.

 

 

Below are select details regarding Toca Madera from building plans submitted to the city. The details were found in the plan review comments.

Toca Madera is a contemporary Mexican steakhouse from The Madera Group and Noble 33 Collection. It's opening in Houston either this summer, fall, or early 2024.

Toca Madera is located on the ground floor of the Allen Lifestyle Pavilion, part of the Allen mixed-use development. The restaurant's address is 1755 Allen Parkway, Suite 101.
 

• Toca Madera
  1755 Allen Pkwy, Suite 101
  Houston, TX 77019
   
• Proposed: 11,031 sf restaurant buildout
   
  • Restaurant / total 11,031 sf w/ 312 occupancy
  • Dining: 3,283 sf
  • Outdoor patio-bar: 700 sf w/ 46 occupancy

[cityliving]

[arche_757]

Anyone else think that elevator penthouse is too tall?  I realize this will change as an additional floor (or so) is added to the building.

Edited March 11 by arche_757

[Triton]

A different perspective 

[hindesky]

[cityliving]

[004n063]

I still think that front bit looks goofy. Like a knock-off Space Mountain.

[Triton]

On 3/22/2023 at 6:23 PM, 004n063 said:

I still think that front bit looks goofy. Like a knock-off Space Mountain.

I really interested in how well it's going to hold up to Houston's climate. Will it have flows of mold going down the sides?

[samagon]

10 hours ago, Triton said:

I really interested in how well it's going to hold up to Houston's climate. Will it have flows of mold going down the sides?

we will call that a "nice rich patina".

[cityliving]

A Still More Different Perspective.

[cityliving]

Slow but some progress....

[cityliving]

[Yonkers]

Looks like Texan Fit got bought so this will be branded as an EOS Fitness gym now. 

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/04/12/eos-fitness-buys-texans-fit-gyms.html?ana=maz

[Amlaham]

14 minutes ago, Yonkers said:

Looks like Texan Fit got bought so this will be branded as an EOS Fitness gym now. 

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/04/12/eos-fitness-buys-texans-fit-gyms.html?ana=maz

This is a budget gym, nothing wrong with that, but for this development??

[clutchcity94]

3 hours ago, Amlaham said:

This is a budget gym, nothing wrong with that, but for this development??

No kidding— wasn’t the plan to add an Equinox gym and hotel here pre-pandemic?

[astrohip]

Reminder... tomorrow (Saturday) is the annual Art Car Parade, right in front of this building. Starts at 2pm, and the cars will start lining up around 11am.

If any HAIF'ers are there, come visit me at the Hippo Car, #89.

[hindesky]