East River - KBR Site Puchased by Midway

[HoustonMidtown 3501]

1 hour ago, Mr.Clean19 said:

Sucks when you take pictures but the site limits your size to 0.4MB

 

Yeah - you run out of space on here pretty quickly - try a site like Flickr....you can link photos from there

[cloud713 3682]

On 1/30/2019 at 10:19 AM, Naviguessor said:

That does seem to describe an East River location a little better than the Turning Basin location.   Intriguing Find, Robot. 

Smart move. They should have a much easier time getting visitors to come to their museum at Midways East River development, vs out at the ship channel turning basin.

[samagon 2550]

 

On 2/1/2019 at 11:38 AM, HoustonMidtown said:

 

Yeah - you run out of space on here pretty quickly - try a site like Flickr....you can link photos from there

 

imgur is my go-to

[hindesky 26994]

4 hours ago, samagon said:

 

 

imgur is my go-to

Mine too, but don't try their apps for iPads or iPhones because they don't have a way to link to sites like this in them, as I found out when I was without a desktop.

[HoustonMidtown 3501]

IMG_0004 by Houston Midtown, on Flickr

 

IMG_0003 by Houston Midtown, on Flickr

[Mr.Clean19 295]

They seem to be extending the land clearing much further back than we had originally thought.

[Mr.Clean19 295]

This has to be in reference to the East River site:

 

https://www.bisnow.com/washington-dc/news/opportunity-zones/with-help-of-opportunity-zone-incubator-fund-targets-development-around-hbcus-97695?rt=67397

 

Five opportunity funds have been involved with the incubator thus far. In addition to the HBCU fund, the incubator is helping launch funds targeting startup companies in New Orleans, businesses in the Pacific Northwest, economic development in the Gulf Coast and commercial development in Houston's Fifth Ward. 

 

[I'm Not a Robot 119]

https://www.houstonpress.com/news/midway-is-in-early-stages-of-transforming-the-old-kbr-complex-east-of-downtown-11238927

 

No new information, but it does link to an article where, in the comments, a user states he was told a grocery store would be the first project. Whoever puts the first store here is going to quickly realize that multiple surrounding neighborhoods, Including Downtown, are starved for a closer store. 

 

 When I drove by this morning, It seemed like there were more people working on site  than normal. I'm excited to see a timeline and I'm wondering how long Midway will hold off on sharing more information for such plans and any estimates on phase I construction. 

[Triton 10162]

29 minutes ago, I'm Not a Robot said:

https://www.houstonpress.com/news/midway-is-in-early-stages-of-transforming-the-old-kbr-complex-east-of-downtown-11238927

 

No new information, but it does link to an article where, in the comments, a user states he was told a grocery store would be the first project. Whoever puts the first store here is going to quickly realize that multiple surrounding neighborhoods, Including Downtown, are starved for a closer store. 

 

 When I drove by this morning, It seemed like there were more people working on site  than normal. I'm excited to see a timeline and I'm wondering how long Midway will hold off on sharing more information for such plans and any estimates on phase I construction. 

With HEB's rapid growth in the urban core, especially with them working with Midway already at Buffalo Heights, I don't think it's really any surprise that an HEB would go here.

[Mr.Clean19 295]

Looking back at the Candyland Map and the amount of land that has been cleared (To the first Blue Street), we are looking at the below development in the 1st phase:

 

• Multi-family
• Retail (Maybe Grocery)
• Townhomes
• Park
• Offices
• Museum
• Theater / Garage

 

https://www.virtualbx.com/feature-story/houston-east-river-traffic-plan-goes-to-planning-commission/

[Urbannizer 38729]

Phase I is underway, here's our first look:

 

 

 

More renderings can be found in the brochure below:

 

https://images1.loopnet.com/d2/2hO8ds_6cesMWwAvCHKLz8FODP1y6ddN4DLZMm4OgzQ/document.pdf

 

[BigFootsSocks 2948]

A movie theater! 🙌🏻

[lockmat 2071]

Looking at this and then the conceptual plan for all phases makes you better realize just how ginormous this entire project is. Wow.

[j_cuevas713 1849]

With this and TMC3 it’s going to be fun to watch the spokes of development that happen around these 

[j_cuevas713 1849]

With this and TMC3 it’s going to be fun to watch the spokes of development that happen around these 

[Mr.Clean19 295]

The strange thing is, all this development right now seems to be before they dip their toes into the opportunity zone. Once that starts and this builds out ~50%, I could see this starting to change rapidly. They were not kidding when Midway said this land could fit 4 city centers. This area could be a savior for a lot of the businesses that are run down by the 45 expansion:"

 

• Tout Suite
• Huynh
• Neil's Bahr
• Kim Son
• Little Woodrows (Although we prefer The New Potato)
• Noname Fit Studios
• True Anomaly Brewery (With Robo Journalism)

There could be some immediate East End tenants rather than name brand filler. 

 

 

 

[Triton 10162]

1 hour ago, Mr.Clean19 said:

The strange thing is, all this development right now seems to be before they dip their toes into the opportunity zone. Once that starts and this builds out ~50%, I could see this starting to change rapidly. They were not kidding when Midway said this land could fit 4 city centers. This area could be a savior for a lot of the businesses that are run down by the 45 expansion:"

 

• Tout Suite
• Huynh
• Neil's Bahr
• Kim Son
• Little Woodrows (Although we prefer The New Potato)
• Noname Fit Studios
• True Anomaly Brewery (With Robo Journalism)

There could be some immediate East End tenants rather than name brand filler. 

 

 

 

 

Completely agree. With construction on the highway expansion slated to start next year, thus land acquisition also going forward, this might all be the perfect timing. I can really visualize Tout Suite being at the Truss Town Coffee location in the renderings. 

[cspwal 2800]

 

Looking at this image, it doesn't look like they are expecting any transit at all - anyone not already at this site will arrive by car.  It's set back from the main road by probably 1/4 mile, so everywhere well inside it will be 1/2 mi from a bus stop at Jensen and the entrance road.  I doubt they will have buses inside it, and of course this is on the other side of the bayou from the Green line, so light rail is out of the question. 

 

Having at least a pedestrian bridge cross the bayou might help the idea that you can walk to this place

[Mr.Clean19 295]

I like the idea of a bridge here to the public park Silos across the water. It would connect some of the Ninfas traffic and expensive townhomes across the water to this location. 

[Luminare 4153]

5 minutes ago, Triton said:

 

Completely agree. With construction on the highway expansion slated to start next year, thus land acquisition also going forward, this might all be the perfect timing. I can really visualize Tout Suite being at the Truss Town Coffee location in the renderings. 

 

This was partly going to be my criticism for that presentation about the highway project. That project doesn't exist in a vacuum. Just because they have to move doesn't mean they will just poof disappear. There are many many projects happening in this city. They will be able to move where ever they want too and do different things. Same with the people that have to move.

[cspwal 2800]

Meadow street could extend across to Nagle street, or you could have a bridge from the silos park to in front of retail pavilion E

[Mr.Clean19 295]

My guess is that they are waiting for East End Management District to pay for some things.... I somehow doubt that 5th Ward CRC or TIRZ 18 is going to take the money from this property and re-invest it in this area. Look for that money to be invested in the north side of 5th ward. 

[Naviguessor 1758]

5 minutes ago, cspwal said:

 

Looking at this image, it doesn't look like they are expecting any transit at all - anyone not already at this site will arrive by car.  It's set back from the main road by probably 1/4 mile, so everywhere well inside it will be 1/2 mi from a bus stop at Jensen and the entrance road.  I doubt they will have buses inside it, and of course this is on the other side of the bayou from the Green line, so light rail is out of the question. 

 

Having at least a pedestrian bridge cross the bayou might help the idea that you can walk to this place

I think you exaggerating quite a bit. To the theater, I see a one block set back from the Jensen metro stops as well as a half a block distance from Clinton metro stops.  If the East End has its way, then there would be a street car to n Jensen and Clinton. But...I’ll believe that when I see it. 

[Tumbleweed_Tx 1407]

the new potato will be LONG gone by the time Phase 2 rolls out. The owner is a moron who complains about everything having to do with East River.
This is unfortunate because I also preferred it to Little Woodrows- there are less sports douchebags hanging out at TNP.

[H-Town Man 3514]

1 hour ago, cspwal said:

 

Looking at this image, it doesn't look like they are expecting any transit at all - anyone not already at this site will arrive by car.  It's set back from the main road by probably 1/4 mile, so everywhere well inside it will be 1/2 mi from a bus stop at Jensen and the entrance road.  I doubt they will have buses inside it, and of course this is on the other side of the bayou from the Green line, so light rail is out of the question. 

 

Having at least a pedestrian bridge cross the bayou might help the idea that you can walk to this place

 

The parcels fronting the road appear to be slated for future multi-family, judging by the renderings. This would probably encourage transit use more than having the retail on the road.

 

[Naviguessor 1758]

Doubt that...On many levels. I know the owner pretty well, and he has got no problem with East River. In fact he is pretty good friends with people of Midway, who are anoung his customers. TNP has big plans for the future. 

I think I may know who you are referring to. But, I assure you that they are not the one who is running the place. 

[Triton 10162]

What type of theatre are we talking about here?

[I'm Not a Robot 119]

6 minutes ago, Triton said:

What type of theatre are we talking about here?

 

 

Undoubtedly a movie theater. Hopefully we finally get our first in the loop Alamo Draft House. 

 

Hopefully, in addition to a theater, the first phase includes a Grocery Store and a Gym of some sort. 

 

Edited March 6 by I'm Not a Robot

[Luminare 4153]

6 minutes ago, Triton said:

What type of theatre are we talking about here?

 

From the renders/ floor plans it looks like a movie theater. Could be an Alamo Drafthouse, but judging from the aesthetic they are trying to go for it looks like it will be some kind of specialty/boutique kind of theater which could be interesting. Whats really cool is that its not just the theater, but it will have a full floor of ground floor retail at the bottom. That would be unique if that bottom part could be a grocer with a movie theater on top. I don't know any examples of that kind of combination. Thats speculation, but look at the vastness of the open plan for the ground floor retail it looks like a pitch to large format retail anchor tenant. The higher ceiling on that first floor could be plenty of space for a grocer. Logistics to make something like that work would be fun to work out.

[Mr.Clean19 295]

I dont think you could do a full grocery store below this... Maybe something like a phonecia? They seem to have a space marked for a brewery here. Would be nice to have a winery in there too. More entertainment focused. 

[I'm Not a Robot 119]

7 minutes ago, Mr.Clean19 said:

I dont think you could do a full grocery store below this... Maybe something like a phonecia? They seem to have a space marked for a brewery here. Would be nice to have a winery in there too. More entertainment focused. 

 

 

You're totally right, I didn't even notice the largest building that isn't the proposed theater or the museum is just over 11,000 SQ Ft.  Maybe we will see that they are going to use the land at Canal/Navigation/Runnels for a more centralized store, closer to Downtown and East Downtown.

Edited March 6 by I'm Not a Robot

[intencity77 239]

If not Alamo Draft House, a boutique type cinema would be nice too. We have a Violet Crown here in Santa Fe, NM and it’s really nice. I feel since AMC bought out Sundance downtown there has a been a real void of this type cinema on this side of town. 

Is the “anchor tenant” below the cinema where the grocery store is to go? It is the largest retail space at 27k sq. ft. Unless by grocery store, you mean Sprouts or Trader Joe’s which utilize smaller footprints?

[thedistrict84 235]

Unfortunately, I don’t see any explicit mention of a possible space for a grocery store. Maybe one of those retail buildings would be large enough to accommodate something like a medium-sized HEB?

[Luminare 4153]

Just now, intencity77 said:

If not Alamo Draft House, a boutique type cinema would be nice too. We have a Violet Crown here in Santa Fe, NM and it’s really nice. I feel since AMC bought out Sundance downtown there has a been a real void of this type cinema in town. 

Is the “anchor tenant” below the cinema where the grocery store is to go? It is the largest retail space at 27k sq. ft. Unless by grocery store, you mean Sprouts or Trader Joe’s which utilize smaller footprints?

 

Thats a great example. I lean more to a boutique based on the layout itself. They are smaller more intimate theater settings which is the upcoming trend for theaters. Thats how they are going to survive and thrive is if they switch from a generic suburban model to a model that is reminiscent of the grand theaters that once existed. Just the look of the building itself says: I'm unique and interesting.

 

27k is a very large space and could be plenty of room for a grocer of whatever kind. It would be a great idea to keep that place active at all hours with a greater variety of people than just ones seeking entertainment. I could image it being an interesting setting where one goes to see a matinee and then goes to the grocer before going home. Lots of possibilities. We have to get our minds out of the idea of a big box store and bring in the idea of urban setting. Urban settings that I've been to have this kind of flexibility and wide range of uses.

[Mr.Clean19 295]

https://www.thepacker.com/article/expectations-vary-how-new-amazon-format-will-affect-grocery

 

Amazon's new grocery store might be a good fit, they require about 35k feet and rely on more automation technology.

[Luminare 4153]

1 minute ago, Mr.Clean19 said:

https://www.thepacker.com/article/expectations-vary-how-new-amazon-format-will-affect-grocery

 

Amazon's new grocery store might be a good fit, they require about 35k feet and rely on more automation technology.

 

They could also do it to where its one story above and one story below ground.

[houstontexasjack 1774]

12 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

They could also do it to where its one story above and one story below ground.

I think this is on the high side of the bayou, but I’d be leery about below-grade retail as a grocer given that most outlets for refrigeration and point of sale equipment are in the floor.

[houstontexasjack 1774]

29 minutes ago, Luminare said:

 

They could also do it to where its one story above and one story below ground.

 

Edit: Double Post. 

Edited March 6 by houstontexasjack

[Texasota 1561]

Or Trader Joe's

[bobruss 4294]

I really like Trader Joes for specialty things or an option to some groceries, but it doesn't carry all of the dry goods and other things that a normal grocery store carries. 

I think the east end needs a full service store with all the bells and whistles.Then add a Trader Joe's. 

We have an Aldi in our neighborhood and its very similar to Trader Joes in products and is actually owned by the same company.

[Houston19514 3005]

7 minutes ago, bobruss said:

I really like Trader Joes for specialty things or an option to some groceries, but it doesn't carry all of the dry goods and other things that a normal grocery store carries. 

I think the east end needs a full service store with all the bells and whistles.Then add a Trader Joe's. 

We have an Aldi in our neighborhood and its very similar to Trader Joes in products and is actually owned by the same company.

 

It's a common misconception, but Aldi and Trader Joe's are not owned by the same company.  Two brothers had a single family enterprise until a friendly division of assets in 1960. Since then they have been wholly separate, distinct and unrelated corporations and operations, one named Aldi Süd and the other named Aldi Nord. Aldi Süd operates the Aldi groceries in the United States. Aldi Nord owns Trader Joes.

[Luminare 4153]

2 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

 

It's a common misconception, but Aldi and Trader Joe's are not owned by the same company.  Two brothers had a single family enterprise until a friendly division of assets in 1960. Since then they have been wholly separate, distinct and unrelated corporations and operations, one named Aldi Süd and the other named Aldi Nord. Aldi Süd operates the Aldi groceries in the United States. Aldi Nord owns Trader Joes.

 

no Aldi Ost or Aldi West?

[downtownian 461]

4 hours ago, intencity77 said:

The planned museum, if not the Maritime Museum, would be pretty awesome as a Meow Wolf annex. They are an immersive, interactive and artist driven exhibition that has really taken off since it opened in 2016 and expanding to different markets. They have multi-million dollar expansions planned in Denver, Washington D.C., Las Vegas and a hotel/exhibit concept in Phoenix. I don’t know if Houston is “vibrant” or “hip” enough to support one but it might pair nicely with the overall vibe of this project. 

 

Not a huge fan of Meow Wolf compared to Sleep No More or Houston's own DinoLion. 

 

http://sites.uci.edu/form/files/2015/01/Greenberg-Clement-Avant-Garde-and-Kitsch-copy.pdf

 

[mattyt36 345]

8 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

It's a common misconception, but Aldi and Trader Joe's are not owned by the same company.  Two brothers had a single family enterprise until a friendly division of assets in 1960. Since then they have been wholly separate, distinct and unrelated corporations and operations, one named Aldi Süd and the other named Aldi Nord. Aldi Süd operates the Aldi groceries in the United States. Aldi Nord owns Trader Joes.

 

Good Lord, another Adidas and Puma!

[nate4l1f3 718]

Are you guys satisfied with the connectivity to the bayou from what we can see? Kind of feels like a miss opportunity for a cool element fronting the bayou. 

[I'm Not a Robot 119]

9 minutes ago, nate4l1f3 said:

Are you guys satisfied with the connectivity to the bayou from what we can see? Kind of feels like a miss opportunity for a cool element fronting the bayou. 

 

 

I'm going to hold off judgment until we see what Buffalo Bayou has planned here. We should be hearing from them with regards to the East Sector fairly soon.  I recall that the idea was to allow BBP to have an easement on the land fronting the bayou. It could be that the brochure does not include bridges that have not been finalized by the BBP or it could be that the scope of connectivity to the south side of the bayou is more limited than expected. 

[Triton 10162]

Wish we got a canoe, kayak, and SUP landing. That would be cool. Something similar to Zilker Park in Austin.

[I'm Not a Robot 119]

14 minutes ago, Triton said:

Wish we got a canoe, kayak, and SUP landing. That would be cool. Something similar to Zilker Park in Austin.

 

http://www.buffalobayourc.org/

 

So do they. I'm not sure what the timeline is on it and where they want to put it but I wouldn't be surprised if they are included in the East Sector Master Plan coming up. 

 

Edited March 7 by I'm Not a Robot

[HoustonMidtown 3501]

Untitled by Houston Midtown, on Flickr

[mattyt36 345]

6 hours ago, Triton said:

Wish we got a canoe, kayak, and SUP landing. That would be cool. Something similar to Zilker Park in Austin.

 

I’d go for the Swimming Hole as part of the development first.

 

The Bayou has water quality issues ... not sure why people would want to kayak in it.