West Memorial/Energy Corridor

[lithiumaneurysm]

Hey y'all. Thought I'd share some photos I took today of some new projects going up along Memorial Drive near Dairy Ashford. The Energy Corridor construction boom has really driven a lot of change in this area – especially compared to the past few years, which have been quiet. There's a local expectation that a lot of the garden apartments in the area will be eaten up by developers. The local Spring Branch schools have even discussed how the demographic shift will affect their student populations. Of course, this is all slightly controversial – there are some folks who are overjoyed at the prospect of these decaying and often crime-riddled complexes disappearing and others who are disturbed by the disregard for the lower-income families who are being pushed out of the area (the evictions were especially bad at Princeton Club a few months ago).

 

This is a view of construction on the new "Aura Memorial" multifamily complex, just down the road from the recently-completed 7 Seventy complex on Eldridge. That parking garage is really monolithic; I feel kind of sorry for the people whose houses border it:

 

Bordering this development is the former site of Princeton Club, which is still in the process of being torn-down. This will be replaced with 313 townhouses:

 

Another view of the Princeton Club site. It's taken them a couple of months to clear out all the buildings:

 

New retail going up nearby. This has replaced an old Citgo gas station:

 

The stretch of Memorial from Eldridge to Kirkwood is slated for reconstruction starting next year. The City will be adding medians, new drainage and improved pedestrian amenities. You can read more about it here. A view down Memorial looking east towards Dairy Ashford (you can see the parking garage for Domain West rising in the background):

 

Connell is developing the new Domain West complex. Four stories, 333 units. It's replacing a garden complex that was in really bad shape:

 

Front view:

 

I've also made a development map for the Energy Corridor which you guys can check out here. The Memorial superneighborhood also keeps their own map here, but it's not updated very frequently. Tried to make it as accurate as possible, but these projects aren't nearly as publicized as what goes on inside the Loop.

[The Pragmatist]

Thanks for the pictures. It's always interesting to see the developments around town, especially in an area that is changing so quickly as the Energy Corridor. That little stretch of Memorial between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge is starting to look entirely different from just 2 years ago.

[nate4l1f3]

Nice update! I see all this construction everyday.  I was wondering what was replacing Princeton club apartments.  Any idea what these will look like? There are some older apartments next to the church (Nottingham Apts.?) that I'm guessing won't be there for long.  Kinda blows but they are about to price me out of that area!  The Domain West parking garage looks like it's gonna be bigger than the actual complex.  The group of apartments behind Stratford High might be next as well.....

[lithiumaneurysm]

Thanks for the pictures. It's always interesting to see the developments around town, especially in an area that is changing so quickly as the Energy Corridor. That little stretch of Memorial between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge is starting to look entirely different from just 2 years ago.

 

Absolutely! I feel like this is only the start of it, really.

 

Nice update! I see all this construction everyday.  I was wondering what was replacing Princeton club apartments.  Any idea what these will look like? There are some older apartments next to the church (Nottingham Apts.?) that I'm guessing won't be there for long.  Kinda blows but they are about to price me out of that area!  The Domain West parking garage looks like it's gonna be bigger than the actual complex.  The group of apartments behind Stratford High might be next as well.....

 

I haven't been able to find any details on the new townhomes there. Not even any indication of the pricing. Hopefully something will be revealed when they start actually constructing them.

 

Those are the Memorial Apartments, I live just down the street from them! There've actually been some rumors going around the neighborhood that developers are eyeing that complex. Heard that a few months ago, but nothing's come up since then. 

 

There's still a ton of low-rent property around Stratford that I believe is untouched for now. I know the Palm Court complex bordering Stratford's eastern side recently evicted all their tenants and is currently undergoing a "multi-million dollar renovation" to attract some higher-income renters. Besides that, I assume it's going to be a bit more difficult to redevelop some of that property because of the bad reputation that cluster of complexes has. 

[BigFootsSocks]

The 2015 Master Plan can be downloaded on their site. Pretty interesting developments proposed

[Urbannizer]

The 2015 Master Plan can be downloaded on their site. Pretty interesting developments proposed

 

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/28890-energy-corridor-master-plan-central-park-new-urban-centers/

[BigFootsSocks]

Thanks fam

[lithiumaneurysm]

The Domain Memorial rental townhome community at Memorial Drive and Nottingham Oaks Trail is just finishing up, and the street presence along the neighborhood-facing edges is incredible. It's really transformed this street (Thicket Lane) and makes the entire area more walkable and attractive. This part of the Energy Corridor has a WalkScore in the mid 70s so there's a ton of potential for further improvement. I think this development is a great example of the positive impact our relaxed housing density policy is making, even in the city's furthest reaches.