Westbury Square Developments

[Croberts]

Unfortunately, WS suffered from a common malady in the Seventies, (in Houston,) white flight. As a few people of color began to buy in Westbury, there was a mass exodus to move further out. This was (and maybe still is?)a weird ritual in Houston. You can find many neighborhoods and subdivisions that suffered from this. I never quite understood the panic mentality but I was very aware of it's existence.

In fact, one of the first cases tried under the fair housing act was on Arboles street in about 1969-1971. A realty company told a neighborhood group that if they did not pool their money and buy a house, a black family would close on it the next day. They purchased it and were subsequently sued for discriminatory housing practices. 

[LarryDallas]

UPDATE

 

The Westbury Centerette, the Exxon ruins, and the strip mall next to Autozone are history now.  The teardown started about 2 weeks ago and they have already hauled off the waste.  Now they are breaking up the pavement to go down to soil that has not seen daylight in over 50 years so I assume they will start building soon.  In other words, this is not just a tear down and leave it looking ghetto with the foundation and parking lot still there kind of deal.  

 

These were taken yesterday March 30, 2015 facing southwest on Cedarhurst at Moonlight.  The laundry place was right at the corner in photo 1 and the Exxon used to be behind the middle tree in the row of 3 in photo 2.  

 

 

[DrFood]

Update on Westbury Square and Centerette

 

The link below is to one of the signs that appeared on Friday afternoon on W. Bellfort. Al Antonini is attempting a spec development on the land currently occupied by Westbury Square's shell. Becky Edmondson, WCC President, told me yesterday she had lunch with him on Thursday and learned of his plans. I didn't count the number of residences he proposes. Becky did tell me the plan is to make it a gated community. There's not a whole lot of information available about the project. Hopefully this week at the Civic Club meeting someone will have some details. I do know there is strong opposition by a number of folks in Westbury to this type of development. Why has never been made clear to me. I've owned a house less than a mile from the Square and welcome this type of development as long as it is in the say $400-700K range. Yeah I know I'm a snob, but since home prices are now approaching the $500K range in Westbury I don't see a reason to let lesser priced residences be built. I'll post updates as I learn anything.

 

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNJP0MLluoZRUfmb6fPF7Vwd1FIxs-uNpWoi6zVyxVCUQocTdvq_KhxflcjT4ZMVw/photo/AF1QipPED9-aUsWfRCqcBQtFXi8hyF5w8OVh-akRZQns?key=QS1lYVB5dTJSalpQcHVxR2xIQm9IYVlJeWhjU2xR

 

On the subject of the Centerette demolition. Yes it is gone and the land is cleared off. Now the problem is nothing is planned to be built there. The land owner says LA Fitness will not be built there and they are looking for something to replace those plans. In my opinion they went about it all wrong. You've got 3 major problems still with that land. 1) Autozone and Pizza Hut make it a weird shape, 2) cell tower, 3) access is weird as well. If they had planned to demo the PH and AZ and move them into the ground floor of the parking garage that would have made so much more sense. And if the owner and civic club had worked wiht the COH and redone the intersection at Chimney Rock the current right turn lane could have been melded into the land to make it a less weird shape. 

 

It's frustrating as a 20+ year resident to see a lack of imagination on anyone's part to solve issues like Westbury Square and the Centerette land.

[GEM]

[Fringe]

If Antonini is involved it will be a slum. Anything he touches turns to crap. 

[DrFood]

I agree completely about Mr. Antonini. This is actually the second time he has attempted to develop the land in the last 3 years. The first time the Civic Club officers went bonkers that anyone would think about building townhomes on the hallowed ground of Westbury Square. They viewed the development potential as potentially being a blight on Westbury. I still don't see anything wrong with building townhomes as long as they are valued at greater than $400K and they are required to pay dues to the Civic Club.

 

The biggest issue with redeveloping Westbury Square is the entire piece of land bounded by Burdine/W. Bellfort/Chimeny Rock. There are multiple pieces of land owned by multiple entities and the layout is wonky.

 

There's a fairly simply solution, but no one seems to want to think logically. Well it's simple to me. Others might agree with all or part. 

 

Here's my plan. It would require someone with strong COH ties like Ed Wulfe or maybe Weingarten Realty. 

 

1. The entire triangle sans Home Depot (they evidently own the land the store sits on) needs to be combined into a single plat with a single owner. Then you can do Steps 2 and beyond next.

2. Buy out the Westbury Townhomes and Valero station. Bulldoze for new development. The majority of the townhomes are not owner occupied from what I have been told.

3. Buy Westbury Square and bulldoze.

4. Buy 99 cent shopping center and bulldoze.

5 Buy Chase building and bulldoze.

 

Now this all sounds radical, but let me continue.

 

1. To clean up traffic flow realign Burdine to run behind Home Depot. Relocate the bridge to the new intersection. The current Burdine would be closed at Belrose. The a new housing development would be built where the old street was and run to W. Bellfort.

2. Close the existing fire station and relocate to the new plot of land created by realigning Burdine. Face the new Burdine/Chimney Rock intersection.

3. Since Meyer Branch library is slotted for closing and relocation. Build the new library next to the new fire station.

4. Relocate the Platou Center next to new library and build a city park on the remainder of the land. 

5. Given the new alignment of Burdine this would give access to a new shopping complex on the property formerly occupied by Chase and the shopping center. The new retail complex could have a parking garage with first floor retail like Starbucks and the like. Build a new HEB marketplace, PetSmart, Academy, Chase branch, Red Robin, Panera Bread, etc on the piece of land. 

 

I don't know if it is completely feasible. But someone needs to use some imagination in SW Houston to do something better than nothing.

 

[toxtethogrady]

Announcement by Company on Stage, a longtime theater company local to Westbury Square, about its future suggests Westbury Square may finally have been sold and is about to be repurposed:

 

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/News-about-Westbury-Square.html?soid=1101752725694&aid=KR5AexBNLrM

 

 

"...To the Patrons, Volunteers and Friends of The Company OnStage, 

 

We learned last week that our time at Westbury Square will, in all likelihood, be coming to an end at the close of summer, as there is a contract pending on the property..."

 

Edited June 26, 2015 by toxtethogrady

[IronTiger]

With the last of Westbury Square coming down, I wanted to create a topic for Westbury Square (search produced no RECENT ones), but there are two intriguing things that I haven't been able to figure out.

1. Artisan Designs in Rice Village has been open since 2002, and that moved from a store in Westbury Square from 1969. But according to a directory of Westbury Square, it's not there, the closest being "Artisan De Mexico" including "peasant clothing, pottery, copper" which sounds nothing like the the modern store. Did it change names at some point?

2. In my research for any more former McDonald's restaurants, I came across one that was apparently in 5322 West Bellfort Blvd., which was the Westbury Professional Building. Since I already determined where the offices were, was a McDonald's inside here somehow?

[sevfiv]

This just in - "Villas at Westbury Square" development - "A vibrant new development with Old World Class and Charm." No address, but it makes sense..

 

http://villasatwestburysquare.com/

[Urbannizer]

There's an existing thread:

 

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/32322-westbury-square-sold-finally/

[Fringe]

I don't remember a McDonald's being anywhere near the Square. 

[FilioScotia]

In a few weeks there will be no sign that the highly over-rated and overly lamented Westbury Square ever existed. Good riddance. The Houston Business Journal says townhouses are going up.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2015/07/westbury-square-to-be-demolished-in-30-days.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_houston+%28Houston+Business+Journal%29

Edited July 2, 2015 by FilioScotia

[sevfiv]

Well, not much was going on there last time I went by (about a month ago). Did the contract fall through?

[dgsailor]

I managed and tended the bars at The Bull n Anchor and Ruby Begonia's in Westbury Square in the late 70's. Cesar Cedeno from the Astro's was a regular ~ fun times.

 

[AREJAY]

Finally being demoed today

 

From Westbury Houston facebook group 

 

Mods, can this be moved to going up? 

 

Also, the sign on the property states that only 30 lots remain, although this could be a sales tactic... 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2016 by AREJAY

[monarch]

^^^ outstanding work arejay!

[curbur]

Next to an old home depot and a strip center containing a dominos and a 99 cent store? This is the height of luxury! Actually on second thought given what's adjacent to it, how much are the lots going to be worth? It might be a great value for being so close to town.

Edited February 2, 2016 by curbur

[houstontexasjack]

That was my Dominos growing up. The area just to the north of West Bellfort is quite nice. Not too far from the JCC.

[sevfiv]

Thank you for the update!

[frmtexas]

Family moved to Westbury in mid-60s. Went to Parker, Johnston, Westbury, and UH. Had paper route in 70s that included Westbury Square. Remember so much because of this thread.

[montrosepatriot]

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2009 at 7:16 AM, nm5k said:

I went to all those places. Also don't forget "Ernies" on Chimney Rock.. Was in the center across Gasmer from Westbury H.S.

I remember that was the summer of 1975 when they were open, and I lived across the street in the Madison Apt's.

That was a wild summer.. :/ I remember we pretty much partied non stop the whole summer. I remember one night this

guy from Atlanta Ga. came by, I guess with someone else we knew. He had been hitchhiking across the country and was

passing through Houston on his way to CA. I remember we all spent the night inhaling adult beverages and by daylight

he had talked me into going with him. At 8 AM, I was on the road to CA. We left out on 90a, and hit 36 to I-10..

The first night I ended up out near Junction TX. The next night I was in Tucson AZ.. Two days later I was in Barstow CA..

We made pretty good time for hitchhiking.. :/ We also ran into some girl from N.C. and she traveled with us most

the rest of the way.

We toured around CA. for a while, camped in Yosemite for a week. Yosemite was a non stop party in the mid 70's.

Kind of like Memorial Park on a Sunday Afternoon except much bigger trees.

I even ran into other people from Houston when I was there.

I remember being in the bay area for a few days. Stayed in Berkeley. Went to the U.S.C there to check out the

seismic recorder in the hallway.. :/ Noted that all the taxicabs and most of the houses were painted psychedelic

colors. Stayed at one house for about three days, until one day we were sitting around and one of the guys

that lived there asked me if he could massage my feet I decided Berkeley was not my type of place and promptly

hit the road again that very night. Went across Nevada and Utah on I-80, which was like traveling on the moon.

Camped on the Bonneville Salt Flats one night. Into CO. and Steamboat Springs. etc, back down I-25 into N.M. and

down to El Paso. Back to Houston on I-10.. I remember I left El Paso at 6 AM, and got a ride in an old

Willys Jeep.. It must have held about 8 gallons of gas because we had to stop several times. Also, I think it's

top speed must have been about 52 mph.. I didn't get back to Houston until 1:30 AM where they dropped me off

at the McKee Street bridge. I was gone a total of two weeks. Went back to the pad at Madison Apt's, and partied

for a few more days. Then 4th of July, 1975... We went to the hill at Westbury Square to watch the fireworks

show. During the show, a fire developed at the Madison Apt's.. We could see it from the hill.

Betcha can't guess who's apartment it was.. :/ yep, it was ours.. This guy we knew fell asleep in the

arm chair that was in my bedroom with a cigarette, and caught the chair on fire. Almost burned that

whole section of townhouses down..

I forgot where I went after that.. Yep, the summer of 75.. Not for the timid or faint of heart..

BTW, I think the first place I really got into foosball was at the Sir Pizza next to 7-11 on Burdine

and Chimney rock.

The strip mall across from Westbury HS (now the USPS Westbury facility which replaced the Belrose station) - I recalled this location as a child back in 1978 where a Pit Stop Barbecue was located in the strip mall - I recalled the checkered flag since the BBQ restaurant was located not far from the former Meyer Speedway located @ Hillcroft/US90A west of JK Butler Stadium (also the HISD transportation facility)

[montrosepatriot]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2009 at 11:51 AM, aggieengineer said:

Ahh, it's a small world indeed. I vividly remember the trip to see the Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto monument. I remember Kimberly too. I'm pretty sure her dad was a state senator, last name Ogg. If you remember Steven and Susan, send me a PM sometime. My wife and I are going to take a trip down there this fall and get some pictures before it's all gone.

The Kimberly u r referring to is now the present Harris County District Attorney since elected in 2016

[AREJAY]

Still there, still rotting away...

Interesting video KPRC did about it:

https://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/2020/01/18/once-popular-houston-shopping-destination-now-riddled-with-violations/

 

[mkultra25]

17 minutes ago, AREJAY said:

Still there, still rotting away...

Interesting video KPRC did about it:

https://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/2020/01/18/once-popular-houston-shopping-destination-now-riddled-with-violations/

 

 

The reporters don't seem to be aware of Antonini's long history as an absentee landlord and the related issues that have arisen in the past. Perhaps they haven't lived here that long, but even a cursory Google search would have revealed plenty of, uh, interesting results, such as:

 

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Landlord-reports-to-prison-2047235.php

 

https://feldman.law/news/city-does-not-owe-antonini/

 

https://www.houstonpress.com/news/this-blows-6575538

 

http://swamplot.com/midtowns-redone-central-square-plaza-now-looking-to-lure-tenants-to-its-ground-floor/2018-03-12/

[Highrise Tower]

The long-standing Singh Mart #5 should start soon.  This is located across the street from Westbury Square/Home Depot.

 

Quote

 

Start Date:

8/14/2020

Scope of Work:

CONSTRUCT NEW SHELL BUILDING, C-STORE BUILD-OUT AND GAS CANOPY

 

Square Footage:

34,376 ft ²

 

[Highrise Tower]

Singh Mart #5

[hbcu]

sad nothing can happen to Westbury Square