Uptown And Galleria Area Real Estate

[Subdude]

Galleria offices slated

The Galleria area may have an abundance of vacant space in its office buildings, but that doesn't seem to bother Midway Cos., which is planning to build one more. But this building won't house huge law firms or oil and gas conglomerates that most big landlords drool over.

For one thing, they wouldn't fit.

Midway's office building is going to be only four stories tall with 50,000 square feet. That's about the size of one major tenant in a building like Williams Tower.

The low-key location and high-end design sell a different kind of experience.

The property is being built on Wynden, a tree-lined street tucked away from the cluster of high-rises and bumper-to-bumper traffic on Post Oak Boulevard.

And it's adjacent to Tanglewood, one of the priciest neighborhoods in town.

"A lot of the potential tenants we get are either heads of companies or doctors that live in Tanglewood or Memorial, and they want the convenience of having their office close to their home," said Jonathan Brinsden, executive vice president of Midway.

Other developers feel the same way.

Don Hand is developing a 90,000-square-foot four-story building on Cypresswood near the Hewlett-Packard campus.

It's also next to the Champion Forest neighborhood, which has million-dollar mansions overlooking the Raveneaux Country Club. Hand developed that neighborhood as well.

Tenants have committed to lease about 40 percent of the upscale building, and it's still under construction.

"There's a real demand for quality office space in the suburbs, and people will pay a premium to get it," said Brenda Pennington of Pennington Commercial Real Estate, which is leasing the building.

Indeed, space there is going for $22 per square foot, Pennington said. Those are top rents for that area.

And the owners of The Woodlands are planning to build a seven-story, 105,000-square-foot building with retail space along its Waterway.

The Woodlands Development Co. is considering moving into the building.

These developers weren't the first to recognize a growing demand for smaller, high-class office buildings near silk-stocking suburbs.

In the late 1990s, Redstone Cos. purchased undeveloped land adjacent to the Houstonian Hotel and developed a six-story office building on the site.

"They filled that building very quickly at high rents," said Midway's Brinsden.

And the link.

[Talbot]

Will this one have retail or any distinguishing architectual qualities that stand out or will it be one of those office park type buildings?

[KinkaidAlum]

The latter.

The first two buildings she speaks of are very suburban looking. Heck, the one going up in Tanglewood is located in a neighborhood that used to be 100% residential.

In fact, the only one that looks "urban" at all is the one in The Woodlands. Go figure...

[Talbot]

That's a disappointment, that's where the NIMBY's should be stepping in. It's like reverse progress.

[citykid09]

Wouldn't a Dense Area in Uptown be Cool?

Shopping, Living, Working, Walking!!!

Some one should think of that. That would be cool. Maybe something like the little downtown Sugarland is working on, but more dense with taller buildings.

Someone should develope something like this for Houston's Uptown. They could make millions. Everyone would want to live in that area. Then have the light rail run through (I say in a subway.)

If I had the money to I would do this. JUst think it you had Bill Gates money what you could do for your city. If I had the money I would build a subway Uptown (with my own money) make a very dense area, with out of this world attractions. Houston woould be where everyone would want to come and vacation. I would buy out Richmond ave, nock down everything and in place make Houston's version of Bourbon St.

I would by out Greenway Plaza move all of thouse business to downtown, and turn greenway in to an area where people live.

I would fix Montrose up by making more buildings walkable and I would add street cars to this area, and they would go all the way into downtown.

What would you do????

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[kzseattle]

I would leech off your generosity...

oh, and it's Bourbon, not Burbin

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some interesting facts about Uptown Houston:

- It is about the size of downtown Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles!

- Per capita income in Uptown of $65,000 is higher than Beverley Hills and Costa Mesa, California

- Williams Towers is the tallest building in the world outside of a CBD (claim is disputed though)

- Galleria is the fifth largest mall in America in term of retail space, second largest in term of number stores and largest in terms prestige and luxury.

- There are 30 high-rise apartment buildings in the vicinity of Uptown

- Uptown hosts 20 millions visitors a year.

Source - Wikipedia

[citykid09]

I would also have a Times Square type setup in Uptown, Kind of like what they are doing in Dallas. And I would pick one of the streets in Uptown and line it with walkable clubs, and pubs. Another thing I would do is keep adding to the Galleria, but make the newer parts walkable from the outside only.

And I don't care what any of you have to say about this. I WANT A SUBWAY IN HOUSTON!!!!

There is something about a subway thats more urban than street lightrail.

[UrbaNerd]

Blech, I would not like a times square type of thing in Uptown. keep uptown rich, not plastered in tacky, over-colorful overcommercializtion.

[111486]

I don't even think downtown would look like that. Well not anytime soon.

[citykid09]

You never know, some developer may plan to make it all happen.

[pwright1]

Blech, I would not like a times square type of thing in Uptown.  keep uptown rich, not plastered in tacky, over-colorful overcommercializtion.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Rich? Please!! Yeah just keep it 80's tacky, tired and bland.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

Not only is Uptown wealthier than Beverly Hilsl itself, but the nation's wealthiest zip code is in downtown Houston. I think that justifies d'town AND uptown's claim as very "rich".

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[kzseattle]

I think that's almost a trick-statement. Is there a real demographic downtown to take a concensus of? I just have a hard time believing that our Downtown hosts the richest of the rich in this whole nation, much less this state.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe he is referring to River Oaks. It is indeed one of the wealthiest regions in the country although I am not sure if is the wealthiest. I did read it someplace that Memorial is the fourth wealthiest zip code in the country and we know River Oaks is wealthier than Memorial.

[UrbaNerd]

He meant income. There is this ONE zip code in Downtown Houston where the average income is like 700,000. This is because some rich dude or something lives in one of the lofts there. Also, the homes in River Oaks may be more expensive, but when they rate it by wealth, that part of memorial may have a higher median value, because many homes in the river Oaks area are relatively inexpensive (under 500,000) and this may cancel out the UBER expensive homes. The median for Piney Point is around 700,000 something.

[KinkaidAlum]

Actually, the wealthiest zip code in the nation is in fact 77010. However, most of downtown is 77002.

77010 is the zip code for the Houston Center. The only residents there live atop the Four Seasons Hotel in either rental apts or the new condos on the top 5 floors.

River Oaks' zip code is 77019. It is very wealthy but it also includes more than River Oaks, stretching East of Shepherd into what many consider parts of Montrose all the way to the old 4th ward.

[MidtownCoog]

I am currently working in London (Strand) for three weeks. This "density" thing can really be over rated IMHO.

Kinda makes me miss my sprawl.

Seriously

Proper land use is one thing, but living like a rat is quite another.

[jt16]

I agree MidtownCoog. I lived in NYC, and you do indeed have to put up with a lot of inconvenience. Density sounds sounds appealing mostly to those who haven't lived it.

[citykid09]

I have been there I know. It's like your traped in a sea of buildings and can't get out. It kind of makes you sick. But it's kinda cool and diffrent from normal life, in average cities.

[yall_are_nutty]

Density particularly sounds unappealing when you have small children.

[MidtownCoog]

On a related note, some of the trains and tubes get so busy that you still encounter a "rush hour". Many of my coworkers here in London take an hour to an hour 1/2 to get to work via a combination of car, train and tube.

I don't see how that's any better than an hour commute in Houston, expcept for the pollution from our cars.

Think about it.

[MidtownCoog]

But if by "dense" you mean a pedestrian zone like Leistcher Square, Picadilly Circus, etc. that would be cool.

But in Texas, the equilivant of that is a shopping mall.

[citykid09]

All of those places are copy cats of our Times Square.

[MidtownCoog]

maybe, but with no cars allowed

[citykid09]

I see cars in the picture.

[kzseattle]

I see cars in the picture.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes but I think Leistcher Square and its alleys are mostly pedestrain-oriented. London is indeed very dense because of extensive street-level retail and narrow roads. The buildings are tightly packed and streets are filled with people. I always enjoyed walking into a random alley and gazing at the buildings as each building is unique. It is tough to say which city is more dense/lively: New York or London. They both come pretty close.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[kzseattle]

Why are we arguing about London?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

because these days MidtownCoog is LondonCoog

Seriously, though, there is always something to be learnt from other cities. Talking about urban density, London has some ideas of its own.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[largeTEXAS]

Uptown more than anything needs to become more walkable. For such a dense area, it is virtually impossible to walk around. It's a total shame how neglected the pedestrian is there.

[MidtownCoog]

Just saying density is over rated.

And density with pedestrian zones like the Galleria is a nightmare.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[kjb434]

If development along the north of Westhemer at Post Oak can be built up to the sidewalks like in an urban setting, pedestrian bridges can be built for accesss. Or, if the money was there, a short tunnel under the roads can be built like in downtown.

I think if the developers and retail managers would get together with the Uptown District; they can produce a cohesive pedestrian friendly atmosphere.

Another option with the intersection of Post Oak and Westheimer would be all direction cross walk. This concept is used in many major urban centers typically with one street intersections. In this configuration, no right turns on red would be allowed and a 20 to 30 second time phase would be added into the street signal to allow pedestrians to walk. This would allow petrians to walk diagonally across the intersection.

Being there on busy days, i always see people walking around outside anyway. This will facilitate it a little more.

[incurablygeek]

Just saying density is over rated.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It has it's benefits ... local pubs, cafes and theatres, the tube, ability to live without a car. It's all in the careful planning of where you live and work.

A little more pedestrian and bicycle friendliness would be an improvement but I doubt it will happen without a little more density.

[SpaceCity]

Not only is Uptown wealthier than Beverly Hilsl itself, but the nation's wealthiest zip code is in downtown Houston. I think that justifies d'town AND uptown's claim as very "rich".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Source please?

[cr186783]

Check out inHoustonSearch.com (www.inHoustonSearch.com).

inHoustonSearch.com provides an easy-to-use tool for users to search businesses in uptown, midtown and downtown Houston including the tunnel system and parking in downtown area.

[H-Town]

Check out inHoustonSearch.com (www.inHoustonSearch.com).

inHoustonSearch.com provides an easy-to-use tool for users to search businesses in uptown, midtown and downtown Houston including the tunnel system and parking in downtown area.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Looks like a pretty informative site...thanks for the link.

[mrell32]

I not 100% sure on this, but my friend sent me this picture and he said that a new Residential Tower is going to be build Uptown galleria area.I don't no if it's go or not.

[citykid09]

^What is it called?

[YakuzaIce]

Could you ask your friend the address, or name of the developer?

[kjb434]

Cool, nice building. Hope it really is in the works.

[citykid09]

I don't notice the buildings in the background. Are you sure thats in Houston?

[LTAWACS]

That would look awesome in midtown.

[citykid09]

I wonder why architects don't think to put spires on buildings in Houston? I wish they would, it would make some of the buildings stand out more.

[YakuzaIce]

I don't notice the buildings in the background. Are you sure thats in Houston?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was thinking the same thing. I can't recall any buildings in uptown that look like that. I also agree with your comment on spires. We could use more, but these just seem so tacked on.

I wonder if the Mercer would have looked better with the spires that were in the earlier renderings.

[LTAWACS]

spires were a thing of the 90's. atl has so many of them but we dont because we hardly built anything then.

[marc]

I wonder why architects don't think to put spires on buildings in Houston? I wish they would, it would make some of the buildings stand out more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. Like Austin, I think that Houston (albeit) has great designs showcased in many highrises, could use a giant spire or two. Just to get it out of the flat top look.

m.

[marc]

spires were a thing of the 90's. atl has so many of them but we dont because we hardly built anything then.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would have to disagree- i think spires will always attract the eye. It sort of points our focal direction up. Yes, Atlanta has an overabundance of them, and although i love Chicago's skyline, they could lay off the double spire/antenna business for the next few highrises. But, just picture it, in the middle of downtown, a nice glistening building (glass, stone and shining metal) with a spire on top???? No? You can't see that? Give Houston a new image for a new millineum?? That sort of stuff.

Maybe, say, a 1000ft tower with a 200ft spire??

No?

m.

[LTAWACS]

I would have to disagree- i think spires will always attract the eye.  It sort of points our focal direction up. Yes, Atlanta has an overabundance of them, and although i love Chicago's skyline, they could lay off the double spire/antenna business for the next few highrises.  But, just picture it, in the middle of downtown, a nice glistening building (glass, stone and shining metal) with a spire on top???? No?  You can't see that?  Give Houston a new image for a new millineum?? That sort of stuff.

Maybe, say, a 1000ft tower with a 200ft spire??

No?

m.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ok ok yes!