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West Dallas St. At Allen Pkwy.


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A home with history

Old warehouse, once a Sears and a med school, could get new life as apartments

By NANCY SARNOFF

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Ameriton Properties, a subsidiary of apartment developer Archstone-Smith, is planning to buy an 11-acre tract of land on Montrose Boulevard, between Allen Parkway and West Dallas.

In documents filed with the city, Ameriton is named as the developer of the proposed "Village at Allen Parkway."

Details on how the site will be developed are limited, as the company is still studying the feasibility of the project.

"Until a deal has closed, we're not in a position to comment," said spokeswoman Heather Campbell.

The company also is said to be buying the 2.75-acre Sacks Paper Co. site, located just across Allen Parkway and Memorial on Studemont.

If the sale does close, it will be easy to predict how the site is developed.

Ameriton builds apartments, so a high-density residential project is a given. But the size of the property could accommodate additional uses beyond residential.

Before any plans are finalized, Ameriton will have to decide how

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  • 4 weeks later...

Maybe it's just me, but I haven't heard that family name and Houston real estate in the same sentence in a long time.

Industrial sites sold to developers of apartments

Odds are two lots to turn into homes

Industrial sites sold to developers of apartments

By NANCY SARNOFF

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

A pair of industrial tracts of land near downtown Houston have been sold to developers that will likely build residential projects on the sites.

CenterPoint Energy sold the land, which amounts to nearly 14 acres along West Dallas and just south of Allen Parkway, to two builders for separate developments.

Jonathan Farb of Farb Apartment Homes purchased 5.7 acres on the south side of West Dallas, just east of Montrose Boulevard.

Farb, the grandson of veteran apartment developer Harold Farb, started a development company of his own several years ago and has been building townhomes in the inner city.

Across West Dallas from Farb's site, Ameriton Properties bought 8.2 acres from CenterPoint at the northeast corner of West Dallas and Montrose.

Ameriton, a subsidiary of Archstone-Smith, is also planning to acquire the old Robinson Public Warehouse, which sits on about three acres at 2323 Allen Parkway. The structure was built in 1929 as a Sears, Roebuck & Co. department store.

The sale of the building has not yet closed, said Heather Campbell, an Archstone-Smith spokeswoman.

And in a related deal, Ameriton has purchased the 2.75-acre Sacks Paper Co. site, just across Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive on Studemont.

While specific plans for its sites are still unclear, Ameriton primarily develops apartments.

Campbell said the company may develop parts of the land and sell what's left.

The seller of the two West Dallas properties is CenterPoint.

The company is moving its operations, which handle meter reading and other services, because it needs room for expansion, said David George, director of corporate real estate and facilities management. To that end, CenterPoint bought 17 acres of land just east of downtown at 3000 Harrisburg.

D.E. Harvey Builders and the Kirksey architecture firm will construct and design a new operations center on the land for CenterPoint.

Until that building is completed at the end of 2005, the energy firm will lease back its West Dallas properties from their new owners.

Stewart Robinson of Binswanger/Conine & Robinson and Bill McDade of McDade, Smith, Gould, Johnston, Mason + Co. represented CenterPoint in the transactions.

nancy.sarnoff@chron.com

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  • 4 weeks later...

It's been several weeks now, but the sign that said "The Village at Allen Parkway" and indicated that the property had been bought has been taken down. The For Sale signs have stayed up this entire time. Maybe the deal fell through?

Too bad... Something needs to be done with that property. It's such a great location.

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  • 3 weeks later...

the multi-family (apartment) market is a blood-bath right now for owners/landlords. I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would build right now. But then again, who said these developers were in their right minds....

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  • 4 weeks later...

I contacted Stan Creech Properties this morning, the property is still under contract with the original developer and they don't think they'll be able to preserve the existing building.... its in a flood plain.

It'd be a great location and building for REAL lofts (not the pseudo "hey we tore down a building with great history and style to build a new one that vaguely resembles something with history and style" loft), but at 5 million bucks before any renovation begins, I don't see the financial feasibility. Probably for the best. I think one more 500 unit, themed midrise apartment complex is JUST what Houston needs. Maybe they can squeeze in a CVS or a strip mall too.

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  • 6 months later...

Has anyone heard anything new on this? The properties (Robinson and the land/buildings to the south) have new for sale signs up. Used to be Stan Creech, now its Wheless Properties.

Guess the apartment idea didn't pan out.

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Yeah, it would be about the same as Montrose north of Buffalo Bayou to Washington. There are a ton of apartment and townhomes there.

If this corner would be developed, people could get to the Allen Parkway service road and Dallas besides Montrose.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 6 months later...

I have loved that building ever since I was a kid. I always remember driving by it for some reason. I'm only eighteen and I believe it has been vacant or just a poorly kept storage facility for most if not all of my life. I have always wanted to buy it, but unfortunately I don't have $5 million to throw around. It would be pretty sad if it was to asssume the fate of so many other structures in the area i.e. becoming cookie-cutter midrise lofts. I wouldn't so much mind if they renovated the interior as long as the original structure was preserved, because that would probably be what I would do if I had the means to do it myself. Anyone have any updates on this?

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  • 4 months later...

Very sad. My mom worked at the Robinson Public Warehouse for a couple of years in the late 1960s. I'd heard that the flooding that occurred during Allison caused significant damage, but had hoped that someone would restore and repurpose the buildings rather than demolish them. Guess we'll have another high-rise or some townhomes to look forward to instead.

That whole area has changed tremendously in the past 20 years - anyone remember when the SPCA used to be right down the street, and the rice/grain elevators were still standing?

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Very sad. My mom worked at the Robinson Public Warehouse for a couple of years in the late 1960s. I'd heard that the flooding that occurred during Allison caused significant damage, but had hoped that someone would restore and repurpose the buildings rather than demolish them. Guess we'll have another high-rise or some townhomes to look forward to instead.

That whole area has changed tremendously in the past 20 years - anyone remember when the SPCA used to be right down the street, and the rice/grain elevators were still standing?

Yes....and the railroad bridge across the bayou. Pretty soon KHOU will become an endangered building.

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  • The title was changed to West Dallas St. Near Allen Parkway
  • The title was changed to West Dallas St. At Allen Pkwy.

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