thedistrict84 Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Noticed some variance request signs on the N Ennis side of the Pruitt Co. shop, for reduced parking minimum requirements and reduced setback on Canal. I had no idea that Pruitt Co. was possibly moving (they mostly perform heavy commercial vehicle service and maintenance, including fire trucks and other City vehicles). I live a block away, so I’ll be watching this closely. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karin Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 This sign was posted today at The Pruitt Company at 3001 Canal. Any ideas as to what’s going on with this property? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Interesting. There's a new waste water permit as of March by H2B Engineering, a structural engineering firm. Can't find much else. HCAD still says Pruitt and can't find any recent commercial sales in Biz Journal that would fit this description. They could be replatting the land to sell. If it has already sold, the plat says the intent is a commercial development which would be great for this area! I can't wait for the Canal and Commerce corridors to connect the development at the East side of Commerce/Canal/Nav to the greater East End community. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karin Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 19 minutes ago, ljchou said: Interesting. There's a new waste water permit as of March by H2B Engineering, a structural engineering firm. Can't find much else. HCAD still says Pruitt and can't find any recent commercial sales in Biz Journal that would fit this description. They could be replatting the land to sell. If it has already sold, the plat says the intent is a commercial development which would be great for this area! I can't wait for the Canal and Commerce corridors to connect the development at the East side of Commerce/Canal/Nav to the greater East End community. I live down the street from this location, so there are some forms of commercial (bar, club, liquor store) I don't want. Called the planning commission and they have no info because the variance request doesn't give a reference number. I've never looked up a plat - can you give me a URL? Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 I just emailed the variance contact person, included the pics, and asked if they could look up the variance requests for me. I think that worst case scenario the details will be posted on 8/12 as part of the packet for the meeting on 8/19. This is actually extremely interesting to me to see what the planning commission will say about a parking variance. This lot is JUST outside a Transit-Oriented Development block. If it was on the pink secondary TOD designated block, it would qualify for an opt-in 50% reduction in parking requirement for commercial uses or 100% reduction for Single Family Residential. Granted, this building is basically one entire curb cut and I believe that they would have to follow some pedestrian realm and other guidelines, so they might not have even wanted to go that route. Will report back when I have an update. 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Also, if they turned this building into a giant 17k sq ft ice house, you would need 170+ parking spaces. Wild. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 There's nothing in the Plat Tracker for the 8/19 meeting. It may have some more info on the document once it's available: https://plattracker.houstontx.gov/edrc/rptDraftAgendaItems.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapo2367 Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 28 minutes ago, wilcal said: Also, if they turned this building into a giant 17k sq ft ice house, you would need 170+ parking spaces. Wild. Thats an insane amount of parking -- how many does the cidercade/common desk parking lot hold? It can't be that much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 16 minutes ago, ljchou said: There's nothing in the Plat Tracker for the 8/19 meeting. It may have some more info on the document once it's available: https://plattracker.houstontx.gov/edrc/rptDraftAgendaItems.aspx Based on the signs, it doesn't sound like they are wanting to actually re-plat. They just want to build something closer to the street and they want to reduce the parking requirements. This could be something as minor as them wanting to build a small extension and not want to add any parking for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 6 minutes ago, sapo2367 said: Thats an insane amount of parking -- how many does the cidercade/common desk parking lot hold? It can't be that much more. Instead of 10-14 spaces per 1,000 sq ft that a bar needs, they are likely listed as the "Arcade or Game Room" type which is only 5 spaces per 1,000 sq ft. I don't know how many spaces CIdercade has, and Google Maps isn't updated yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedistrict84 Posted August 9, 2021 Author Share Posted August 9, 2021 (edited) 25 minutes ago, wilcal said: Instead of 10-14 spaces per 1,000 sq ft that a bar needs, they are likely listed as the "Arcade or Game Room" type which is only 5 spaces per 1,000 sq ft. I don't know how many spaces CIdercade has, and Google Maps isn't updated yet. Yes, because let’s have more people driving to, parking at, and driving from a bar than an arcade room. In what world does that make sense? The minimum parking requirements in this city cannot go away soon enough. (Even assuming part of that calculation is the extra space that arcade machines take up, it is still absurd for that kind of disparity.) Edited August 9, 2021 by thedistrict84 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedistrict84 Posted August 9, 2021 Author Share Posted August 9, 2021 28 minutes ago, wilcal said: Based on the signs, it doesn't sound like they are wanting to actually re-plat. They just want to build something closer to the street and they want to reduce the parking requirements. This could be something as minor as them wanting to build a small extension and not want to add any parking for it. The name on the second notice lists “EADO Canal Development” so it sounds like some sort of new development is expected. If Pruitt was behind it, I don’t think it would be listed in that manner (and since they have been in the East End since the beginning of time, they certainly wouldn’t call this “EaDo” for a number of reasons—first being that this isn’t anywhere near EaDo). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 (edited) The property has been sold. No developments will occur until at least next year. The "valet" service reference in the first notice is concerning. Edited August 9, 2021 by ljchou 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 @Ross, is there anything on the Houston County Clerk website about this? I can't seem to figure the website out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 My completely uneducated guess based on basically nothing is that this screams another mega nightclub like the other two announced for EaDo. I still haven't gotten the variance applications yet from the city. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Seems like a $400k renovation is not going to do a lot for a 17k sq ft building.... Maybe it is going to be a giant ice house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 (edited) I'm not convinced that's the full reno. H2B Engineering is the design firm behind Heights Mercantile, Buff Bayou Brewing, a few other retail spots, one truck yard location and a few country clubs and theaters. The lady at Pruitt said they'd maintain operations on the property until August 2022, I'm curious what purpose this reno would serve in the interim? I'll keep my fingers crossed for a mixed use facility like Heights Mercantile. http://www.h2bengineers.com/retail-and-hospitality.html Edited August 9, 2021 by ljchou 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karin Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 3 hours ago, wilcal said: Also, if they turned this building into a giant 17k sq ft ice house, you would need 170+ parking spaces. Wild. 14 minutes ago, wilcal said: My completely uneducated guess based on basically nothing is that this screams another mega nightclub like the other two announced for EaDo. I still haven't gotten the variance applications yet from the city. I hope you're wrong about a mega nightclub. I really don't have time for a fight right now, but I'll do what I have to do. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapo2367 Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 2 hours ago, thedistrict84 said: The name on the second notice lists “EADO Canal Development” so it sounds like some sort of new development is expected. If Pruitt was behind it, I don’t think it would be listed in that manner (and since they have been in the East End since the beginning of time, they certainly wouldn’t call this “EaDo” for a number of reasons—first being that this isn’t anywhere near EaDo). It is sad to see Pruitt go, with their sign proudly announcing they've around since 1919 :/ Hopefully it's a moving vs a closing situation a la Olshan. That being said I'm all for some more retail/walkable development in the area, so I'm part of the problem as well hahaha. How far can EaDo go? Will East River be EaDo (probably)? The area by the coffee plant on Harrisburg? Gus Wortham? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karin Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 10 minutes ago, wilcal said: Seems like a $400k renovation is not going to do a lot for a 17k sq ft building.... Maybe it is going to be a giant ice house. Why build a giant ice house across the street from Moon Tower? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBTX Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 34 minutes ago, wilcal said: My completely uneducated guess based on basically nothing is that this screams another mega nightclub like the other two announced for EaDo. I still haven't gotten the variance applications yet from the city. 18 minutes ago, Karin said: I hope you're wrong about a mega nightclub. I really don't have time for a fight right now, but I'll do what I have to do. I would hate to see this as well. That said, if it happens, it won't be by the same company that is opening the two new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 20 minutes ago, ljchou said: I'm not convinced that's the full reno. H2B Engineering is the design firm behind Heights Mercantile, Buff Bayou Brewing, a few other retail spots, one truck yard location and a few country clubs and theaters. The lady at Pruitt said they'd maintain operations on the property until August 2022, I'm curious what purpose this reno would serve in the interim? I'll keep my fingers crossed for a mixed use facility like Heights Mercantile. http://www.h2bengineers.com/retail-and-hospitality.html 17 minutes ago, Karin said: I hope you're wrong about a mega nightclub. I really don't have time for a fight right now, but I'll do what I have to do. Ok, new guess. H2B did Buffalo Bayou Brewing, Back Pew Brewing, Karbach Brewery, Bakfish Brewing I'll bet you this is going to be a brewery. Perfect mix of needing a bunch of un-air conditioned warehouse space along with needing some additional off-street parking. 8 minutes ago, Karin said: Why build a giant ice house across the street from Moon Tower? Moon Tower is kind of its own thing and they do tend to cluster. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 21 minutes ago, sapo2367 said: It is sad to see Pruitt go, with their sign proudly announcing they've around since 1919 :/ Hopefully it's a moving vs a closing situation a la Olshan. That being said I'm all for some more retail/walkable development in the area, so I'm part of the problem as well hahaha. How far can EaDo go? Will East River be EaDo (probably)? The area by the coffee plant on Harrisburg? Gus Wortham? I mean, look at the Heights. And EaDo isn't even that marketable imho. New rule: anyone that incorporates EaDo has the market-based parking extended to that area as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 4 minutes ago, wilcal said: Ok, new guess. H2B did Buffalo Bayou Brewing, Back Pew Brewing, Karbach Brewery, Bakfish Brewing I'll bet you this is going to be a brewery. Perfect mix of needing a bunch of un-air conditioned warehouse space along with needing some additional off-street parking. Moon Tower is kind of its own thing and they do tend to cluster. *asks the universe for groceries and food vendors* 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karin Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 3 minutes ago, wilcal said: I mean, look at the Heights. And EaDo isn't even that marketable imho. New rule: anyone that incorporates EaDo has the market-based parking extended to that area as well. There are young families moving into this area. The developer who figures out how to cater to more than the bar crowd will be well rewarded. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 7 minutes ago, ljchou said: *asks the universe for groceries and food vendors* 4 minutes ago, Karin said: There are young families moving into this area. The developer who figures out how to cater to more than the bar crowd will be well rewarded. I'm still holding out hope for the Olshan site for a grocery store. Signed, this young family moving into Eastwood in the next month or so. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljchou Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 8 minutes ago, wilcal said: Signed, this young family moving into Eastwood in the next month or so. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 23 minutes ago, ljchou said: Congrats! Thank you! The bungalow renovation process has been... a process. Special shoutout to the CoH planning department for taking nearly a month to approve my reno permit! My wife teaches around the corner at East Early so we're looking forward to being more of a part of the community :) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 5 hours ago, ljchou said: @Ross, is there anything on the Houston County Clerk website about this? I can't seem to figure the website out. There wasn't anything when I looked yesterday(or today, either). The Pruitt Company did gift the property across the street, 3012 Canal, to Baylor University, East Texas Baptist College, and Tyler JC in 2016. That property ended up with Godstone Ranch Real Estate, llc, who sold it to the imaginatively named 3012 Canal, llc. Godstone has the same registered agent as On Time Electric, the current occupant of 3012 Canal. Here's an "About Us" page for them https://www.ontime-electric.com/about-us The registered agent for 3012 Canal, llc has the same address, 3016 Canal, as the EADO Smoke and Vape shop. Here's some background on the CEO of The Pruitt Company https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/448896/dm-edwards-celebrates-more-than-40-years-of-industry-experience Well, after some more searching, there were a series of transactions in October of 2016 where 3001 Canal was sold by Pruitt to Odessa Brake and Spring, another company run by the Pruitt CEO, and immediately flipped to RDZ Holdings, llc. We are coming up on 5 years after the sale, which would conform to leasebacks we've seen elsewhere. We've also seen examples where the actual owner didn't appear in hcad.org, like the South Main Sears, which was owned by Rice University, but always listed Sears in HCAD. Sorry for the stream of consciousness post, but it follows my search pattern this evening. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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