looking_in_nw

Actually the closest one (and there are two - Walgreens & CVS) is just a mere mile and a half down the road at Spring Cypress and Barker Cypress.

I definitely wouldn't want another drug store, bank or Asian Salon in front of Rock Creek if I lived there...

I was trying to be sarcastic, but apparently they were closer than I thought. I agree, none of those things are needed there

I didn't catch what report they were quoting from, but it didn't sound like they were talking about the "outlet" malls.

It was probably based on the Wall Street Journal article a couple weeks ago about lifestyle centers, these recent outdoor mall developments like the Vintage. I don't recall outlet malls mentioned in the article.

The tenants trickling into the Vintage are really tilting the clientele in the wrong direction. Other than the restaurants and banks, there are no national chains. Its all nail shops, a local toy store, a medical clinic and a Verizon Wireless. You can get all those in the local strip mall. Most of the people going to cell phone stores are those who have to pay their bills with cash, and/or those who have a problem, which is often trying to reactivate their service. With a start like this, and with every new store of this caliber, big name, high end tenants will think less and less of the Vintage.

I see workers building out stores every day, yet there seem to be very few tenants moving in. Its really a disaster. I really don't have much hope for this development. Looks great. I really like the architecture, but if it doesn't get some good stores soon, its going to end up the slums of the HEB center next door.

Anchor and destination stores are a dying breed. With the wave of department store consolidations (i.e. Macy's nationalization) many malls are left with an extra anchor store space or two needing a tenant. Anchor stores are basically loss leaders where the mall essentially pays the tenant money upfront to build it out and often never make any money on the lease. Steve and Barrys gots its big expansion due to the shortage of anchor stores, and even S&B has gone bankrupt, further exasperating the anchor crisis. Steve and Barrys would never have been considered anchor store material a few years ago. The Vintage hasn't even been able to get a store of this lower quality yet, or maybe they are not lowering their standards. However, given their other clients, I don't think that is the situation.

How long until this thing gets reposessed by the creditors... and then there are the townhomes, or rather, the clearcut field, that will probably be another flop in that overall development. Sad to think the HEB center with the liquour store and nail shop is the current crown jewel of the whole Vintage development.

Took a look at Creekside Park the other day. Kind of disappointed in that it does not look like the Woodlands. It looks like any other development. Loads of clearcutting in many sections, no natural trees, very wide open entrance. Just not what I'm used to from The Woodlands. Plus, its sort of separated from the rest of the Woodlands and on Gosling. Heck, the dumpy trailer park a mile or two down Gosling has more wooded lots than those in Creekside Park.

Maybe it will get better over time as it grows, but its clearly done in a different character than the rest of the Woodlands. But, it looks like the Woodlands has been moving toward fewer natural trees on its new developements and commercial areas recently too.

Does anyone know what is coming to the corners of Spring Cypress & Louetta? I heard a Walgreens will be at Spring Cypress & Grant. (like we need another).

What do you mean? Not one of the four corners at that intersection has a Walgreens or CVS yet. Even then, the Spring Cypress/Louetta intersection is far enough away for another Walgreens as well. The nearest one is like three miles away!

I am sorry, I should have clarified my post, I meant the area west of Barker Cypress and South of Jarvis, where the Reed King Commercial property is... and the area east of Telge is a very small section I believe marketed toward seniors, there was much more room across Telge than what was developed.

Either, way, what's done is done, and now all we can do is hope for the best in tems of multi-family and commercial development. I have been lobbying the Coles board to become active in steering the development of certain pieces of commercial property as best they can, they are trying but it seems they are overwhelmed.

I don't imagine there is much the Coles Crossing board can do, though it would be nice if they could do something. As I understand it, Cole's developer sold off those sections nof land. Without zoning, its pretty much a free for all.

I'm just waiting for a McDonald's or Burger King to go up on the NE corner of the new Telge-Huffmeister intersection, the part that is still wooded. That, or a gas station combo with a fast food joint. Or worse yet, another strip mall with a nail shop and three vacant units...

If the trees do not get saved, which I'm sure they won't, and some business is built, a bank would be about the best to hope for, but I'm not sure that would happen.

These are some ratings for the Broadstone Coles Crossing apartments down by Randalls. I know this is different management, and the developers kept some trees there, but hopefully similar clientele choose to live at the new Davis development.

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/TX-Cy...s-Crossing.html

Jefferson Development failed because they chose not to develop the land? I have often wondered why they didn't expand Cole's to the other side of Barker Cypress as well as some of the area's east of Telge...I mean the community was successful. I know they didn't even try to acquire the land west of Barker Cypress closer to 290 because is was in a different MUD, at least that is the story I have been given.

BTW, that other development down Huffmiester you linked is pretty crappy, I like the other one much more...

Coles Crossing was expanded to the west of Barker Cypress and east of Telge:

http://www.colescrossinghoa.com/images/cus...0COMMERCIAL.PDF

Coles has apparently decided ot not annex Stillwater Village east of Telge because it would put too much of a strain on amenities, even though Stillwater Village developers lobbied for it.

Here is an article in the HBJ about an apartment complex Davis Development put up west of Houston. It sounds better than most, so hopefully the one at Telge and Huffmeister is at least this "high end".

All the trees are down on that parcel now, except for about a token three or four.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories...ry4.html?page=2

Spring Creek is great. Used to go to them all the time when I lived in Dallas. Go hungary.

If you think the proliferation of Starbucks is bad, go to London sometime. Right downtown in the City. If you stand on a street corner and look down all four directions, you can generally see a McDonald's within two blocks in at least three of those directions. Absolutely unreal.

Clearing which land? I hope you're not talking about the forested land behind the Kids R Kids.

I'm afraid so. They have cleared out most of the south portion along the new Huffmeister Road, with the exception of the southwest corner by where it intersects Telge. Other than a few token trees along the road, completely clear cut.

Apartments are the least of your worries up there.... A close friend lives in StableWood off of Huffmeister, about 2 minutes from the proposed site. For sale signs are up all over the place... some have been up for over a year.

Apartments are going to lower the value of your homes anymore than the seemingly unlimited land.

What does the average lot sell for? $30,000???

I'm not sure the Stablewood Farms homes for sale are not a different issue. I've met a few people who moved from Stablewood Farms to Coles Crossing, so I doubt the apartments were the issue there. I've heard other things about Stablewood Farms, with the lack of ammenities and a high HOA, along with the KB Homes and "diverse" group of housing options.

Anyone know if the "high-end luxury" apartments are still going to be built in on this land?

I wouldn't take all these recommendations for Fox just at their word. Maybe Fox is good for older homes on things like foundations and so forth, but I think they leave something to be desired on new construction.

I didn't have Gordon himself, but the guy I had did point out a lot of things on what he did look at. He did a good job there, but I expected all areas covered under the Texas Home Warranty to be reviewed. The problem was that he wouldn't look at anything that wasn't functional, such as fit and finish. He refused to list a few light fixtures that were broken because the issue wasnt fucntional. Also, a few walls were out of plumb and that got missed as well, along with a number of items that are in violation of the Texas Home Warranty. I even had to point out some things to him. For as long as they took and the price they charged, I'd think they could do a more thorough job.

Thanks. Those are some good points I hadn't considered. Much appreciated.

I've been looking at the Patio homes in the "new" section of Coles Crossing. These are the small Weekley homes with the zero based lots. They seem really nice compared with other homes that size, nice features and such, especially compared to other developments in the same price range. I just don't know if these homes will hold their value very well given the lot sizes and the fact that they are on the east side of Telge, sort of separate from the rest of Coles Crossing.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience on patio homes, and whether these would be hard to sell later?