livincinco Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Ugh. Sounds like you're letting personal bias in on this one. It sounds to me like they are trying to create a one stop shopping area. If you need to use a laundromat, you've generally got a lot of time to kill in between. An opportunity to walk around a mall and take care of other errands would probably be pretty welcome. With all the excess retail sq footage out there right now, I wouldn't be suprised at all to see malls competing for businesses that are traditionally based in strip centers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 (edited) I'd think a lavaderia would be just as attractive an idea inside a mall as in a strip center. And, they are getting bigger and better these days. If a giant laundromat opened at Gulfgate, it would pack 'em in. Sounds like a sound business venture for re-purposing a mall in an area with a large immigrant population, IMO. I've spent quite a lot of time at laundromats in the east end when we were renting, and like with grocery shopping, people bring their families to do laundry, which provides increased traffic to the adjacent businesses. Edited January 4, 2010 by crunchtastic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indeed Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Plans for market The empty J.C. Penney space, however, was recently acquired by investor Matthew Nguyen who, separately, plans to open a market and laundromat in the space early next year. He'll also carve out smaller areas for tenants that want to lease between 800 and 1,500 square feet. Segal said the renovations and rebranding will begin soon.Full article here: http://www.chron.com...es/6778267.htmlIt's not a huge laundromat. The former JC Penney site will have a variety of uses, including a grocer, a laundromat, and a bunch of other stores. It's an appropriate use for a space that has been vacant for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 For that area, I think the market with laundramat is a good idea. Who knows, maybe they polled the people to see what they would like to have in their market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indeed Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 "Removing" Sharpstown (PlazAmericas) is not feasible. Consider:The property has at least five different owners, including the owners of: the mall, former JC Penney, former Macy's, Burlington Coat Factory, and the Jewelry building. "Removing" the mall would require purchasing all of these properties separately, and if you didn't get them all you would be out of luck. Several of these are operating businesses, and the Jewelry building is fully occupied. So you would have to spend a lot just to acquire the property. Then you'd have to deal with hundreds of existing leases, some of them long term. You can't just tell a tenant to leave because you want them out.Then you would have to spend millions to physically tear it down. Then, probably several years and tens of millions of dollars later, you would be left with a large vacant parcel in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood with crummy retail all around. You would have to sit on it (= no return on all the money you just spent) or seek financing to develop a brand new "something." Whatever that "something" would be (retail, residential, mixed use, etc) would cost hundreds of millions to build.Even with new market tax credits, TIRZ support, City support, community reinvestment act credits, and any other enhancements you could find, the prospects are minimal that you could pull off a new development any time soon. And if you did, my guess is that it would include at least 80% of the kind of things that are already there, to wit: retail, services, office, food.People talk about "bulldozing" the property, but never seem to address the realities of i) how to get that done, ii) what to build after, and iii) how to pay for it.And finally: this is a very visible, prominent deal in town. Every developer knows about it, but even with the mall itself being marketed through bankruptcy and both the JC Penney and Macy's being heavily advertized for sale, nobody has made a run at it. Given that the entire professional development community has passed on this prospect, the commenters should get the message that it just isn't going to happen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Quick KTRK story: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7214786 Store owners like Kevin Dang admit the targeting of Hispanic customers will lead them to change things.. He says his jewelry store will carry different inventory, but that, he says, is a small price to pay for the increase in business. Isn't that Johnny Dang's brother? Does the change in inventory mean I can't get these as easily anymore?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Quick KTRK story: http://abclocal.go.c...ocal&id=7214786 Isn't that Johnny Dang's brother? Does the change in inventory mean I can't get these as easily anymore?! Hey Ed! We need the minus sign, just for the watch alone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Hey Ed! We need the minus sign, just for the watch alone!Hey man, that's a Casio Water Resistant Sonar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porTENT Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 This is a smart move, a lateral move, but still a good long term demographics play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 OK, I'm not a real-estate expert (not more than an architect can be anyways). But I've got my own little test of whether PlazAmericas will succeed or fail.They've got the temporary, canvas PlazAmericas signs up over the old Sharpstown Mall monument signs. If they get the permanent signs up quick (in the next month or so) - then maybe they're on the right track. They're investing adequately in the property and they might turn it around yet.If it takes months and months to get the permanent signs out, and the old ones get tattered and ragged - then I say the mall is doomed to failure once again. They're not investing enough to do it right. They're putting lipstick on a pig; not doing the big changes they need to.Simplistic I know. But I drive by PlazAmericas every day. I am watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livincinco Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 OK, I'm not a real-estate expert (not more than an architect can be anyways). But I've got my own little test of whether PlazAmericas will succeed or fail.They've got the temporary, canvas PlazAmericas signs up over the old Sharpstown Mall monument signs. If they get the permanent signs up quick (in the next month or so) - then maybe they're on the right track. They're investing adequately in the property and they might turn it around yet.If it takes months and months to get the permanent signs out, and the old ones get tattered and ragged - then I say the mall is doomed to failure once again. They're not investing enough to do it right. They're putting lipstick on a pig; not doing the big changes they need to.Simplistic I know. But I drive by PlazAmericas every day. I am watching.Simplistic, but probably accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porTENT Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 When the blue freeway sign changes, then it's transition will be complete. Those canvas signs are permanent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 I came across this article today on the KHOU website.Has anyone seen the proposals that are being made for the PlazAmericas? Can they be posted here?I drive by there every day, and I'm intrigued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 I came across this article today on the KHOU website. Has anyone seen the proposals that are being made for the PlazAmericas? Can they be posted here? I drive by there every day, and I'm intrigued. The ones below are from a document made in January 2010. http://www.thelegaspi.com/assets/Uploads/PDFs/PlazAmericas-Information.pdf 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderroller Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Great. I give it 5 years. Will they have metal detectors at every entrance? Will they have a permanent carnival in the parking lot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 https://www.cowboysdancehall.com Architect - https://duncandesigngroup.com In the Duncan Design Group website they also have this.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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