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Bay Area Business
News
A publication of Bay Area
Houston Economic Partnership
www.bayareahouston.com Issue 30
– May 19, 2009
In this Edition...
Commercial/Office/Industrial Development
Retail / Hospitality Development
Residential Development
Infrastructure News and Everything Else!
Commercial / Office / Industrial Development
A new office building has been
announced for 700 E. Medical Center Boulevard in Webster (between Sarah Deel
Drive and El Camino Real). It will be built to Gold LEED standards with an
extensive green roof. Up to 30,000 SF will be available.
Peterson Plantation Plaza, a
new 10,000 SF commercial development at 1410 Winding Way in Friendswood, is
underway with anticipated completion by September. Riley-Sherman Shipping
Agency, an oceanic transportation logistics company, will headquarter there.
A second building is planned – a build-to-suit for lease. • Cowards Creek
Office Park is underway at 1102 S. Friendswood Drive. Total building size is
6,000 SF. Parkwood Vision Center will take 2,002 SF. • Roberts Office Park,
a building recently remodeled at 306 S. Friendswood Drive, is ready for
tenants. Build-out is 12,000 SF and divided into four 3,000 SF upper and
lower level units.
The second phase of the Armed
Forces Reserve Complex will begin this month at Ellington Field. The $48.4
million project consists of 10 buildings for the Army Reserve, Navy, Marine
Corps Reserve and National Guard support and training missions. Completion
is expected for November 2010.
Phase one of the 45-acre
business park on Beltway 8 in Pasadena will be shovel-ready pretty quick.
Planned is a 2-story, 60,000 SF building. Four 15,000 SF floor plates will
be constructed in an offset-wing design. Location is south of Greenshadow
Drive.
There’s also a new business
park in the design phase on Genoa-Red Bluff Road, just east of Beltway 8 in
Pasadena. Work should start this summer on the 29-acre tract. The site is
about 4 miles from I-45 and 6 miles from SH 225.
GulfPort Industrial Park is
planned on 288 acres on SH 225 in Pasadena. Parcel one is 95 to 188 acres
and parcel two is 100 acres. Utilities are in place; rail is available to
both parcels. Deep water frontage is 2,226 feet along the Houston Ship
Channel; maintained draft depth is approximately 42 feet. The land is
available for build-to-suits, design build and land sales.
Construction is complete at
the 226,000 SF Bayport Logistics Center in Seabrook on SH 146 between Port
Rd. and Red Bluff Rd. Gulf Winds International, Inc. is filling it up.
Port of Houston Authority
commissioners may award a contract for the Bayport Terminal Administration
Building, a $10.6 million project. The two-story, 30,000 SF building will be
LEED-certified. They also may award a contract for the Bayport Terminal
Maintenance and Repair Building Phase 1 for $19.3 million. This project
would include a 65,500 SF building.
Plans are still on for the
apartments at the River Bend development. Something new has been added … 52
townhomes overlooking the marina and lighthouse. First phase will be 200 of
the 350 planned apartments and some of the townhomes. A resolution was
approved by League City for a northbound park and ride site at River Bend.
An application for federal funding has been submitted for this project.
Under construction on Beltway
8 and Crenshaw in Pasadena are nine professional office buildings. Fourteen
units will be available ranging from 1,479 SF to 3,909 SF. Several have been
sold with the buyers anticipated occupancy this October. Building shells
should be complete by August 2009.
Did you know that a survey of National Institutes of Health grant funding
for medical school departments in 2008 showed that the University of Texas
Medical Branch in Galveston ranked seven UTMB departments in the top 20 in
their respective fields? And … it placed UTMB’s microbiology and immunology
departments second in the nation!
Transactions ……
• 300,000 SF Ozburn Hessey Logistics leased space at 4331 Underwood in the
Bayport North Distribution Center.
• 150,000 SF Space has been leased by a logistics company at 4331 Underwood
in the Bayport North Distribution Center.
• 20,728 SF GEM Mobile Treatment Services leased at 1434 Sens Road in La
Porte. BAHEP member GSL Welcome Group – Ryan Wasaff represented the
landlord.
• Bay Enterprises Company has purchased the former Megahaus building in
Dickinson, 13,230 SF, at 2201 FM 517 East. BAHEP member NAI Houston – Trey
Martin represented the buyer.
• Gilkes, a British-owned company that builds and repairs fluid pumps and
turbine systems for the marine industry, recently expanded its League City
location by constructing a 12,000 SF facility in the Wycoff Business Park on
FM 1266. The total new investment is $480,000. League City economic
development officials and SATOP, the Space Alliance Technology Outreach
Program, administered by BAHEP, have worked with the company since 2004 to
bring the project to fruition.
• 12,000 SF Memorial Hermann Imaging Center has leased at the H-E-B Clear
Lake retail center at 1000 Bay Area Blvd. (Houston)
• 10,983 SF Orion Marine Group, Inc. leased space at 12000 Aerospace
(Ellington Airport) for its corporate office. BAHEP members Colliers
International – Coy Davidson and NAI Houston - Dan Boyles handled the
negotiations.
• 6,000 SF Sitex Environmental leased space at 509 N. 8th Street in La
Porte.
• J&S Lighting is building a 6,000 SF showroom and office/storage area at
11516 Spencer Highway in La Porte.
• 4,386 SF Houston Pulmonary Medicine Associates leased at the Memorial
Hermann Southeast Professional Building at 11920 Astoria Blvd. (Houston)
• 3,976 SF Houston Learning Academy renewed its lease at 17926 SH 3 in
Webster.
• 3,151 SF Petrocom LLC leased space at 711 W. Bay Area Blvd. in Houston.
BAHEP members NAI Houston – Dan Boyles & Josh Cheatham and PM Realty’s Erik
Haugen negotiated the deal.
• 1,875 SF Scottrade leased at West Bay Area Boulevard at Live Oak in
Webster.
• 1,721 SF Ethyl Corporation leased at 6021 Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena.
• 1,500 SF CobbFendley, a civil engineering and surveying firm, has opened
an office in League City at 3027 Marina Bay Drive.
• 1,495 SF Gilmore One leased at 100 Cyberonics Blvd. (Houston) BAHEP member
Griffin Partners – Jason Long represented the tenant.
• 1,080 SF 5 to 50 Networks, an IT consultant group and BAHEP member, leased
at 17300 Saturn in Houston. BAHEP member Alliance Commercial Investments –
Allen Cruthirds represented the tenant.
• Engineering company HDR / Claunch & Miller has opened a satellite office
at FM 517 East and Fatta Drive in Dickinson.
Hello to some good buys!
• Two land parcels have sold in Bayport North Industrial Park, phase two, in
La Porte on Fair Drive – a 5.52-acre tract and a 5-acre tract. BAHEP member
NAI Houston - John Clark represented the buyer on the 5 acres.
• Sens Road Business Center, 47,700 SF office/warehouse at 1426 Sens in La
Porte, was recently sold to a new owner. Property was built in 2004.
Are you looking for real
estate in Bay Area Houston? Please check out this page for the latest
reports ………..http://www.bayareahouston.com/Home/RealEstate3/
• Contiguous Office Space – 5,000+ SF
• Industrial and Flex Space – 5,000+ SF
• 10+ Acre Tracts for Sale
• Vacant Free-standing Buildings - 5,000+ SF
• Vacant Space, 10,000+ SF, not Free-standing
• Land to lease / Build-to-Suit / Design Build
NOTE: Please feel free to pass this e-newsletter along to others who would
enjoy it, and, whenever possible, remember to credit Bay Area Houston
Economic Partnership for this information.
NEED FREE ENGINEERING ASSISTANCE FOR ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES??
Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) has an available team of
engineers and scientists from the NASA Johnson Space Center and more than 20
aerospace companies and colleges which utilize their aerospace expertise to
solve technical / engineering challenges for small businesses. Since 1999,
SATOP has assisted over 600 Texas companies. To learn more about this free
program and view some of SATOP’s success stories or submit a request for
technical assistance, visit
www.SpaceTechSolutions.com/bahep .
Now open
Friendswood – UTMB Neurology and Pain Management at 807 S. Friendswood Dr.
Retail / Hospitality Development
The Fitness Center at League City’s South Shore Harbour is renovating and
expanding. New services and amenities include a full-service day spa, a
multi-level cardio room, and new yoga and Pilates studios. Baker St. Pub &
Grill has signed to lease 6,500 SF at Nassau Bay Town Square. No Barefootin’
Here! The Atlanta-based Flip Flop Shop will open in Baybrook Mall this
month. The retailer sells only flip flops and sandals priced from $20 to
$120. Foodtown hopes to open this July in the Randall’s grocery store space
on El Dorado at SH 3.
Looks like we’re expecting
company!
• Nassau Bay’s new 180-room
Marriott Courtyard should break ground by mid-summer. Also planned is an
adjoining conference center. A working design for a 27,000 SF conference
center has been approved by Norris Conference Centers -- a single-story
building with a glass entry, meeting rooms and ballroom. The conference
center will be adjacent to the new Marriott Courtyard hotel and the Nassau
Bay City Hall.
• The new Comfort Suites, an 86-room hotel at SH 146 and Red Bluff Road in
Seabrook is now open. Under construction at NASA Parkway and 5th Street is
the new 88-room Springhill Marriott; completion is expected first quarter
2010. All other hotels have reopened.
• In Webster, Staybridge Suites Houston-Clear Lake is open -- 112-room
extended-stay hotel at 501 Texas Avenue, an $11.5 million investment.
Currently under construction is the Hilton Garden Inn on Texas Avenue and
Marriott Springhill Suites on Kobayashi Blvd., Holiday Inn on Bay Area
Blvd., and Holiday Inn Express on Rogers Court.
• Super 8 Motel is proposed at 702 SH 146 South in La Porte. Under
construction is the Quality Inn and Suites at 11003 Fairmont Parkway at
Driftwood. Just completed is Sleep Inn at 1332 South 8th and Candlewood
Suites on 13th.
• Hampton Inn and Candlewood Suites are under construction at Victory Lakes
in League City. La Quinta has proposed an $8 million upscale hotel for this
Gulf Freeway corridor.
• In Kemah, a five-story, full service Holiday Inn is under construction on
8th and Harris streets. Super 8 just broke ground at 1413 SH 146.
Celebrations! Space Center Houston, the official visitors center for NASA’s
Johnson Space Center, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon
landing on July 20.
• Another milestone – Armand
Bayou Nature Center will celebrate its 35th anniversary this year. The
nature center is one of the largest urban wildlife preserves in the country.
Clear Lake Shores hosts a
Farmers Market on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, 8 a.m. - 12 noon,
at 1020 Marina Bay Drive. Lots of fresh produce, seafood, flowers and eggs
plus local honey and baked treats. Who doesn’t like a free concert?
Friendswood’s ‘Concerts in the Park’ schedule is available here:
http://www.ci.friendswood.tx.us/COF/parksrec/Concerts/Default.htm
Galveston’s Moody Gardens has
reopened its Rainforest Pyramid after sustaining damage from Ike. The
pyramid features freshwater ponds, waterfalls, more than 2,000 species of
plants, and lots of colorful birds and fish …. and more!
Broken Records! A
smashing-good time was had by all at Space Center Houston during the nine
days of this year’s spring break. The attraction had the best attendance
over the last 10 years!
Still in search of a
restaurant operator for the corner of SH 146 and Main Street in La Porte –
the city has turned to a restaurant consulting firm to fill the spot that’s
in one of the region’s busiest areas! The city owns the building and it
plans to renovate the 5,000 SF space for the chosen full-service restaurant.
Texas Strike Zone, an indoor batting cage, has leased 15,500 SF on Fairmont
Parkway near Beltway 8 in Pasadena -- same center as Incredible Pizza, 24
Hour Fitness, Magnolia Bakery & Café, Pei Wei, Sears Appliance, and Regency
Beauty Institute.
Coming Soon
Webster – MichiRu Sushi & Asian Restaurant at 2091 Gulf Freeway.
League City – Logan’s
Roadhouse Restaurant at 3160 Gulf Freeway – anticipated opening end of
August; WINGSTOP at 3010 Gulf Freeway; Berryhill Baja Grill at Lighthouse
Plaza; Buffalo Wings and Rings- location not yet announced.
Dickinson – Galveston
Government Employees Credit Union will build a new facility near the
intersection of SH 3 and FM 517 East. Backe’s Bullpen is planned for 2709
Dickinson Avenue; Premier Martial Arts at FM 517 and I-45; La Frontera
(Mexican food) at SH 3 and Deats Rd.
Houston – new McDonald’s
prototype going up at Baybrook Village; Koman Furniture leased a pad site at
Baybrook Mall.
Now Open!
Webster – Grind House
Skatepark, a 15,000 SF indoor skatepark, pro shop, party rooms and classes
at 20810 Gulf Freeway. Floyd’s Cajun Seafood at the Clear Lake Center is now
Floyd’s Cajun Seafood and Texas Steakhouse; Sprinkles, a yogurt lounge,
opened at the Point NASA center, next to Star Cinema Grill.
Houston - Pablo’s Pub has
replaced Taco Milagro at Baybrook Passage.
La Porte – Lil’ Jack’s Indoor
Party Center at 1010 S. Broadway at Fairmont Parkway.
Seabrook – Seafood markets
have reopened.
League City – Lila’s Mexican
Restaurant at 2500 Marina Bay Dr.; Coffee Bistro at 109 Meadow Parkway; New
York Pizzeria and Chick-fil-A at League City Town Center; Pizzeria Victory
Lakes at 1660 W. FM 646; Big O’s Golf (apparel, custom club fitting, repair)
at FM 518 and SH 3; Sports Authority and Hobby Lobby at Victory Lakes Town
Center; Teachers Plus at League City Plaza – FM 518 and I-45; Pomodoro’s
Cucina Italiana at 2700 Marina Bay Drive.
Kemah – The Flying Dutchman
Restaurant & Oyster Bar has reopened!
Residential Development
• Plans have changed a bit for
The Peninsula Clear Lake along Davis Road in League City. Smaller homes in
the range of $700,000 to $1.5 million will be built instead of the pricier
$1.9 and $3 million homes currently under construction.
• Summerbrooke Apartments, in an ETJ area between League City, Clear Lake
Shores and Kemah, will include 376 units on 28.57 acres at 1225 Lawrence
Road.
• Latest plans for the Lakes at Fairmont Greens show the subdivision will
have 511 executive style homes. The lots bordering La Porte’s Bay Forest
Golf Course will have an unobstructed view of the playing greens. By the
way, the golf course has been acclaimed as one of the top 20 municipal golf
courses in the state. Several parks and hike and bike trails will be
featured along the lakes and will culminate at Taylor Bayou, which will be
improved as a public amenity. The community will be buffered along SH 146 by
a masonry sound wall. The developer/owner is looking for a home builder.
Infrastructure News and
Everything Else!
City of Pasadena has approved
two new fire stations, each one about $1.8 million. Work has begun at
Southmore Avenue at Red Bluff Road – expected completion is nine months; the
other is planned for Fresa Road at Queens.
The grand opening for
Dickinson’s new city hall / library complex is Tuesday, June 30th, 4 p.m.
City hall is approximately 22,750 SF and the library, 12,300 SF. Location is
FM 517 east and SH 3.
Architectural plans for City
of Seabrook’s new $6 - $7 million library are 75% complete. Bids should go
out this summer; construction should begin this fall. Part of the structure
will be LEED-certified.
League City is searching for a
consultant to develop a master plan for 137 miles of interconnected
hike-and-bike trails throughout the city. Amenities might include benches,
exercise equipment, and bird-watching stations. The city would like
construction of the first phase to begin as soon as possible.
Geographical boundaries of
Friendswood’s Downtown District have expanded to include the area along
Friendswood Drive from Castlewood to Cowards Creek. Businesses and
developers in the area near Cowards Creek have an opportunity to opt-in to
Downtown District incentives as long as they are for profit and incorporate
façade and/or sidewalk improvements according to the zoning guidelines into
the development.
League City’s Economic Development Corporation has a newly redesigned
website! www.leaguecityedc.com
The $3 M beach re-nourishment
project for La Porte’s Sylvan Beach will add 2,000 linear feet of shoreline
protection besides giving the city back its beach it lost many years ago.
Sylvan Beach Park is part of the Harris County parks system.
La Porte’s hike and bike trail
system will be expanded by over 6 miles this year, including a 5.2 mile
trail that will connect the central business district of La Porte to the
Pasadena Trail System. This trail segment will begin at Little Cedar Bayou
Park, move north to Fairmont Parkway, and then run east along the south side
of Fairmont Parkway to the Pasadena Convention Center. Interconnections will
be made at Canada Road to the new park complex and at Bay Area Boulevard to
Spencer.
The dog park originally
planned for Kipper Mease Park on Red Bluff Road in Pasadena will instead be
located at Bay Area Park, 7500 Bay Area Boulevard, near Armand Bayou. A
project of Harris County Precinct Two Commissioner Sylvia R. Garcia, the dog
park will total 5.3 acres with separate sections for large and small dogs.
Construction should be completed soon.
Congratulations are in order to….
Friendswood! Business Week magazine has named Friendswood as the Best
Affordable Suburb in Texas for 2009. Considerations were a low crime rate,
median family income, commutes, education, economy, green living and overall
affordability. Competing cities had to be within 25 miles of the most
populated city in their state and have a population between 5,000 to 60,000.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0219_affordable_suburbs/44.htm
League City! For the second
time in a row, the League City Economic Development Corporation received an
Economic Excellence Award from the Texas Economic Development Corporation.
The award recognizes agencies that meet a certain level of performance and
professionalism. The city is one of only two organizations in the Houston
metro area to receive the excellence award and the only one in the Bay Area
Houston region.
Education news …..
• The robotics team from Dickinson High School recently attended the
national robotics competition in Atlanta and snagged an impressive 36th
place out of 400 participating national and international teams. This is the
team’s first time to enter the competition!
• New school buildings –
o La Porte ISD’s new Agriculture Science & Operations Center is planned for
2015 Sens Rd.
o Bayshore Elementary, an $18.8 million project, will be built on 20 acres
-- McCabe Rd at SH 146 in La Porte.
o Dickinson ISD plans a new administration building at the former Barber
Middle School location, corner of FM 517 East and Timber Drive.
• The Aerospace and Biotechnology Academy at San Jacinto College has been
awarded a $230,984 Texas Workforce Commission grant. It will provide
educational opportunities to college and high school students wanting to
pursue technology and engineering-related career fields.
Road News ………
--- Pasadena
• Bids will go out in late June for an additional lane on Fairmont Parkway
between Pansy Street and Preston Avenue.
• Crenshaw Road extension from Beltway 8 to Space Center Boulevard should be
complete by the end of the year, hopefully sooner!
---Webster
• Roadway work is complete on NASA Parkway -- the road now goes under I-45
instead of over it. The NASA bypass is open and one of the direct connectors
is open, too – if you’re southbound on I-45 and going east on the NASA
bypass, that direct connector is open. Construction is still underway on the
northbound connector.
---La Porte
• The city of La Porte is partnering with Harris County to widen Sens Road
to four lanes from Spencer to SH 225.
• Fairmont Parkway is being expanded to a 6-lane roadway between SH 146 and
16th Street, with construction expected to begin this year. This Harris
County bond project will go a long way towards relieving congestion along
this heavily utilized section of Fairmont Parkway.
---League City
• City and county officials have pledged support for the FM 518 bypass;
construction could start as early as 2010. The $17.2 million road would
connect FM 270 to FM 2094, bypassing the five-points intersection of FM 518,
FM 270 and FM 2094. Work is underway on the engineering study.
• According to TxDOT, the
completion date for connecting League City Parkway (SH 96) with the new
Interstate 45 intersection is mid-May.
--- Galveston County
• Widening the Gulf Freeway from the Harris County line to just south of FM
518 is planned and funded.
---Houston
• According to our sources, Metro still has the park and ride at El Dorado
and the Gulf Freeway on their 2010 implementation plan. No action has been
taken yet -- stay tuned for further details!
--- Big Stuff
• TxDOT has announced that three overpasses will be built on SH 146 at Red
Bluff, Choate and Wharton Weems. Direct connector ramps to Port Road will
also be included in the $50 million project. This should significantly
improve mobility along the SH 146 corridor. The contract will be let July
2009.
Participating Cities:
Clear Lake Shores • Dickinson • El Lago • Friendswood • Houston • Kemah • La
Porte
League City • Nassau Bay • Pasadena • Seabrook • Taylor Lake Village •
Webster
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