HOUSTON – April 28, 2021 – Houston’s most compelling and innovative real estate projects were recognized by the Houston District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) at the annual Development of Distinction Awards presented by Wilson, Cribbs and Goren.

Close to 200 guests gathered for ULI’s centerpiece awards program at Armadillo Palace, which recognizes developments and public open spaces that exemplify best practices in design, construction, economic viability, healthy places, marketing and management. The program is modeled after the national Urban Land Institute Global Awards for Excellence.

In the For-Profit Category (large*), the 2021 award went to Medical Towers – Westin Houston Medical Center, by Pearl Hospitality. Pearl Hospitality redeveloped and revitalized Houston’s historic 1954 Medical Towers building into the luxurious Westin Houston Medical Center and unique dining promenade that serves the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and surrounding community. The project came to fruition as a thoughtful collaboration between preservationists, architects, designers, and hotelier. The hotel’s design is influenced by the intersection of academia, art, medicine, and nature, inviting guests to take respite from the rigors of everyday life. Pearl took on the unique challenge of rehabilitating the historically significant Medical Towers building site and the revitalized building has already become an integral part of the community, serving the hospitality and dining needs of a diverse local population and countless visitors who visit the area each day.

In the For-Profit Category (small**), the 2021 award went to 7800 Washington by Levcor. 7800 Washington is a bold collection of design showrooms, offices, services and restaurant housed in a redeveloped 1950s distribution warehouse located in the Upper Washington Avenue Corridor. Transforming the building into a viable mixed-use design and office development required restoring the exterior building façade, enlarging and replacing the windows, upgrading the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure, enhancing the awnings that span the exterior, resurfacing the entire parking lot, implementing LED site lighting and greening the development with an expansive landscaping plan.

7800 Washington completes the previous Washington Avenue redevelopment gap to Interstate 10. Revitalizing the 7800 block has spurred surrounding redevelopment, enhancing the local community and building commerce for a neighborhood previously lacking retail and restaurant options.

In the Not-for-Profit Category the 2021 award went to Legacy Community Health Southwest Clinic by Legacy Community Health. To meet the growing healthcare needs of the uninsured and underserved populations in the Greater Houston area, Legacy Community Health launched a campaign to fund a new state-of-the-art campus in Southwest Houston. To serve its community, it was of the utmost importance that the project combined healthcare, education, and social services in a culturally appropriate and respectful environment. The campus is equipped to treat over 100,000 patients per year within the most densely populated area in the city of Houston. Legacy Community Health provides cutting edge healthcare services to the community while elevating the experience. The clinic is a beacon of progress in the neighborhood signifying increasing safety, beautifying the streetscape, and establishing community gathering spaces that encourage health education.

In the Open Space Category, the 2021 award after much discussion was awarded a tie. The first winner went to Clay Family Eastern Glades. Clay Family Eastern Glades reclaims 100 acres of previously inaccessible parkland. This project significantly expands picnicking capacity; adds new parking and restrooms; establishes five-acre Hines Lake and wetlands which add habitat and aid with stormwater management; provides trails, boardwalks and opportunities to experience and learn about natural habitat systems; and honors the Park’s military history. Inspired by the original 1930s Master Plan for Memorial Park by landscape architects Hare & Hare, the Eastern Glades provides something for everyone – from runners on the Seymour Lieberman Trail to picnicking families to students of ecology and those interested in Houston’s and the nation’s cultural history. This welcoming space for the entire community celebrates what people love most about Memorial Park.

In the Open Space Category, the second 2021 award winner went to Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. Houston and the Gulf Coast area were hit with two extreme weather events over three years. In 2008, Hurricane Ike struck the area. In 2011, the region suffered the worst drought on record. The 155-acre Houston Arboretum & Nature Center (HANC) was enormously impacted and lost many mature trees. The Design Workshop team discovered that the underlying soil was more conducive to supporting native prairie than woodland and developed a master plan to restore indigenous grasses more tolerant of weather extremes. HANC is now a resilient landscape, a refuge for native plants and animals, and a model for other regions facing similar environmental threats—all while serving as a beloved educational and recreational destination for Houston residents and visitors.

This year our judges selected one finalist to receive what they have named the Vanguard award. Vanguard indicates a position at the forefront of new development or ideas. This project caught the judges’ eyes for the work that went above and beyond the minimum requirements to achieve a development worthy of emulation among its industry. The 2021 Vanguard Award winner went to Josey Lake. Josey Lake Park is the crown jewel of Bridgeland, the top-selling master-planned community in Texas. It is a signature, 140-acre recreational greenspace that provides concurrent accessibility to nature and activities while also serving as a connector to neighboring communities and commercial developments. While its primary functions are stormwater detention and conveyance infrastructure, the objective was to take land typically designated for infrastructure and turn it into an exceptional amenity with various ecosystem types and multiple levels of active and passive recreation. Other items taken into consideration include long-term maintenance costs, wildlife habitats, improving stormwater quality, and providing an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally conscious place to host community events and promote health and well-being.

Josey Lake also won the People’s Choice award, garnering the most votes on ULI’s online survey.

Finalists were selected by a nomination panel of Houston real estate leaders that included Kathrin Brunner, Senior Design Principal – HOK; Ashley Frysinger, Senior Vice President – Kimley Horn & Associates, Inc.; Sue Jacobson, Vice President (Commercial Division) – Chicago Title; Susanna Kartye, Principal – The Sarrazin Group; Ryan McCord, President – McCord Development, Inc. and Tadd Tellepsen, CEO – Tellepsen.

A jury of national real estate experts including Collette English Dixon with Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, Cheri Morris with Morris and Fellows, and David Powell with Hastings Architecture reviewed all finalists’ projects as part of the process of selecting winners.

The following 2021 category finalists were also recognized during the awards:

For Profit (large):                      Buffalo Heights Phase 1 – BKR Memorial II, LLC & Midway

For Profit (small):                      Southside Commons – Triple Crown Investments

Not-for-Profit:                           University of Houston-Downtown Science and Technology Building – University of Houston-Downtown

Since 2008, over 100 projects and public spaces have been recognized as Development of Distinction finalists and winners. See a full list.

High res photos available here. All photos should be credited as follows: Photo courtesy of Urban Land Institute and (insert name of project pictured).

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About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research Institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 43,000 members representing all aspects of land use. The Houston District Council is ULI at the local level, facilitating the exchange of ideas and the transmission of ULI best practices. ULI Houston has over 800 members, who come together at educational programs and other events to share experiences and learn from each other.