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Sunday Drive - May 15th Edition

May 15, 2020

Get out of the house this weekend with a throwback to the days when TVs and iphones didn’t take entertainment priority. Pack a picnic, roll the windows down and head out for a Sunday drive. While we know Sunday drives often had no destination in mind, consider cruising by some of these Houston developments worthy of a look-see.

With love from ULI Houston and some of our wonderful Annual Sponsors.

This Week’s Sunday Drive Points of Interest

Build your route on Google, or use this proposed route that starts in downtown, includes a quick stop to pick up lunch to-go at Buff Brew, stopping for fresh veggies at Houston Farmers Market and ends with a cruise down Allen Parkway.

Scroll down and learn more about your destinations: interesting facts or overviews about the developments, as well as a photo and information on construction status and development teams.

  • Camden Downtown
    1515 Austin Street Houston, TX  77002
  • James Madison High School
    13719 White Heather Dr, Houston TX 77045
  • Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company
    2101 Summer Street, Houston, TX 77007
  • The Houston Farmers Market
    2520 Airline Drive, Houston, TX, 77009
  • Aspire Post Oak
    1650 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056
  • The Sophie at Bayou Bend
    6017 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77007
  • Allen Parkway
    Allen Parkway from Dunlavy Street to Clay Street

Camden Downtown

Project Address:  1515 Austin Street Houston, TX  77002

Construction Status: Under Construction

About:  Camden Downtown Houston, a 21-story community, offers one and two bedroom luxury apartments showcasing the ultimate urban lifestyle, downtown skyline views, stress-free commutes, and world-class amenities.  Each well-appointed apartment is designed with high-end finishes, stainless steel appliances, and spacious layouts that are perfect for entertaining. The chef-inspired kitchen features two unique finishes that are ready to host friends and family with top-of-the-line upgrades in our Penthouses. Spa-like bathrooms offer large soaking tubs, walk-in showers, double vanities, and plenty of countertop and storage space.  Camden Downtown Houston is a community with amenities resembling a five-star resort, including a 24-hour concierge service.  Enjoy the 9th floor pool with an aqua lounge, a high-endurance fitness center with cardio, free weights, and virtual training, or soak in the skyline views from the 21st floor social lounge with space to entertain. Perfectly situated right across from the Toyota Center and walking distance to more than 200 bars and restaurants, Camden Downtown’s location and convenience is second to none.   Find peace in your personal urban oasis surrounded by the best Houston has to offer. Live in the Skyline at Camden Downtown.

Fun Fact:  Camden Downtown is excited to share that we will feature a public art mural from the renown Houston Artist., gonzo247.  The landmark mural art piece will cover more than 4,000 sqft of the exterior facade of Camden Downtown and will be complete by the Summer of 2020.

Development Team

  • Owner: Camden Property Trust
  • Developer: Camden Development, Inc.
  • Contractor: Harvey Builders
  • Architect: Ziegler Cooper Architects
  • Landscape Architect: Clark Condon
  • Structural Engineer: SCA Consulting Engineers
  • MEP Engineer: Wylie Consulting Engineers

Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company

Project Address:  2101 Summer Street, Houston, TX 77007

Construction Status: complete

About:  Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company is the newest gem in the Houston craft brewing scene. Located next to The Silos at Sawyer Yard in the Washington Avenue Arts District, the 28,000 square foot, 3-story brewery features a ground floor taproom with views into the brewhouse, a 200-seat restaurant anchored by Houston renowned BBQ chef, Arash Kharat, and a large covered rooftop deck with sweeping views of downtown Houston. The brewery entrance also features a massive buffalo-shaped portal, perfect for a quick selfie.

Fun Fact:  The colors chosen throughout the design were derived from various color of beer and brewing materials.

Development Team

  • Owner: Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.
  • Developer: Western General
  • Contractor: DMAC Construction & Development
  • Architect: Method Architecture
  • Structural Engineer: Pinnacle Structural Engineers
  • MEP Engineer: Dawson Van Orden
  • Civil Engineer: H2B Engineers

The Houston Farmers Market

Project Address:  2520 Airline Drive, Houston, TX, 77009

Construction Status: Under Construction

About: The original Houston Farmers Market began when local farmers experienced difficulties finding venues to sell their produce. They acted and on July 14, 1941, the Farmer’s Cooperative Marketing Association of Houston, Texas acquired 9.5 acres to begin its operations. For more than 75 years, the market has flourished and grown to the 18-acre farmers market composed of retail and wholesale fruits, vegetables, and related products we know today. In 2017, the Farmer’s Cooperative Marketing Association of Houston elected to sell the market to MLB Capital Partners, a commercial real estate investment company in Houston. Construction has been underway the past 3 years, with the first phase of development projected to be finished by the end of 2020. Green spaces, community events, restaurants, and upgraded facilities to house our long-time vendors and new additions will all be found at the renovated Houston Farmers Market. Learn more at https://thehoustonfarmersmarket.com/

Fun Fact: The Manager of the Houston Farmers Market, Kevin Kleb, has been involved with the market since he was a child-his first trip to the market was at 6 years old with his granddad. Growing up, he regularly participated in Vegetable Day, an annual Houston Farmers Market competition where local farmers showcased their prized produce. In high school, he began to sell his vegetables at the Houston Farmers Market, as well as working for several other farmers who did business there. In 1997, he was offered a position to work full-time at the market, where he has stayed to today, now as the Manager.

Development Team

  • Owner: MLB Capital Partners
  • Contractor: Arch-Con Corporation
  • Architect: Studio RED Architects
  • Landscape Architect: Clark Condon Associates
  • Structural Engineer: Garza+McLain
  • MEP Engineer: Telios
  • Civil Engineer: Gunda Corporation
  • Financing: Prosperity Bank
  • Leasing: Avison Young

Aspire Post Oak

Project Address:  1650 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056

Construction Status: under construction

About:  Located in Houston’s Uptown District, Aspire Post Oak is a podium-style tower featuring two floors of retail; seven floors of parking, including two underground; an indoor and outdoor amenity deck on the seventh floor and 35 stories of residential space. The units will include one-, two- and three-bedroom models averaging about 1,200 sf.

The structural system for the building utilizes a two-way post-tensioned flat plate for the residential levels and portions of the parking levels. The remainder of the parking levels are built using one-way post-tensioned slabs spanning between post-tensioned concrete beams. The building is braced laterally by cast-in-place concrete shear walls that taper in thickness as they continue up through the tower. The shear walls and columns that support the tower bear on a 6’-0” thick mat foundation, and the surrounding podium columns are supported by individual spread footings.

Development Team

  • Owner/Developer:  The Dinerstein Companies
  • Contractor: Ludlow & Associates
  • Architect: Gensler
  • Landscape Architect: Kudela & Weinheimer
  • Structural Engineer: Cardno
  • MEP Engineer:  Blum Consulting Engineers
  • Civil Engineer:  Walter P. Moore

The Sophie at Bayou Bend

Project Address:  6017 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77007

Construction Status:  Under Construction

About: Located minutes from Downtown Houston, the Sophie Condominium project is a 205,901 SF, seven-story, 39-unit condominium building with homes ranging from 2,400 square feet to 5,000 square feet.  Amenities include a library, gym, yoga room, conference room, and dog washing stations.

Fun Fact:  The name, Sophie, stems from the word sophistication, which inspired the essence of style presented in every detail, inside and out.

Development Team

  • Owner/Developer: Stolz Partners
  • Contractor: E.E. Reed Construction
  • Architect: Mirador Group
  • Structural Engineer: Matrix Structural Engineers
  • MEP Engineer: DBR
  • Civil Engineer: Brewer Escalante

Allen Parkway Improvements

Project Address: Allen Parkway from Dunlavy Street to Clay Street

Construction Status: Completed

About: The roadway has three lanes in each direction with turn bays at major intersections. Walter P Moore suggested that the use of the existing roadway section be modified such that a 160-space parking lot could be constructed immediately adjacent to Buffalo Bayou Park.  This was accomplished by converting the underutilized frontage road on the south edge of the parkway into the eastbound lanes of Allen Parkway and changing the existing eastbound lanes to become the westbound lanes.  This allowed the existing westbound lanes to be converted to parking. The interchange at IH 45 was improved to provide better ramp access and longer queuing lanes for freeway entrance ramps.

Development Team:

  • Client: Downtown Redevelopment Authority
  • Project Management, Civil, Traffic, Transportation, and Bridge Engineering: Walter P Moore
  • Landscape: SWA
  • Surveying: Kuo & Associates
  • Electrical: E & C Engineers and Consultants
  • Geotechnical: HVJ Associates

James Madison High School

Project Address:  13719 White Heather Dr, Houston TX 77045

Construction Status: Completed

About: Located in the Hiram Clarke neighborhood of Southwest Houston, the new James Madison High School, serves as a major academic hub providing an inspiring environment for students, faculty, and the community at large.  The building’s design is predicated on the desire for the school to become the flexible core of the community, projecting a positive and inviting community presence. The school’s pedagogy highlights comprehensive high school curricula specializing in career pathways in environmental science professions and robotics through linked learning, an approach that combines rigorous academics with “real world” experiences to prepare students for higher education levels and meaningful employment. The organization of the school reflects the importance of multiple career fields.

But beyond being an academic hub, Madison has also become a community hub, utilizing the architecture to foster an environment that creates flourishing partnerships with community members, activists, clergy, and businesses beyond the schools walls. The school isn’t just for the students, it belongs to the community, and this sense of ownership is visible.

Fun Fact:  The building was designed to be “urban” and not “sub-urban”, with a “front porch” that welcomes students, but also serves as a stage for community events, outreach, and activities. This communal ownership extends into the first floor commons as well as the second floor meeting hall, an open and transparent space where groups can look out over the neighborhood they serve as they meet.

Development Team

  • Owner: Houston Independent School District
  • Contractor: Satterfield + Pontikes
  • Architect: Huitt Zollars, Inc
  • Structural Engineer: Dally + Associates
  • MEP Engineer: E+C Engineers
  • Civil Engineer: Huitt Zollars, Inc
  • Landscape Architect: M2L Associates
  • Food Service Consultant: Worrell Design
  • Technology: Jaffe Holden

Thank you to our Annual Sponsors for helping us make our world go around!

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