A long-planned effort to transform a cluster of aging warehouses into a walkable mixed-use district is gaining momentum, with new restaurants, an improv comedy club and event center joining the 17-acre project in Houston’s East End.
“Our strategy for this corridor has always been to really (create) this village so all of your basic needs are built into the neighborhood,” said Jeff Kaplan, partner at Concept Neighborhood, the developer of the project.
One of the project’s largest buildings at 3401 Harrisburg will be fully occupied after Switchyards, a membership-based “work club,” opens in a 4,000-square foot space this fall, according to the developer.
Several retailers have also leased space in a separate 41,000-square-foot building at 3100 Canal Street, including a Russian nail salon and a Pilates studio and juice bar, according to the developer.
The recently converted warehouse-to-retail building also will include:
Across the street from that renovated building, a private, membership-based dog park called Zoomies recently opened with shaded artificial turf, a dog splash zone and icehouse.
Nearby, Concept Neighborhood is also planning a 46,000-square-foot event space expected to be housed within an 80-year-old warehouse.
A block away from the future event center, the developer is designing a central plaza on Roberts Street that will anchored by a recently completed street soccer court. Near the plaza, a nearly 7,000-square-foot wine bar is opening this fall, the developer said.
Eventually, Concept Neighborhood executives have said they hope to develop up to 500 apartment units and connect the corridor to a planned hike-and-bike trail leading to Buffalo Bayou East.
Mixed-used developments traditionally focus on creating residential spaces before attempting to draw in retailers. But Concept Neighborhood is doing the opposite – filling out the retail spaces before embarking on a residential plan, said Kaplan.
“You have to give residents a reason to live in the neighborhood,” he said.
