Edens kicks off retail renovation near West U
A retail center near West University Place is getting a makeover reminiscent of its Uptown Park in the Galleria area.
Edens, an owner and developer of retail properties nationwide, launched a renovation of Plaza in the Park, a Krogeranchored shopping center on Buffalo Speedway near Bissonnet.
The property, on a 12.2-acre site just south of Westpark Drive, is being updated with a new central outdoor seating area, enhanced landscaping and refreshed building exteriors with better visibility along Buffalo Speedway.
“Plaza in the Park serves a wide range of customers in West University at one of Houston’s busiest intersections,” Edens Managing Director Tom Kiler said in an announcement. “Enhancing the street presence and functionality of Plaza in the Park will create a more engaging, walkable experience, while introducing surrounding communities to an updated mix of retail offerings and restaurant partners.”
The 143,000-square-foot center, which opened in 1999, is 93 percent leased. The center was developed by Sueba USA on the site previously occupied by the midcentury Bissonnet Plaza apartments. Edens acquired the property through the purchase of Houston-based AmREIT in 2015.
The renovation is underway, starting with the central outdoor seating area near the former spaces for Vietopia and Kenny & Ziggy’s restaurants. Landscaping, including new creeping vines, trees and flower beds, will complement the updated exterior architecture. Pathways and lighting will better connect the project’s retail and restaurant buildings.
Edens completed a similar modernization at Uptown Park, an 18.6-acre center north of the Galleria. Uptown Park signed a number of new tenants, including Flower Child, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Mendocino Farms and Rejuvenation, among others.
Tenants at Plaza in the Park include Buca di Beppo, Current Meditation, Envision Nails, Fellini Caffé, Kriser’s Natural Pet, Mathnasium, True Rest Float Spa and YogaSix. They will will remain open during the renovations.
Completion is planned in late fall 2021.
Edens, which has regional offices in Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallas, Columbia, S.C., Atlanta and Miami, owns 110 retail properties across the U.S.
New spaces at GreenStreet
Spaces, a global flexible workspace company owned by IWG, opened its fourth Houston location.
GreenStreet, a mixed-use project owned by Lionstone Investments and Midway, partnered with Spaces on the new
location a few blocks west of Discovery Green park near the House of Blues Restaurant & Bar.
Spaces Downtown GreenStreet occupies 50,000 square feet at 1201 Fannin as a hub for entrepreneurs and businesses who want to be in a creative environment near restaurants, entertainment and fitness options. Other local Spaces are in Kirby Grove, CityCentre and Uptown.
Spaces joins a recently opened 29,000-square-foot Life Time Work and 56,000-squarefoot Life Time Fitness athletic club in GreenStreet.
Spanning three floors plus a rooftop deck, Spaces has 95 offices that can be occupied by the day, month or up to two years, seven meeting rooms, lounges and four kitchens.
‘Theater of chicken’
El Pollo Loco, a fire-grilled chicken chain based in California, plans to expand in the market through franchising. The new locations, which occupy about 2,400 square feet and have dual drive-thrus, will place an emphasis on orders to go and curbside pick-up. Up to 15 locations could open in the next few years.
The company entered the Houston market in 2014 with hacienda-style restaurants featuring an open kitchen where diners can watch the grilling from the counter. The new smaller prototype stores have either no dining room or a small dining room that opens to a patio.
“We have the same theater of chicken cooking, but we’ve oriented that view to the drivethru given the importance of that mode to our business,” said Chief Development Officer Brian Carmichall.
El Pollo Loco has 500 locations across Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Louisiana, including nine in Houston.