Port volume fell in April, remains up for year
The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority last week conducted its regular public meeting electronically.
It reported that twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) volume decreased 12 percent in April from the year-earlier level, when a total of 221,540 TEUs were handled. For the full year, Port Houston handled 994,627 TEUs through April, which is 5 percent more than the first four months of 2019.
Port Houston handled 3,910 auto units in April, 41 percent less than the same month last year, and down 31 percent for the first four months as compared to the same period in 2019. Steel, primarily used in the energy industry, is down 50 percent year-to-date at 784,733 short tons through the end of April.
The commission also authorized more than $1.2 million towards support of pandemicrelated services.
Generation Park expands with buy
McCord Development closed on the purchase of 201 acres adjacent to its Generation Park development in northeast Houston.
The site was marketed by Cushman & Wakefield and the sales price was not disclosed.
The acquisition will enable privately held McCord to expand the west side of the 4,200acre development, which now includes 438,000 square feet of office, 908,000 square feet of industrial and 251 apartment units. Another 2.1 million square feet is currently in development.
David Cook, Jeff Peden and Scott Miller of Cushman & Wakefield represented Exelon along with Cresa Global brokers Will Condrey, Kayla Black and Ben Sample.
CVS begins drive-in coronavirus testing
CVS Health opened drive-thru COVID-19 testing at 11 Houston-area CVS Pharmacy locations last week.
The locations will hand out testing materials at the drive-thrus. To qualify, consumers must meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for symptoms of a COVID-19 infection and register online at CVS.com.
Store associates will hand customers a selfswab test at the pharmacy drive-thru window, and a clinician will watch as they swab their upper throat for specimens. The customers do not enter the pharmacy or its HealthHUB locations during the test.
Testing will be covered by insurance accepted at CVS Health, and uninsured patients will be covered by a federal funding program, said Monica Prinzing, a CVS Health spokesperson.