What does this mean for surrounding property values in West Houston, EaDo, Energy Corridor?
A Houston real estate firm, Johnson Development is revealing plans to turn the former Halliburton campus in Westchase into a walkable, 70-acre, 2 million-square-foot mixed-use project.
After six years, Houston real estate firm Johnson Development is revealing plans to turn the former Halliburton campus in Westchase into a walkable, 70-acre, 2 million-square-foot mixed-use project.
Site work on the $1 billion Park Eight Place has begun along Bellaire Boulevard west of Beltway 8. Construction on infrastructure and roads could begin by early 2025, according to the developer.
Johnson Development, known for master-planned communities such as Sienna in Missouri City and Jordan Ranch in Fulshear, is partnering with Houston real estate investor Larry Wong and undisclosed investors to develop Park Eight Place.
They say the development’s residents would be a short walk from entertainment, retail, offices, parks and trails in the Park Eight Place project. It takes inspiration from pedestrian-focused mixed-use developments such as CityCentre in Houston, Legacy West in Plano and the Domain in Austin, said Michael Cox, president at Johnson Development Services.
The initial proposal for Park Eight Place calls for up to 93,000 square feet of retail; more than 171,000 square feet of restaurants; 842,690 square feet of office; 150 hotel rooms and 2,044 residential units, according to documents filed with Houston’s Planning Commission. The residential units could be a mix of apartment rentals and for-sale condominiums.
Developers acquired the former 50-acre Halliburton campus at 10200 Bellaire Blvd in 2018.
The site will be combined with an adjacent 20-acre site where Men’s Warehouse owner Tailored Brands has its headquarters, which would be incorporated into the development, Johnson Development said.
The developer spent four years envisioning a master plan for Park Eight Place, including hosting focus groups in which area residents and workers expressed a desire for a walkable neighborhood, Cox said.
An early master plan showing an aerial view of what Park Eight Place could include.
Johnson Development is seeking Houstons’s first Walkable Place designation since the city created the classification in 2020. To qualify, Park Eight Place would have to meet criteria around street width, pedestrian safety and landscaping, among others. The city’s Planning Commission has recommended that the project be awarded the title, which could go to City Council next week.
Plans call for creating a sunken garden and trails that would feed into the adjacent 200-acre Arthur Storey Park, which sits on the Brays Bayou Greenway Trail system. Overall, Park Eight Place is expected to include 2 miles of trails and 6 acres of green space.
“A national, mega trend that you see right now is people everywhere starting to focus on health and wellness and we’re taking that to heart,” Cox said.
Houston Chronicle
