Lower Heights District, a mixed-use district fronting Interstate 10 between Studemont and Sawyer streets, has nearly completed its first phase.
The project is being developed by Houston-based Gulf Coast Commercial Group. The 24-acre district already has some retailers open, namely Total Wine and Ulta, which opened late last year in a 37,000-square-foot block.
A 35,000-square-foot, two-story building with street-level retail and second-floor offices is being built out at 1440 Studemont. It will be ready early next year, and tenants have already started signing leases, according to a July 28 press release.
Houston-based Central Bank will have a 3,687-square-foot space in the western end cap of the first floor. Danny Miller represented Gulf Coast Commercial Group in the lease, and Joan Collum of Collum Commercial represented Central Bank.
SheSpace, a women-focused coworking space new to Houston, will lease 6,000 square feet on the second floor. Bob Cromwell and Spencer Starkey of Moody Rambin represented Gulf Coast, and Brandi McDonald Sikes and Meredith Kelly of Limestone Commercial represented SheSpace.
“We looked at upwards of 25 potential sites around Houston for SheSpace,” founder Stephanie Tsuru said in the release. “Besides its cool factor, based on analytics, Lower Heights put us at the epicenter of our target demographic while also providing an unmatched level of convenience factors for clients — from freeway access to the proximity of walkable businesses including grocery, retail and restaurants. We also appreciated the initiative of Gulf Coast Commercial Group in assigning us a female property representative.”
Lower Heights is located between the Kroger on Studemont Street and the Target off Sawyer Street. The Kroger parking lot connects to the Lower Heights parking lot. Across Studemont, another mixed-use district also is planned.
“Our goal in the design of Lower Heights was to purposefully intertwine the curated mix of urban amenities with the quirky charm of the historic Houston Heights,” said Jerry Alexander, project manager and principal for architecture firm Gensler, which worked on the Lower Heights project. “The development delivers that carefully crafted experience through its walkable, pedestrian-friendly design and familiar industrial materiality to create a welcoming, activated space for 24/7 community engagement.”
A hike-and-bike trail along the eastern edge of the Lower Heights property will be available in early August.
Also along the eastern edge of the property is Alexan Lower Heights, a multifamily complex developed by Dallas-based Trammell Crow Residential. Residents are beginning to move into the five-story, 375-unit luxury property. It has a two-story clubhouse with a business center and conference room, a pool, a courtyard kitchen, a spin center and yoga studio, an athletic club with cardio and strength training equipment, a dog park, bike storage with a repair station, dry-clean lockers and more.
Alexan Lower Heights also includes space for retail or office tenants, with one 5,000-square-foot space and one 10,000-square-foot space. Capital Retail Properties is leasing the space on behalf of Gulf Coast Commercial Group.
