700 more River Oaks addresses

Gables Residential has announced a mega-residential/commercial project near Westheimer and Kirby, on the site of the old River Oaks Tennis center. Speculation is that the project could have more than 700 apartment units, according to the Houston Business Journal — a drop in the bucket compared to the 12,000 to 15,000 new apartments built in the city each year.

It's interesting that so many new apartments are being built even as the occupancy rate drops (it's fallen 2.5 percent in the past year, to 87.57 percent, meaning 60,285 apartments are vacant — so why is it so hard to find a good place to live?). But Houstonist knows people love to live in new buildings, especially in a prime location like River Oaks, especially when it's trendy to move back into the city. That’s what the people behind 2727 Kirby across the street are counting on, obviously.

Street-level retail had better come with all this new development, because the nearest Starbucks is a half-mile away. How can people live like that?