Despite protests from a handful of Rice Village residents and tenants, City Council voted yesterday to move forward with abandonment of the 2400 block of Bolsover Street in the Village to make way for a multistory retail/residential development. Construction could begin in the spring on the project, which would include about 100,000 square feet of retail space and between 230 and 250 condo units costing a half-million dollars apiece.
It's not clear exactly what the $100 million project might end up looking like, but there are some details from an August article in the Houston Business Journal: a six- or seven-story structure on a roughly four-acre footprint with a "public market" on the former 2400 block of Bolsover between Morningside and Kelvin. According to the Chronicle, retail stores would face into the plaza — it's not clear whether that's the "public market" or some kind of interior courtyard. As for parking, there would be 500 spaces for residents and 400 for guests in an underground garage, surface lots and on the street. "We are long-time owners and landlords in the village," Julie Tysor, vice president of developer The Appelt Co., told the Chronicle. "It is a unique community in Houston that isn't replicated anyplace else. It is ripe for redevelopment to benefit the surrounding residents as well as the University and Medical Center." Ah, yes — the best way to handle a totally unique neighborhood is to redevelop it.
Concerns about the project were mainly focused on its potential impact on the Village, with its narrow streets, tight parking and often heavy traffic. But Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck, who represents the area where the VIllage is located, said things checked out for her: "Traffic is always going to be a problem in the Village, and it will continue to be whether we approve the abandonment or not," she said. That should make everyone feel better, right? (Oddly enough, in supporting the Village project, Clutterbuck said it might prevent additional development in the future. We're worried that it'll do just the opposite, and it won't be long before the whole Village is "redeveloped" right out of existence.)
Tenants of an existing retail and office building on Bolsover, including Nit Noi restaurant, are being relocated, and some of them may occupy space in the new development. The project still faces final approval from City Council; assuming that goes through, construction could be complete by late 2008.
(If you're interested in renderings, Ziegler Cooper has one on its site for an unnamed retail/residential VIllage project that might be an early version of this development, and The Appelt Co. has a low-res drawing at the bottom of its home page as well.)
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