BREAKING NEWS

Toll Brothers debuts 55 and up community in Houston

What Led the ‘Joy Score’ in Home Remodeling?

Underpassage: The New Experiential Entry Portal Into Downtown

RNR Real Estate Briefs – Texas & more

Lender Takes Ownership of Houston Center Complex

The World’s Most Important Skyscraper is For Sale

REALTY NEWS REPORT - Logo

Downtown Houston
RNR-RalphBivinsProject-Interviews
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Breaking News
    • Houston
    • Residential
    • New Development
    • People
    • Office
    • Multi-Family
    • Capital Markets
    • Texas
    • Retail
    • Hospitality
    • Industrial
    • Land
    • Lease Brief
    • Medical
    • National
    • Realty News Report
    • Trades
    • Uncategorized
  • Archive
  • Subscribe
  • The Ralph Bivins Project
  • About
  • Contact
FacebookLinkedinYoutubeEmail
REALTY NEWS REPORT - Logo

Throwin’ Shade: Bellaire Residents Question Height of Proposed Towers on Loop 610 Tract

by Realty News ReportAugust 9, 2019
Share0
Chevron sold this tract in the City of Bellaire. The new owner has a grand plan.

BELLAIRE – (By Michelle Leigh Smith for Realty News Report) – Plans for the 30-acre Bellaire Place development, located on the site of the former Chevron campus at Loop 610 continue to draw scrutiny by the Bellaire Planning & Zoning Commission.

In October, SLS Properties bought the property from Chevron, which relocated all of its 900 Bellaire employees from the Bellaire campus to downtown Houston.

The property, bounded by Loop 610, South Rice Avenue and Fournace Street, has two office buildings on site, plus a significant amount of land for future development.

Plans for developing the land were discussed Thursday night at a second public hearing before the Bellaire Planning & Zoning Commission. The discussion focused on 9.6 acres at 5901 S. Rice Avenue for request for a Specific Use Permit (SUP) to allow for an increase from 53 to 85 ft. to be used for an indoor theatre and fitness club.

Questions were raised about the height of new development on the site and the shade they might throw on neighboring residential properties.

Developer Danny Sheena, representing SLS Properties, wants to build a 145,000 SF interior building towering to 85 feet tall.  He shared some math ratios referencing height and told the Commission that they should grant the request “as a matter of right.”

 “Technically, I could go another 33 feet to 101 feet,” he said.  As the hearing went on, Sheena said the structure might be used as a big box store if the fitness facility didn’t materialize.

“Kirksey (Architecture) did a shading study about how the 164-foot garage would impact the residents on Mayfair,” says Sheena. “That showed that the only impact to light would be in December only for about 30 minutes, so basically no affect for the residents,” Sheena said.

Resident Thomas Reed presented another set of drawings and photographs that showed major shadowing at various times throughout the day, after sunset, at noon, 45 minutes after sunrise. “In contrast to what he (Sheena) showed you, which was a confusing collage of colors of olives and pinks, I will actually show you a real shadow,” says Reed. “I ask you to ask yourself if these are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.”

Reed asked for protection to adjacent areas and adequate separation and buffering to the single-family homes on Mayfair Street.

The residents have been hearing various versions of the Bellaire Place plans from Sheena since September 2018.

“Every time we turn around, something is different,” said Bellaire resident Jim Balogh.

“The long shadow will kill vegetation because of the additional lack of sunlight and lack of the greenspace,” said  Catherine Lewis, a geologist with 30 years of industry experience. “The setback based on line of sight isn’t realistic as far as the shade is concerned and there is a second garage that is not shown.”

“I call for a moratorium on this project,” said resident Lynn McBee. “We have not received a final report from the Texas Coalition for Environmental Quality and that is essential. If it goes to City Council, I will request that the City hire a professional consultant who is not from Houston.”

Chairman Ross Gordon asked again for the packet of all information, with environmental studies. “In the last meeting, there were a lot of requests for additional information about traffic issues and a master plan. What is the plan for sharing that new information?” he asked.

Sheena says he’s provided a master plan and he says City staff is reviewing.

“Is it possible to ask about the eastern components of the plan,” asked Gordon.  Sheena has told some residents that he plans to add a hotel and another building on the eastern part of the property, but there was not public discussion of those plans at the meeting.

An Ed Wulfe partnership owns the gas station and some adjacent land at the corner of Loop 610 and Fournace. Mr. Wulfe passed away in July.

Houston Methodist leased 100,812 SF of the former Chevron office space on the site for administrative use, reports Colliers International’s Coy Davidson, who  represented Methodist in the lease transaction. Davidson reports Methodist will occupy floors 8, 9 and 10 of the 10-story building and move in during the first quarter of 2020.

Sheena’s SLS Properties has proposed a 300-unit mid-rise residential tower atop a new parking garage, a movie theater, a 145,000-SF mixed-use building with office space and the creation of several restaurant-suited pad sites along South Rice Avenue.

Aug. 9, 2019 Realty News Report Copyright 2019
Share0
previous post
$12M in disaster relief money to fund affordable senior housing in Houston’s Third Ward
next post
RNR Real Estate Briefs – from Realty News Report

Related posts

Toll Brothers debuts 55 and up community in Houston

Realty News ReportMay 6, 2025

What Led the ‘Joy Score’ in Home Remodeling?

Realty News ReportMay 6, 2025

Underpassage: The New Experiential Entry Portal Into Downtown

Realty News ReportMay 3, 2025May 5, 2025

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Search News

CommGate
new version
ECD-RealtyNewsReport-Ad-300x250
Partners Ad
CBRE Ad
Arch Con Corporation Ad
Hines Ad
Avera Ad
RNR Ad 030124
Ziegler Cooper Ad
Lee & Associates Ad
2021 Realty News Report Ad
RNR - Lincoln Property Company
Hal Gordon - Property Tax Lawyer
Hunington Ad
230725-RNR_Digital-Ad_Red
Hunington Ad

Let's Connect

logo
About US
Author Ralph Bivins is editor of Realty News Report, which covers regional and national news. Bivins recently received the Gold Award for Best Column in the National Association of Real Estate Editors Journalism Competition. Contact us
Follow us
FacebookLinkedinYoutubeEmail
@2022 All Right Reserved. Powered by CGS Digital Marketing
REALTY NEWS REPORT - Logo
FacebookLinkedinYoutubeEmail
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Breaking News
    • Houston
    • Residential
    • New Development
    • People
    • Office
    • Multi-Family
    • Capital Markets
    • Texas
    • Retail
    • Hospitality
    • Industrial
    • Land
    • Lease Brief
    • Medical
    • National
    • Realty News Report
    • Trades
    • Uncategorized
  • Archive
  • Subscribe
  • The Ralph Bivins Project
  • About
  • Contact