| COVER STORY, NOVEMBER 2008
CREATING A GREENER DISTRICT
Pearland’s WaterLights District raises the bar for sustainability.
By Coleman Wood
With all of the new projects in Texas registering for LEED certification, it is easy to get “green fatigue” when talking about the newest developments. At first glance, Historic Real Estate Inc.’s newest mixed-use project in Pearland, Texas, known as WaterLights District, seems like much of the same. But a look just below the surface shows that Historic has taken its commitment to sustainability to new heights.
“Our goal is not to achieve a LEED level,” says David Goswick, executive director of Houston-based Historic Real Estate. “Our target of LEED-Gold is important, but our true objective is to produce a place that raises the bar from a technological standpoint; [a place] that conserves energy, that does not require much energy, and that produces its own energy.”
It is that last point that separates WaterLights District from the rest of the LEED-certified projects going up in Texas right now. The $700 million project, which is located on 150 acres along Highway 288 south of Sam Houston Parkway, is seeking to produce a portion of its own energy through green methods. Goswick notes that the hurricanes that recently struck Texas highlight the importance of the project being able to produce and store power separate from the grid. When others lose power, WaterLights will keep running.
The project’s energy production methods begin with the use of photovoltaic cells (also known as solar panels), which will be placed on south-facing rooftops and garages, as well as within the Presidential Park & Gardens. And with 1.9 million square feet of space currently planned, there will be no shortage of rooftops. Some would balk at this idea, though, bringing up memories of the expensive, inefficient solar panels of the 1970s.
“Efficiency in photovoltaics has improved a lot in the past 30 years,” says Steve Biegel, CEO of Matrix Spencer Architects, which is overseeing the master-planning of the project. “Whereas, they used to be 30 to 35 percent efficient, there are now PV cells that are 85 to 90 percent efficient.”
Another key to the project is its water usage, which is both for aesthetics and for energy production. WaterLights is located on the banks of Clear Creek, adjacent to a wetland that Historic is preserving. Part of the project’s design will consist of the Grand Canal, a man-made canal system that will wind through the project, ultimately connecting to a 40-acre lake. Historic is also incorporating elevated water containers into the project, which will both retain water and generate hydroelectric power via falling water over a turbine. Steps are also being taken to conserve water, including the reclamation of stormwater for landscape irrigation and the use of porous sidewalks and roads to help with the absorption and filtration of stormwater.
Overlooking the Grand Canal will be 14 to 16 restaurants and bars to serve visitors and residents of the project, as well as contribute to energy production in WaterLights District through the recycling of food grease into biodiesel. To make this and other green energy production methods possible, Historic has sought the help of nearby Rice University. The college has also been instrumental in securing a deal for Nano World Headquarters, a nanotechnology research campus to be located within WaterLights District.
“The strategic relationship with Rice is a natural one,” says Goswick. “There are so many companies that are started up from discoveries made at Rice, but these companies tend to end up in San Diego, Boston, Germany and other areas. By being in close proximity to Texas Medical Center and Rice, we feel confident that many of these companies will be born and grow within WaterLights District.”
Houston-based Blue Marble Partners, a clean technology consultant to Rice University and board member for the National Corrosion Center, sees WaterLights as a “watershed” for Houston-area land development. “WaterLights is leading by example,” says Todd Colpron with Blue Marble. “Renewable power, distributed generation and gray water recirculation, combined with advanced architecture and a drive to proactively address its carbon footprint, sets the bar for environmental stewardship.”
The nearby Texas Medical Center, known as the largest medical district in the world, is doubling in size between now and 2016. Historic is using the nanotech campus and WaterLights’ 600,000 square feet of Class A office space to draw hi-tech users to the area.
“Our growth and business plan is totally centered around the growth of the Texas Medical Center,” Goswick says.
In addition to the offices, the project will contain 1,400 residences, consisting of luxury apartments, brownstones, condominiums and lofts. The project’s 100,000 square feet of retail space will serve residents and visitors, along with 700 hotel rooms in three luxury hotels, conference facilities and a 7,500-seat enclosed arena. The 12-acre Presidential Park & Gardens will contain miles of walking trails that connect to Pearland’s trails system, as well as statues of all of the U.S. presidents.
The name WaterLights District comes from one of Matrix Spencer’s design elements, the creative use of water and light as a replacement for physical objects. For example, the project will not have lampposts on the sidewalks, opting instead for columns of water powered by natural water pressure that are lit from below. During daylight, the columns disappear and reappear at night when sidewalk lighting is needed. In addition, water is being used as a divider, instead of physical walls between restaurants, retail and other public spaces. Details such as this are what Biegel thinks will ultimately make the project a destination for people across the Houston metro area.
“The key to success in a project like this is that people come here, stay here, enjoy being here and don’t want to leave here,” Biegel says. “And if they do leave, they want to come right back.”
Construction is under way for Phase I of the project, which consists of 300,000 square feet of office space, the entire retail component, 12 of the restaurants, two of the three hotels, approximately 500 residential units, Presidential Park and the canal system. The site will be ready for Phase I construction to begin in the first quarter of 2009, with the buildings ready for occupancy by the first quarter of 2010. The rest of the project will be constructed in two more phases, which will take approximately 5 years to complete. With its strategic location along the Highway 288 corridor, and its proximity to the Texas Medical Center and the Shadow Creek Ranch master-panned development, Goswick believes that WaterLights District is positioned perfectly for success.
He says, “We believe that we have the most strategic physical location, probably in the state of Texas.”
WaterLights’ Presidential Park & Gardens to Add Entertainment, Education to District
When Historic Real Estate started looking at the topography of some of the development areas around WaterLights District, the company felt a park was very, very important, says David Goswick, executive director of Historic Real Estate, the developer of WaterLights District. “We felt like we needed something that would be an entertainment attraction, but also educational,” he says.
After a meeting with renowned sculptor David Adickes, Goswick found what he was seeking. At the time, the artist was working on 20-foot tall stone busts of each of the U.S. Presidents, and the idea interested Goswick so much that he acquired all 43 of them to place in WaterLights District’s newly christened Presidential Park & Gardens, located on the southern edge of the project along Clear Creek.
Dirt is moving at the 12-acre site right now, with Historic planning to relocate the statues to the park in late November. It is also at this time that Adickes will begin work on the 44th statue of the newly elected president.
Once the park is completed and WaterLights District opens, the city of Pearland estimates that the park will attract up to 2 million visitors annually. On top of this number, there are the scores of people that will be attracted to the miles of walking trails that meander through the park and connect with the city of Pearland’s existing trail system. With a sizeable portion of the project devoted to green space, Goswick believes that he is providing a component that is missing in many of today’s mixed-use projects, and that the park will be just one more factor that will ensure the project’s success.
— Coleman Wood |
Former Alamo Cement Company Quarry Continues Massive Redevelopment with new Quarry Village Mixed-Use Project
For over two decades the former Alamo Cement Company quarry located at the intersection of East Basse and Jones Maltsberger roads in San Antonio has been undergoing a massive redevelopment. The award-winning Quarry Golf Course has been built inside the quarry, and notable projects surround the rim, from Clear Channel’s headquarters building to the 580,000-square-foot Alamo Quarry Mall. Now known as Lincoln Heights, the neighborhood has also seen a massive influx of single-family housing development, driven by the neighborhood’s newfound prominence.
“The land surrounding this old quarry — this old eyesore — has been enhanced by the golf course, and because of the demographics, location, access and visibility, the parcels that surround the golf course have become some of the most prime real estate in the city, if not the state,” says Jeff Booth, vice president of development for San Antonio-based Embrey Partners.
So when the last available land parcel in the area opened up, a 12.7-acre tract located at 300 East Basse Road in front of the fairway of the golf course’s 10th hole, Embrey Partners jumped at the opportunity to develop the site. Known mostly as a multifamily developer, Embrey seeks to expand its portfolio with the development of Quarry Village, a 426,000-square-foot mixed-use project.
To prepare for the company’s first vertical mixed-use project, Embrey toured the country to look at some of the most renowned mixed-use projects. The firm’s principals spoke with the developers of those projects, finding out what worked and what didn’t, in an effort to avoid the mistakes of many first-time mixed-use developers.
“We were able to learn on the coattails of guys who had really done groundbreaking developments in mixed-use,” Booth says.
Breaking ground in February of last year, the first retail tenants are just now opening. Quarry Village will contain 280 multifamily units above high-end retail space. Retail will also exist in outparcel buildings, with one building containing 15,000 square feet of boutique office space, bringing the grand total to 104,000 square feet of commercial space.
Single-story retail outparcels will face the main road, with the multi-story residential buildings on the other side of the project’s “Main Street”. The buildings will be designed with the wrap method, in which a central parking garage is surrounded by residential units facing outward to hide the structure. Residents will also enjoy a two-story, 6,000-square-foot clubhouse, as well as courtyards containing swimming pools that face the golf course. The first apartment homes are expected to become available by the end of the year, with overall Phase I completion coming in summer 2009. Phase II construction, which will be complete in fall 2009, will consist of a two-story building that will contain restaurant and bank space on the ground floor, with the 15,000 square feet of office space on the second floor.
“We do developments in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, and I can’t think of a more prime location in any of those cities for this type of development,” Booth says.
— Coleman Wood |
UDR Goes Back to Classic Design Elements for its New Mixed-Use Project Outside Dallas
 |
Upon completion, Vitruvian Park will comprise 5,500 residential units and 300,000 square feet of office and retail space over 99 acres.
|
|
During the beginning stages of development for Vitruvian Park, the project’s developer, Highlands Ranch, Colorado-based UDR Inc., ran into the problem many developers face.
“As we began to look at this opportunity, the first question we asked is, ‘What do you do to distinguish yourself in a market that has over a half-million apartment units? What do you do to create a different environment and a different appeal?’” says Mark Culwell, senior vice president of development for UDR.
The answer came by going back to the fundamentals of Western architecture for the project’s inspiration. Taking its name from the famous Roman architect Vitruvius, Vitruvian Park seeks to use classic design elements to create a project that feels organic and can grow as such.
“The idea behind [Vitruvian Park] is to deliver something that recognizes man’s relationship to his environment and deliver a proper scale to that,” Culwell says.
The $1 billion redevelopment project is located on 99 acres in Addison, Texas, on the southeast quadrant of Marsh Lane and Spring Valley Road. Construction, which will take place in six phases over the next 7 to 10 years, will consist of 5,500 residential units, 300,000 square feet of office and retail space, and a 12-acre park with jogging and biking trails built around the project’s native creek. As of now, plans call for rental apartments, but UDR has left the door open for different types of residences, such as condominiums and senior housing.
“Given the size of the footprint, we think the market will evolve over time to various kinds of uses,” says Tom Lamberth, vice president of development for UDR.
Phase I construction will consist of two buildings containing 667 rental apartment units, 50,000 square feet of office space and 32,100 square feet of ground-floor retail. The completion date for the first phase is set for the late 2009 or early 2010, with Phase II commencing 9 to 12 months afterward.
The project also includes sustainable elements such as indigenous landscaping, stormwater management, green roofs, and the use of sustainable and recycled building materials. While a LEED program currently does not exist for multifamily development, UDR is sticking to the company’s goals of sustainable development, while working with lawmakers to set forth guidelines. When all is said and done, though, UDR is trying to accomplish what every builder has attempted since the time of Vitruvius.
“We want it to be notable,” says Culwell. “We want it to be, to some degree, our fingerprint on the urban landscape here in Dallas, and we want it to be an enduring, recognizable, respected spot.”
“It will be a destination in this market,” Lamberth adds.
— Coleman Wood |
©2008 France Publications, Inc. Duplication
or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization
from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of
this article contact Barbara
Sherer at (630) 554-6054.
|
