Here at REDNews, we’ve written at length about the development boom in the communities west of Houston, such as Waller County. In the past few years, that area has exploded with growth, a movement perhaps ignited by the construction of the Daikin Texas Technology Park in Waller. “That was a game-changer for the area,” says Keith Edwards, Senior Vice President of land brokerage at Caldwell Brokerage Company. His team helped negotiate that 491-acre land deal. Boasting 4 million square feet under one roof, Daikin’s facility employs approximately 4,000 people today, but that number is expected to grow to roughly 7,000, according to Edwards. “It was a great project,” he says. “It’s fulfilling to see what it’s done for the area — not only Waller County but Harris County too.” The Daikin deal, while significant, is one of many Caldwell Brokerage has closed in the northwest quadrant of the Houston metro area. “We have sold thousands of acres along US-290 and throughout Northwest Houston,” says Edwards. Click to read more at www.rednews.com.

The lunch crowd is just beginning to stream in when developer Shawn Todd arrives at Mirador, the buzzy restaurant atop Forty-Five Ten, a tony boutique in the heart of downtown Dallas. He takes note of the interior table where I’m sitting and asks a waitress if we can move to a spot that’s closer to the windows. “I promise I’m not high maintenance,” he assures her. Then he turns to me and adds, “I just want to look out at the buildings. You can see the history and get a great sense of what’s happening downtown.” Our new table offers a view of Main Street and Elm Street corridors … a swimmer cooling off in the cantilevered pool at The Joule, the Pegasus-topped Magnolia Hotel, and, down a bit on the right, the former First National Bank Tower. The 52-story building occupies the largest vacant block downtown. Various resuscitation attempts have been made over the years, most recently by Drever Capital Management. But now, the property is in the able hands of Todd, whose Todd Interests took control in May. Click to read more at www.dmagazine.com.

When the signs went up and the demo work started at 3634 Glenn Lakes Ln. in Missouri City, the calls of excitement began coming in, says Apurva Sanghavi. “It’s exciting and a testament to the demand,” he says. The 40,000-square-foot office building stands at the intersection of Highway 6 and FM 1092, which also serves as the entrance to Quail Valley, a master-planned community in the growing suburb southwest of Houston. Built in 1984, the building served the adjacent Memorial Hermann campus. The hospital eventually moved closer to SH-99, as did the physicians who operated out of the Glenn Lakes building. “Then the building was severely damaged by
Hurricane Ike,” explains Joseph Esch, the economic development director for the City of Missouri City. “It had been damaged and vacant ever since.” Click to read more at www.rednews.com.