​Every year CDS produces a land use and demographic profile for The Energy Corridor District—a business district on Houston’s west side. Each edition includes a thorough land use and demographic profile as well as projections for the future. For the 2017 edition CDS provided multiple future projections, accounting for a new land use trend that is gaining popularity in Houston and other parts of the country: place-oriented and mixed-use development.  

Kent Dussair
CDS Community Development Strategies

The real estate market moves in cycles. When times are good, new projects are easy to justify—whether the land use is residential, commercial, or something else. But when the economic times are uncertain, the best use of a property is not always clear. In the Houston area, where the local economy has been adversely affected by low oil prices, land owners and developers are still moving forward… but cautiously. Projects currently underway are being closely scrutinized while future planned developments are being re-evaluated. Determining the highest and best use for an undeveloped (or under-developed) property is always important, but in a challenging local real estate market, it is absolutely essential.

 J. Kirby Snideman and Brenda Crenshaw
CDS Community Development Strategies

Among the things that Americans are famous for loving, like peanut butter, ice, big cars, and football (real football that is), Americans are also known for loving… well, stuff. Lots of stuff. Sometimes too much stuff. Which is why it is estimated that one in ten US households currently rents at least one storage unit. Because of this, the self-storage industry has been one of the fastest growing commercial real estate sectors over the period of the last 40 years. This article provides a look at this growing and competitive industry.