​The Houston Business Journal reported on February 5, 2016 that The Kirby Collection, a $146 million mixed-use project in Houston's Upper Kirby is targeting boutique office tenants. 

The article quotes Jack Bousquet with Thor Equities’ (the developer) who states that he has received interest from law firms, real estate companies, brokers, and other small but high end office space users (link to article). According to Bousquet, Thor Equities has "...specifically designed this 13-story, 210,000 square foot Class A office building to attract a non-energy user." 

Link to article.  PDF of article.

In a city known for suburban sprawl, competing developers are testing a different concept: master-planned, high-density projects combining residential, retail, offices and hotels. While these trendy developments, where people can walk from their homes to shops, restaurants and even their workplaces, have taken root in other parts of the country, they've been slow to show up here. That's about to change. In the Houston area, at least nine of these projects are planned or under construction. Most of the sites are in the heart of town. Land is just now being cleared for some of them, while others in the suburbs are further along. The trend is driven by affluent young professionals and empty nesters tired of long commutes. Rising land costs also factor in by requiring developers to build more on smaller spaces...

The impending wave of mixed-use construction reflects the willingness of developers to take risks based on the city's current prosperity and projections that the Houston area's population will grow by 3.5 million in less than 30 years, said Kent Dussair, president of CDS Market Research, a Houston-based consulting firm.

Cities such as Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix and Austin are already in various stages of building urban-style projects, while Houston, "with the strongest economy of the bunch," is playing catch-up, he noted.

See the link for the full article.

Link to article.  PDF of article.

Link to article.  PDF of article.

A six-acre gap in Westheimer real estate has been locked up by a developer with plans to replicate the high-end feel of some other properties nearby...

Kent Dussair, president of CDS Market Research, said he's not surprised this area is getting this kind of attention, and dubbed it the "new Uptown."

"The Uptown area is Houston's most established retail market, so any new retail added here will be complementary instead of directly competitive," Dussair said.

Trademark is not alone in its plans to develop a mixed retail and residential site. Right next door, Cypress Real Estate Advisors plan to develop 29 acres between Westheimer and San Felipe inside the West Loop.

"The land values are strong here, and the Uptown Galleria area is just rapidly urbanizing," Dussair said. "You look for areas of that nature for mixed-use projects."

​See the link for the full article.

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The Galleria, queen of all retail, is getting a neighbor who could soon have her own commanding presence. Local developer Wulfe & Co. announced Thursday that 21 acres of prime Galleria-area land will become a major mixed-use site for retail, office, hotel and condominiums, anchored by Houston's flagship Whole Foods Market.

In recent years, the U.S. has seen an increase in "pedestrian-friendly" mixed-use developments where people live, work, eat and shop. Several are planned for Houston, including at Kirby and Westheimer; downtown; Memorial City; and the former Central Ford site on Westheimer.

"Several are on the drawing board, but this could be one of the first ones out of the gate," said Kent Dussair, president of CDS Market Research, a real estate market consulting firm in Houston, referring to the proposed mixed-use projects.

Major mixed-use urban projects like BLVD Place are being built in competing cities across the country, Dussair said. "Dallas, for example, is ahead of us. We're anxious to see a quality development like this in Houston," he said.

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