Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/356141
t m c » p u l s e | a u g u s t 2 0 1 4 23 t m c » p u l s e | a u g u s t 2 0 1 4 basically a small city with a few high rise buildings, mostly downtown, with the 37 story Gulf building the tallest. The site of the Galleria was a truck farm. The Gulf Freeway was opened a few years earlier as Houston's first freeway. Gulfgate Mall had just opened as Houston's first mall. Meyerland Plaza, which I ended up redeveloping in 1993, opened shortly after I arrived. The city grew steadily step by step in almost all directions following suburban residential develop- ment. The evolution of the Medical Center was well underway. The City's strong cadre of local leaders was dedicated to growth and making things happen. People believed in Houston then as now and took pride in its opportunities and accomplishments. Q | It seems that developers are more focused today on building spaces for people to gather. Tell us about the evolution of that thinking. A | As the suburban residential expansion was under- way, the first shopping centers evolved around super- markets, followed by the next generation expanding to connect a supermarket with a drug store and other stores in between. Then regional malls began to multiply as people moved further out, followed later by the evolution of larger discount stores and big box retailers creating huge power centers. All of this was happening to accommodate the ever growing, mostly suburban, population. The latest evolution has been densification and urbanization, created by movement back into the urban city, to be closer to work and to partake in all of the amenities the city has to offer. And thus the concept of place-making came to fruition with mixed use developments combining office, residential and retail, creating a place for people to live, work, experience and enjoy. A more pedestrian friendly place with wider sidewalks became an important component. Apartments went through the same evolution, starting with four to six units and duplexes, and pro- gressing to what was called garden type apartments, which were usually two level, 50 or 100 units, or even 200 units with the larger spread out complexes. And now almost everything being built has a minimum of six floors, with residential high-rises reaching as high as 40 floors with over 400 units. So it's all evolving as a result of several things. One is densification and urbanization. Another is more people wanting to live closer to where they work. A third is to address transportation and mobility challenges. Of course, the major emphasis today is all about doing everything possible to improve all aspects of our quality of life. People want green space and the outdoors, people want cultural arts, people want enter- tainment attributes to experience and enjoy. Our Bayou Greenway Initiative, which I helped start, is developing and connecting our ten bayous within the city with trails, bikeways, parks and ameni- ties, touching almost all our diverse neighborhoods and communities. As we create more inviting people- friendly places to experience and enjoy coupled with more successful and expanded art and educa- tional institutions, we attract the intellectual capital, young professionals, and the millennials that are so important to our economy, our higher educational institutions, our medical organizations with their research activities and our corporate leadership. These people place an emphasis on quality of life issues, whether it's green space or parks or trails or sporting activities or our thriving culinary, theatre and arts scene. They create the quality of life image of Houston and foster the unlimited opportunities to experience and enjoy this city. Q | Have there been any standout projects from your career? A | From a work point of view, I would say the most challenging and real game changer was the redevelop- ment of Gulfgate Mall. We took the forty plus year old mostly boarded up and abandoned project in a low-income, mostly Hispanic, area with little retail to serve the people, to a vibrant retail activity center. After my successful redevelopment of Meyerland Plaza, Mayor Lanier asked me to look at Gulfgate to see what might be possible to help revitalize the area and serve as a catalyst to encourage other redevel- opment. Buildings and businesses were closed, cars had been abandoned, windows were boarded up and graffiti was everywhere. I told the Mayor that he couldn't be serious, but he said find a way to make it happen. We first did a study called 'hidden income research; which identifies people who don't show up on the census reports, and thus found that there were more people and more income in the area to support a new center. We then went around the neighborhoods and spoke to civic clubs and asked what kind of center and stores, they would want. They wanted a conven- tional retail center with a broad range of stores just like in other parts of the city. So after many trials and tribulations, we came up with a concept, and took it to the neighborhoods for their input. The new Gulfgate has won many awards and received a great deal of rec- ognition, but more importantly it has become a source of pride for all in the East End and has literally served as a catalyst for many improvements to the area, resulting in the creation of new jobs and businesses. From a civic point of view, there are so many projects of which I am proud, being a firm believer in the importance of giving back to the community. I quite often speak to young professionals regarding my philosophy of having two careers—one professional and one volunteer. Many of the projects in which I'm involved pertain to quality of life issues. The most recent one of which I'm most proud is helping to lead the annexation of Memorial Park by the Uptown Tirz to provide the leadership and millions of dollars of financial help to develop a master plan and begin the implementation of redevelopment and reforestation of the park, which would have not been possible with the city's minimal funds. Q | Looking at the Post Oak/Galleria side of town that you are currently very active in, how did all of that come together? A | Back in 2005, I saw an opportunity to seize the moment because not much had happened over the previous 25 years. We knew as the market matured, the time had come to help raise the bar and take the area to new heights. We envisioned extensive urban development possibilities and assembled 21 individual pieces of property to put the concept of BLVD Place together. The location clearly justified a mixed-use complex to capture the needs of the ever growing high profile market with a people friendly place to live, work and experience. New retail, restaurant, residential and office segments presented opportunities to serve the growing market, and would initiate activity and focus attention on the incredible potential of the area. After going through the challenges of 2009-10, things started happening in the Uptown area, and since 2011, major projects of all types and magnitudes are coming to fruition and more are in the works. There are 17 different projects underway, mostly denser high-rise office and residential buildings. Even the Galleria is reinventing itself. the medical center itself has evolved into something really unique and special— it is a major complex unlike any of this magnitude, stature and potential.