Not everything goes in Houston’s famously regulation-light development landscape.
Plans for a mixed-use high-rise in Montrose were thrown into uncertainty after the city’s planning commission rejected a key variance request, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The owners of the long-standing Khun Kay Thai Cafe at 1209 Montrose want to replace it with an 18 to 20-story condo building, public records show.
Anuch Pongsanarakul and Tanawat Sumrith, using the business name SUPO Corporation, pitched 46 units and a 3,200-square-foot restaurant on the ground floor.
The rejection hinged on the developers’ request to build the tower 16 feet closer to Montrose Boulevard than setback rules allow. The Houston Planning Commission voted against it last week.
The owners don’t appear to have a history in real estate. The site plan was submitted by Houston-based CE Engineers & Development Consultants.
The reduced setback was essential for including an enclosed parking garage in lieu of surface parking, the owner said.
City staff pushed back, saying the high-rise was “disproportionate to the size of the property” and inconsistent with the surrounding development patterns. The developers failed to prove financial hardship if the variance was denied, staffers said. Some neighborhood residents say the project is too big and would cause traffic.
The owners can submit a revised plan. Commissioner M. Sonny Garza suggested a full redesign of the project. Sumrith said no next steps have been decided but showed a desire not to proceed without neighborhood support.
A number of major projects that came online last year are set to reshape the Montrose neighborhood.
Skanska USA is planning Starling, a mixed-use development at 1001 Westheimer Road. The 31-story apartment tower will include 30,000 square feet of retail space, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Tannos Development Group and Wolfgramm Capital aim to replace four aging apartment buildings with high-end residences with their $30 million, 35-unit condo project on West Gray Street. Meanwhile, Radom Capital is redeveloping the former Tower Theatre into a mixed-use project with retail, dining and office space. The 35,000-square-foot project, dubbed 1111 Westheimer, is expected to be delivered this year.
— Judah Duke
Read more
Radom targets Tower Theatre in Montrose for redevelopment
Energy Corridor widens lead among Houston office submarkets
Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, affordable resi champion, dead at 70
