OJB Landscape Architecture will move from downtown’s Pennzoil Place to a new headquarters in the East River mixed-use development by Midway.
The relocation will enable the company to not only own its building but provide the firm’s 30 or so local employees an opportunity to commute by bicycle along the trails of Buffalo Bayou, walk to restaurants and events, or sit under one of the hundreds of mature trees saved by Midway to incorporate into the 150-acre development taking shape on the old Brown & Root industrial site east of downtown.
“We’ve done all these amazing spaces around the country,” said Chip Trageser, partner at OJB. “This is an opportunity to be in one of those spaces.”
OJB, which is leading the site and landscape design of East River, has agreed to purchase the first of three recently unveiled buildings called the Studios at East River. The freestanding industrial-style buildings, spanning 10,000 square feet across two stories, are under construction on Clinton Drive along the development’s northern boundary.
“They feel like east Houston,” said Brad Freels, chairman of Midway. “What we’re trying to do is attract companies that would like to own their own facility instead of being a tenant.”
Depending on how they are finished, the customizable buildings can cost upward of $500 per square foot, or about $5 million, Freels said. The buildings have minimal interior build out, four restrooms, a kitchen, an elevator, about five dedicated surface parking spaces plus access to an adjacent garage. Buyers can take advantage of tax incentives because the project is in an Opportunity Zone, Freels said.
“We’re testing the waters with three,” Freels said. “We can do a lot, if there’s demand for it.”
OJB plans to occupy about 6,500 square feet, about the same amount of space it leases in Pennzoil Place, and will offer ground-floor space for lease to retail or other tenants, Trageser said. Move-in is planned in June, as other businesses begin occupying buildings in the 26-acre first phase of East River, including two office buildings, a parking garage, a multifamily project and retail.
OJB’s move to East River builds on a relationship extending back almost 25 years, Freels said. OJB, which has five offices and 105 employees across the country, has worked with Midway on projects such as CITYCENTRE, Levy Park, Kings Harbor in Kingwood and Aggie Park at Texas A&M University. OJB is working on the Watermark District at Woodcreek, Midway's upcoming redevelopment of the 70-acre former Conoco Phillips campus in the Energy Corridor.
East River is designed to be walkable, with narrow two-way streets that can be easily crossed, bike lanes on some streets, central green spaces and views from the buildings to the bayou and downtown, Trageser said. The entire project represents an area equivalent to 68 downtown blocks.
“They really understand how people interact with the environment,” Freels said. “We have buildings that may have office above retail or hotel above something. It's just that first 14 feet of vertical space that people recognize and engage and related to. They’re very good about getting that part right.”
Katherine Feser
