Here are a couple renderings from the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture in Austin of the new 3-story building the firm is designing for the corner spot at 2132 Bissonnet St. in Boulevard Oaks. A representative of the Platform Group, the building’s developer, tells Swamplot an “all-day cafe/coffee shop” is being planned for the ground floor, and that the upper 2 floors will contain “boutique office space.” The cafe won’t be a Gringo’s Tex-Mex, but the developers do have a connection to that restaurant chain: The Platform Group is headed by a son and daughter-in-law of Gringo’s owner Russell Ybarra.
In the top rendering, the 11,300-sq.-ft. building is shown lining Shepherd Dr., with an L-shaped parking lot wrapping around it. A patio with outdoor seating will go in front of the structure along Bissonnet St. The Houston office of SWA Group is designing the landscape.
Here are views of the current site from similar angles:
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Burton Construction is expected to begin work on the building in November, after the shuttered 4949 Convenience Store — previously a Sunrise Grocery — still standing on the site completes its run as an art venue and demolition installation.
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Demolition Inside the 4949 Convenience Store at Bissonnet and Shepherd Is Proceeding Extremely Slowly;Â Boulevard Oaks’s 4949 To Be 86’d by Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen’s Owner
Renderings: The Platform Investment Group. Photos: Chase Daniel
Since the future Coffee Shop owners might read comments, please put Nito Cold Brew on tap like Central Market does! I live near this location and will be there all time if you do.
make it a swanky night club lounge.. great location
Great…NOW that I’ve moved to the west side something cool gets put in to the old Sunrise Stop that used to be around the corner from my house.
Urban infill. great addition to the neighborhood. plan to be one of your very first customers. thank you!
love this idea!! this will so uplift that part of our hood. Would love a Starbuck’s!
Woot!
Wow
Has that Austin architect ever been in Houston or that neighborhood???
This part of Bissonnet floods. Will the developers improve drainage and plan for easy access parking and increased traffic to minimize congestion and flooding?
AL- no. Nor should they be obligated to.
AL, I believe this particular intersection of Bissonnet was okay during Harvey. I live nearby and waded through the area when water was at -or near- its highest point during the storm for the neighborhood. While nearby intersections (Shepherd/South, Shepherd/Bartlett, Shepherd/North, and others) had 1′-2′ or more of standing water, this one (Shepherd/Bissonnet) barely had any at all. A few inches at most. Must be a subtle high point for the immediate area. Not sure about intersections to the east and west on Bissonnet.
Also worth noting that the current site is nearly 100% concrete. Simply including minimal pervious landscaping and basic stormwater piping will be an improvement.