Here’s a surprise: a construction permit for a new 23-story Chinatown Asiatown condominium tower was issued yesterday for Park 8 Place. Remember Park8? That’s the freeway feeder megastrip project planned for just across Brays Bayou from Arthur Storey Park, along Beltway 8 south of Bellaire Blvd. The one that called itself “The Land of Oz.”
The entire development was supposed to include three 20-something-story residential towers, a hospital, two 2-story retail-and-office strips, and a couple of parking garages — all in a quaint freeway-and-park-side setting. A foundation was poured for the first condo building last year, but Park 8 CEO David Wu put the project on hold after he was unable to secure financing. So the construction crane came down.
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If a single condo tower is the only piece of the project that’s now been funded, the result might be a little less overwhelming than the complex portrayed in this old Park 8 promotional video:
According to the city report, yesterday’s permit cost Lyda Swinerton Builders more than $46K. The official address for the project is 8018 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. South.
- High-Rise Condo [Park 8]
- Builders here hit by credit crunch [Houston Chronicle]
- Park 8 Chinatown Condo Project: Parked? [Swamplot]
- Park 8: The Land of Oz Comes to Houston [Swamplot]
Images: Park 8
Still seems like such an odd location for this type of development. The condos could be pretty nice if they overlooked the park area.
So this is the next step in making the southern section of the West Belt look like the suburbs of Shanghai? Cool!
Hey, if China is starting to question the fiat currency we are starting to print to pay for stuff they don’t want to finance, they might as well invest in something tangible such as real estate.
Remember the 80s when Japan was buying real estate in the US left and right?
Where can we see the city report that’s talked about.
A link would be awesome, anyone?? :)
@Jessie M: You can search for city permits online, but you won’t find this one yet, because for some reason that public database isn’t updated regularly. Maybe try again in a day or two. Also, it only works in Internet Explorer. You can find a lot of the same permit info by entering the project number, 06076052, into the city’s project status page. Yes, the dates that come up are all at least a year old, but this item did appear in yesterday’s report.
Nice. Now they’ll have something to build behind the shiny new sign they decided to put up near the end of last year.
Has anyone gotten a peek at the site in the recent past, since the crane came down? The last time I really paid attention was around December ’07, and all that was visible was the crane and a series of piles that had been driven in, waiting for rebar cages. Are those still in place?
Gus, you’re great, thanks a ton.