A new Premiere Cinemas multiplex is now under construction at Greenspoint Mall — if, that is, you count demolition as part of the construction process. Early this morning, demolition crews began their assault on the long-vacant JCPenney building standing rudely in the way of the new theater.
The new theater is expected to be part of a $32 million facelift for the mall. The Greenspoint District Facebook page reports that the original plans for the theater called for a total of 20 screens.
- Greenspoint District [Facebook, via Swamplot inbox]
Photo: Greenspoint District
What a waste. The best way to use $32 million at that site would be to tear the whole place down and start over.
Please tell me this $32 million doesn’t have any public money in it.
Wonder if they’re counting on the thousands of professionals working in nearby office towers to stay around after work for a movie. Most of these people live in other areas, such as Kingwood and the Woodlands. I don’t think many will extend their time in Greenspoint into the evenings or weekends.
From b:
Wonder if they’re counting on the thousands of professionals working in nearby office towers to stay around after work for a movie. Most of these people live in other areas, such as Kingwood and the Woodlands. I don’t think many will extend their time in Greenspoint into the evenings or weekends.
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We probably won’t all that often (I am one of those Greenspoint professionals…)–although maybe occasionally after dinner at Ichiban. However, there are lots and lots of residents in the area who might enjoy going to the movies–an activity that is popular across all classes.
Also, there are lots of traveling business people that currently take their entertainment dollars to the Woodlands or Deerbrook that could spend it here instead.
And there’s several hotels nearby as well. Not much else to do if you’re stuck in the area overnight b/c of a flight or meeting.
Waste. Of. Money. Greenspoint might as well be a stripmall on veteran’s memorial. It’s a ghost town unless you count the occasional convention or professionals having lunch there.
From Jesse:
And there’s several hotels nearby as well. Not much else to do if you’re stuck in the area overnight b/c of a flight or meeting.
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Well, there’s always Rick’s.
I think once the entire renovation has taken place, it will have a lot of clientele to serve and it will be a success. It’s just that the Greenspoint area people/business travelers got tired of their beat up pickup truck; they just need some parts replaced, a paint job and touch-up and they’ll be enjoying it soon enough again.
They’ve got a great freeway intersection to propel them to success too, I think.
I’m still skeptical. The area has not been able to keep a Benigans or TGI Fridays in business, despite a huge potential for lunch time business & there are not that many restaurants nearby to choose from. I can’t see the mall really coming back to life any time soon.
Well, it seems like they have a pretty decent plan from the renderings I’ve seen. The restaurants will be attached to the mall but the entrances will be facing outside that go directly inside the restuarant; you won’t have to go through or inside the mall.
Fuddruckers does really good and there are resteraunts just south of the Beltway that do well as well as the ones to the north near Airtex and Rankin. I see no reason why all of these cannot succeed. The people are there, they just need a place that will attract them. Hopefully they’ll choose places that will do this and the pretty facelift will help.
I am skeptical as well because the mall itself is so lame. A huge swath of it is basically closed (the part near Dillards)– storefronts with lots of signs letting you know they are available. There are still quite a few mall staples, as well as an unusual number of mom-and-pop operations. I was there today just after 1 pm. There were people around, including folks apparently from nearby offices doing some lunch shopping or eating in the food court. But the number of people seemed sparse.
That said, it is a long haul to any other movie theater from there, and there are a lot of people who live and work in the area. And I’m fairly sure the mall is one of the safest places around–it has a large Harris County Sheriff/HPD station in the mall! The parking lot is full of police cars.
So I have my doubts, but success seems possible. I hope it works out.
I’m not being snarky; this is a sincere question: why do some refer to Greenspoint as “Gunspoint?” Is there ghetto around that mall? Gang-banging Woodlands hoods?
Eric: Yes, sort of. You wouldn’t really feel it driving around–the immediate area is surrounded by apartments that appear perfectly well maintained. The place doesn’t look like a slum. But in fact, it has a relatively high crime rate. Most of the crime is in the apartments or apartment parking lots–I’ve not known of anyone who works there becoming a victim (although I’m sure it happens).
In March, in police beat 6B60 (which is basically the Greenspoint area), there was 1 murder, 12 robberies, 13 aggravated assaults, 56 burglaries, 30 auto thefts, and 110 thefts. By comparison, police beat 1A20 (sort of the northeastern half of Montrose) had 15 robberies, 8 aggravated assaults, 22 burglaries, 11 auto thefts, and 135 thefts.
So Greenspoint has a justified reputation as one of the higher crime areas of town.
Lost cause!
RWB, thanks for citing those numbers– which are disturbing. Perhaps some of those apartment complexes should be converted into prison facilities.
On the other hand, Montrose had more robberies than Greenspoint. Greenspoint is a pretty problematic area, but that could be said for many areas in town. In any case, the majority of those people who live in those apartment complexes are law-abiding citizens. I am sure that a lot of them would love a night out at the movies that didn’t involve so much driving. I think the Greenspoint area has a lot of potential, but changing it is a project that will take years.
it’s silly to compare one entire police beat to another as they vary widely in size and population density.
Take a look at their website and notice the following disclaimer:
“HPD does not provide this data as a method of determining if one police beat or area of the city is safer or more dangerous than any other beat or area. Police beats and districts vary in size, population, and density, making such comparisons difficult.”
You’re right–I wish they offered up the stats by zip code or census tract so that one could easily normalilize the results on a per capita basis with census data. But the beat stats are what are easily available…
TGI’s was making plenty of money here in GP. I knew the manager very well (he was a personal friend from college). The issue wasn’t sales, it was the rent.
I have to say that maybe it (the theatre) would help keep some of the kids off the streets and give them something to do. I think it will help the mall a little, but not bring the it back to life. I still am waiting for the mall plans to go through where they were going to turn it into a Woodlands style exterior store front with food and fun. Wish, wish, wish.
i love my truck HATER
Yall simply haven’t been around it has sucessed in many ways, I’m so proud of the Greenspoint district and yes I do live here, near the cis building, and there is less crime, people. I alway walk around to simply see the great skyscarpers and art. the park i think needs imporvement the bayou digusts me. yuck. yall all just see the bloody negatives of Greenspoint and not the postives. yall have you gone mad yes the mall is lame but do not sit there and lie saying its a waste of money and is high on crime, don’t i can see yall all take view of the governments saying and not the people of Greenspoint. well just be happy that yall simpily judge a book by it’s cover. tahnks.
peace and love,
the hippie of greenspoint Saul:)