The skewed look of the retail center planned by Braun Enterprises for 2401 N. Shepherd Dr. comes in large part from the misaligned footprints of the upper and lower stories of the eastern building, each twisted in opposite directions off of the right angles of the Heights street grid (though the lower layer appears to get mashed flat up against a setback line on the north side). Renderings of the site posted recently by Tipps Architecture show the twisty building paired with another single-story structure stretching west along W. 24th St., with some hangout space wedged between the 2. Some bent vertical strips and boxcutter window angles add that sat-on-the-delivery-box touch to the upper story of the eastern building, tentatively labeled with spots for retail, a café, and an upstairs fitness studio. 

How does one stray from the straight-and-narrow of classic Houston strip mall design while still fitting in all those required parking spots? Braun’s leasing flier shows a parking lot behind the 2 buildings, some angled-in street parking along W. 24th, and — perhaps taking a hint from the double-decker design of the H-E-B planned catty-corner across N. Shepherd — an additional level of parking tucked away on the roof:

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Another rendering peeks into the pie-slice of patio space between the 2 buildings:

Additional angled parking is shown down W. 24th, where the center picks up a more straight-laced look:

The site plan is shown on top of the building once occupied by Auto Electric Service (which moved over Near Northside by early 2015) and on top of Miller’s Auto & Body Repair (which sold its land to Braun early last fall). The stripped-down-and-rebuilt former Texas Cafeteria, which may eventually host the second link in the planned Krisp Bird & Batter chain, is straight across N. Shepherd from the site:

• 2401 N Shepherd Dr. [LoopNet]
• Previously on Swamplot: H-E-B’s Plan and Backup Plan for the Double Decker Heights Dry Zone Store

Images: Tipps Architecture (renderings), Braun Enterprises (leasing fliers)