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August 18, 2008 – 11:47 am
“Sonoma is mystery,” proclaims Randall Davis near the end of an excruciatingly long promotional video posted at the project’s recently updated website. Part of the mystery, of course, has been when — or whether — construction might actually begin on the 7-story condos-shops-and-parking Rice Village layer cake. Since the buildings on the site were demolished and the block of Bolsover between Kelvin and Morningside was fenced in last fall, not much has happened.
Nancy Sarnoff has some details on the delay:
Sonoma, an upscale condo and retail project planned in Rice Village, was supposed to break ground in April.
The land has been cleared to start building, but the developers have a loan commitment for just half of what it will take to build it.
“We’re ready to put a shovel in the ground,” said Julie Tysor, president of Lamesa Corp., owner of the project. “The speed of the changing lending markets wasn’t really anticipated by any of the people involved.”
Rendering of Sonoma: Ziegler Cooper Architects
Read more about: 77005, Commercial Real Estate, Condos, Financing, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Randall Davis, Retail, Rice-Village, Streets
September 6, 2007 – 8:19 am
Buildings knocked down in the Rice Village for Sonoma. Plus demolition in Greenview Manor moves north. See the address listings in our daily report, after the jump.
Continue Reading This Story >
Read more about: 77005, 77008, 77016, Daily Demolition Report, Demolitions, Greenview-Manor, Rice-Village
August 20, 2007 – 3:54 pm
Our story on the Rice Village’s Sonoma development last Thursday repeated KHOU reporter Lee McGuire’s claim:
The developer says potential buyers have reserved all but four of the new condos.
But Jennifer Friedberg’s writeup in this past weekend’s Chronicle sez otherwise:
A total of 115 of the 220 units for sale in Sonoma are already reserved, Tysor said.
That’s quite a number of buyers backing out of their reservations in a very short period, no? But even more curious is this:
The number of units continues to change depending on the square footage potential residents select for each condo.
Contracts won’t be signed until later in the process.
That’s right, ma’am, just tell us how big you’d like your kitchen and we’ll move the wall there.
Read more about: 77005, Buying and Selling, Development Strategies, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments, Rice-Village
August 16, 2007 – 10:43 pm
Ignoring the objections of snooty inner-loopers who think they’re somehow entitled to a continuous grid of streets, City Council voted yesterday to let a block of Bolsover in the Rice Village become two private circular driveways and a restaurant patio. The deal nets the city a whopping $1.5 million—the price of a couple of small luxury condos, maybe.
That’s the last hurdle for Sonoma, which appears to have gained two stories since its last appearance here. Developer Randall Davis claims buyers have “reserved” all but four of the 225 condos. There’s also 125,000 sq. ft. of retail and office space in the complex.
After the jump, a revised aerial view of the new Bolsover dropoff.
Continue Reading This Story >
Read more about: 77005, Commercial Real Estate, Condos, Leasing, Mixed Use, New Construction, Randall Davis, Retail, Rice-Village, Streets
Here it is: The mixed-use giant about to plant itself at the northern edge of the Rice Village, at the 2400 block of Bolsover Street, between Kelvin and Morningside. “Abandonment proceedings” for the property have already begun. Say goodbye, Nit Noi!
It’s about 250 residential units perched over high-end retail and office space, all wrapped around a parking garage with a pool on top. Lamesa Properties vice president Julie Tysor tells the West University Examiner that construction is to begin early next year, and that the retail will likely consist of “a boutique grocer, a bookstore, and several upscale restaurants and shops.”
Tysor goes on to say that “nothing is defined or set in stone yet,” but Ziegler Cooper Architects features these drawings of the project on its website.
One question: will all that head-in parking along Kelvin have signs in front of each space that say “Parking for Bailey Banks and Biddle only“?
Read more about: 77005, Commercial Real Estate, Mixed Use, New Construction, Parking, Retail, Rice-Village
