Confirming a rumor Swamplot noted last week, the HBJ’s Roxana Asgarian reports that “one of the largest residential developers in Houston” has plans to transform two-thirds of the site of former pedestrian shopping district Westbury Square into 100 to 125 townhomes. Camelot Realty Group’s Tom Cervone tells Asgarian a group of developers going by the name of Villas at Westbury Square has the property on West Bellfort near Chimney Rock and West Bellfort under contract from its longtime owner, Alfred Antonini.
All 11 remaining Westbury Square buildings — including the longtime home of the Company OnStage theater group — will be torn down in 30 days, the real estate agent says. Two of the more dilapidated structures from the complex were demolished last year; the Home Depot next door (visible in the distance in the photo below) was built on land that previously belonged to the complex.
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Cervone also tells Asgarian that a request to divide the site into townhome-size lots has been submitted to the city. But planning officials were unable to find the request when Swamplot asked for information about it last week. Cervone says “there’s a possibility [the property] would be developed for commercial use” if the city doesn’t approve the subdivision.
- Westbury Square to be demolished in 30 days; townhomes may follow [Houston Business Journal]
- Westbury Square Headed for Sale, Exile of Remaining Tenants; Two Westbury Square Buildings Are Coming Down Now
Photos of Westbury Square in 2010: Candace Garcia
Never been there and only know this place through legend (and the westbury squares band, itself a distant memory), but always looked like a cool place that I’m sure many will be sad to see go. However, it always appears that no commercial districts are thriving in this area and residential would be the best utilization at this point.
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I still think we’re in the midst of a big decline in commercial space. Even in the middle of town it feels like there’s tons of underutilized strip centers and we’re of course flooded with mattress stores & short term leases in the midst of one of our largest economic expansions.
Uh, Joel….Westbury Square has been run down, partly burned down and unoccupied (except for the small theater) for many, many years. No one will be sad to see go. Westbury residents have been trying to make this happen for a long time.
I guess if they can sell townhouses on Bellerive, they can sell townhouses in a giant townhouse farm in Westbury Square.
I think the main reason there are unsuccessful commercial lots is because people don’t put the right business next to the right customer base.
The lot where Westbury Square is would be a great location for either an area with restaurants (there are very few conveniently located options for Westbury residents today), but even better, a mixed use development, especially if they’re already eyeing condos. Put condos in there with shops, maybe a transit hub, some restaurants….
I think a brand-new townhome development may be a winner for the area. Westbury has plenty of ranch-style homes (a good thing) and the Home Depot shopping area next door has plenty of commercial space (a good thing, too).
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Adding new townhomes will help diversify the mix of the local neighborhood.
Can you save condo over build ? Anyone know the latest w the proposed new ‘national chain’ fitness center going to be built accross Belfort over there near Pizza Hut/ auto zone? What about the huge Meyerland flood – has that effected buyers in the region there?
Not quite true. I’m pretty sure that there are/were still people living on the property in the apartments until this sale. I lived on the property four years ago with my ex-wife. However, living there was not really that much fun. I am sad to see the property being demolished, but I am sadder still that this is what it came down to.
Rumpleheimer’s or die.
I remember the Little Red School House ( I went there ,back in the early ’60’s – it was an A-framed 1 story structure painted barn red- looked like a ski house straight out of the Swiss Alps..) Subsequently we went shopping /eating/hanging out there in the later 1960’s.. The decline started in the late 60’s /early ’70’s. Indoor malls were the “new thing” and the customer base flocked to the Galleria I, Sharpstown ,Memorial City / Town & Country… Westbury Square had charm and character ( not authentic charm / character based on a historic basis ; but for Houston @ that time ,it was better than nothing. ) Unfortunately ,Houston for the most part, DOES NOT appreciate /embrace/support it’s “historic” structures. We tear ’em down and build newer,soul less, though technologically up-to-date structures. C’est la vie…
I may have gone to Westbury Square back in the day – don’t remember, but based on the pictures above, there is an “old-European village” motif. That would be cool to build townhomes, and shops, and offices in the same design. Oh, but wait, where do tenants park, and shoppers!!!
I remember Westbury Square well and shopped there frequently during its glory days. Many of the imported handmade items found at the Cargo Houston shop are no longer being produced and have become collectors’ items.
Reminds me of the song by Madonna, “This Used to Be My Playground”. Back in the day WS was magical but its time to say goodbye to yesterday as it was just a bad eyesore. What I’d give to have that fountain, one of the doors or rails as a memento. Not that happy about new cheaply built town homes in the area but it is much needed development and with Willow Waterhole at the back end of Chimney Rock you can’t go wrong.
This would be the perfect place for a European-style, walkable outdoor retail development, with apartments above!
As a current resident of Westbury, and a former member of the Westbury Civic Club board of directors, I can say that the residents of Westbury will have very mixed feelings about this development.
1) We’re glad to see the back of Antonini and there’s no doubt about that.
2) We’re glad the eye sores and dangerous structures are being removed, there’s no doubt about that.
3) But… townhouses? We don’t need more commercial housing in a neighborhood with substantial vacancies and we don’t want aggressive gentrifying style townhouses like you see in EaDo, 3rd Ward, The Heights, &c. We like being a family home centric residential neighborhood.
4) Westbury Sq was a nationally famous shopping area. Our hope has always been so see that restored. A tourist destination (even just for Texans or Houstonians) would be great for Westbury. Residential is better than a vacant lot, but isn’t really what we wanted.
As for empty commercial, the various lots of vacant strips in Westbury which were recently bulldozed are a _good_ thing. We were merged into the Brays Oaks Management District over the last few years and they have been able to come alongside the WCC and push on the quality of the commercial properties to get in step with the quality of the residential properties. Recognizing that empty strips are a net negative, not “potential to be filled” is smart and represents the end of economic decline from decades _past_ not the present.
Property values in Westbury are sky rocketing. We’re thrilled to own property here.
But it is a shame that the dream of Westbury Sq once again being the place to see and be seen shopping is going to die.
“But it is a shame that the dream of Westbury Sq once again being the place to see and be seen shopping is going to die.”
That dream has been a rotting carcass for years, and only just now is finally getting buried so something else can grow. How this can be viewed as anything but a net benefit to the area is beyond me.
Buildings are still up.