Several readers reported this morning that the Garden Oaks-Independence Heights border location of construction equipment rental shop Neff Rental, on the northeast corner of Yale St. and the North Loop, has been clearing out this week. That’s a prerequisite step before any new construction equipment can be moved back onto the site, to start work on the 365 Garden Oaks store Whole Foods has planned for the property (as rendered above).
Plans for the corner depict the mini-store accompanied by both attached and freestanding retail spots, 3 of which have pending leases with a dentist, a cellphone company, and a medical business respectively, according to the marketing materials trying to hawk the remaining space (highlighted in yellow):
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- Yale Marketplace [Fidelis Realty Partners]
- Previously on Swamplot: Aging L-Shaped Office on Yale St. Scraped Away for Shiny New Retail Strip Installation
Images: Boucher Design Group (renderings), Fidelis Realty Partners (site plan), Dan Bradley (photo)
with whole foods and other business coming to the area the heights area/garden oaks and oak forest will be as expensive as west u,since it’s starting to already.
It really isn’t a very big property.
I didn’t realize other retail spots were available. We saw the “for lease” sign and thought that 365 wasn’t coming anymore. Thanks for the info.
It’s a 365, not a whole foods so it’s not putting that much on the area to be like a west u or become a west u. This wouldn’t get put in those areas. This is whole foods trying to make a balance to serve more or cater to more than just those in those kind of areas. 365 has a better price value so that’s good for the area as a whole and can create an area that can stay more diverse income wise for a lot of those that would get gentrified out. It’s outside the loop, too, so it doesn’t have to be what inside the loop is becoming.
They’re trying to grab some of those Katyville Sprouts shoppers. Sprouts in Houston has to be hurting WF… good for us. I suspect the East End will be either a Sprouts or 365 within a few years too.
It’s still a whole foods store and i read an article saying the company wanted these stores in hot hoods around the country such as silver lake los angeles,east austin and the heights area,etc.i read an article that other business are company to that area since dec. 2015 and they are saying the area is gonna change.the heights area is one of the first hoods to have the 365 whole foods,they are putting these stores in expensive hoods that’s popular already and hoods that’s becoming popular.
Aren’t all the Sprouts locations outside BW 8? If yes, I wouldn’t think WF is being affected that much by Sprouts. I have been surprised there’s not a WF in Pearland, though.
@Heidi, there’s a Sprouts on Yale@I-10, North of the WalMart. That’s the Katyville reference.
Garden Oaks isn’t the heights. If you’re familiar enough with Houston, there’s boundaries: Loop, freeway lines, etc. 365 isn’t “the” whole foods store because if it was, it wouldn’t be placed there. It has to be in an economically diverse area for it to work because the whole foods people would rather go to the whole foods. While the area is still what it is and a lot around it will be very economically diverse for likely long term, this is an ideal area for Whole Food’s 365 to start out. The design of it doesn’t even look that whole foods design quality. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad design just shows what this grocery store represents.
Heidi, Sprouts has a location at Yale and I-10 across the street from Walmart in the Heights.
garden oaks and oak forest is now part of the heights the same way they are calling spring branch memorial,alot of long time residents were angry that new residents called northside village tampico heights.i have bad news for the purest out there if u live in cottage grove,independence heights,shady acres,brooke smith,timber grove/lazybrook those areas are now part of the heights,im sure people in sunset heights were angry about gentrification and i read about people in norhill heights are saying rich people are trying to take over their neighborhood.a few years ago some long time residents in garden oaks spray painted the new homes and the new residents were angry about a long time resident having his work truck parked at his own driveway.the 365 whole foods has high tech features at it stores and i read the food is cheaper than it’s competitors,the residents at silver lake/echo park in los angeles love the 365 store,i read the store was packed on its first day being opened.whole foods put the 365 stores only in expensive hoods in america,check out the home values in east austin,silver lake and echo park,those areas were once cheap but are now expensive and are one of the most popular hoods in america along with the heights.these hoods that have the 365 stores are gonna get more pricey and popular since they are close to downtown whether its austin,houston or los angeles.people thought we were crazy for buying in these hoods whether its was the heights,montrose or garden oaks/oak forest.