Major development promises change for downtown Houston

(1/25/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- There are some big plans in the works for downtown Houston. A landmark project is about to get underway that stretches three blocks to include an entertainment complex.

The Main Street corridor is always bustling during the weekday lunch hour. But getting people to stay and play outside of the 9 to 5 workday is still an uphill battle.

"We have the Galleria," said downtown worker Mario Yearwood. "If you want to go shopping, you go to the Galleria."

"Downtown Houston suffers from a lack of residential space," theorized downtown worker David Breston.

Downtown Houston may finally be getting the boost it needs -- a $200 million Houston Pavilions complex, straddling three surface parking lots. Its developers were tight-lipped about the project when we first told you about it last year. Now they are overwhelmed with excitement, announcing that the House of Blues will be its first major tenant and offering a glimpse of the big plans to come.

Developer Geoff Jones admitted, "It's not often that you have an opportunity to redefine the urban core of the nation's fourth largest city. That's precisely what this project does."

City leaders hope by replacing these parking lots with the Pavilions projects it will not only bring more people to downtown, but also help out other downtown buildings which have lacked retail development for years. In fact, empty store fronts still outnumber actual shopping places along Main Street. The Pavilions' developers do have a good track record. A similar Pavilions development in Denver has been successful. And they've already spent millions on actually buying the Houston land.

People who have worked on downtown projects for years say they believe this is the real deal.

"I'm just incredibly excited," enthused Bob Eury, CEO of Central Houston. "This is the right project in the right location at the right time for downtown."

In fact, city leaders say downtown Houston is much less vibrant than a lot of smaller cities across the country. They hope the Pavilions project will help change that.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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