Gables West Ave is the ambitious mixed use residential development at the corner of Kirby and Westheimer. The project takes up one city block and is a combination of residential living quarters and retail shopping.Mixed use developments are a result of the desire to be able to live within walking distance of shopping, dining and playing. This recent phenomenon in Houston is born from the rising cost of fuel and a desire to leave behind smaller carbon footprints. In a city such as Houston where the absence of zoning laws make it difficult to provide an effective mass transportation system this is especially true.
A recent visit to this pedestrian friendly development left us almost totally speechless. Words that immediately come to mind are, chic, hip, elegant and stunning. The first thing that strikes you the most is that the property has high ceilings almost everywhere. Then you notice the details, the elegant stone work and the Art Deco.
Each apartment unit comes with nothing short of 10' ceilings and if you should reside on the top floor, your ceilings are as high as 12' or 14'. Add ceiling to floor windows to the mix for an elegant home you'll never want to leave.
Interiors include Brazilian hard wood floors, two-toned granite in gourmet kitchens, painted accent walls, stainless steel appliances and digital programmable thermostats. Our favorite interior feature is the I-Pod docking station that feeds
your desired tunes through a built-in speaker system. They really get their clientele!The entire residential part of this community is apartment living. We assumed that some aspect of the project would include condominiums since Gables recently converted their sister property on Kipling into upscale condos and sold them off. No such plans seem to be in the making for a similar fate at this property.
They have started leasing their residential units and have exciting plans for the retail aspect of their project. Tootsies, a high fashion women's retail store is slated to move in shortly. Robert Del Grande is planning on opening a restaurant along similar veins as his restaurant Cafe Annie as are the owners of Eddie V's planning to open something special. Oh, and let's not forget the 10,000 sq. ft. Roman day spa.
Pedestrian friendly communities seem to be the next attraction for various locations in Houston.
Other mixed use developments are on their way to Houston, too. Houston icon, Ed Wulfe, since 2005, has been developing the area at San Felipe and Post Oak. And GID Group out of Boston is in the planning process of Regent Square located at the corner of Allen Parkway and Dunlavy.
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