The Woodlands, Texas — Market Street – The Woodlands has completed a comprehensive makeover of the award-winning shopping, dining and entertainment destination just north of Houston known for its collection of first-to-market retailers and restaurants as well as Class A office space.
Designed by noted architect 505Design, the 8-month project revitalized Market Street’s Central Park, the focal point of the 560,000-square-foot mixed-use property. Natural grass has been replaced with weather-resistant and ecologically sustainable synthetic turf to create a setting suitable for year-round festivals, concerts and other gatherings. New seating areas, charming pergolas, sustainable lighting systems, a modern interactive water feature and deck, have also been added.
Other additions include enhanced landscaped pedestrian pathways with contemporary parking and traffic management improvements. Shaded areas along with all new furniture property-wide, including park benches, ottomans and rocking chairs provide places for guests to relax. Additionally, restrooms have been renovated and water bottle fill stations have been added. Meticulous attention to detail was given throughout the planning of the project from the outdoor art structures selected for Central Park to the paint colors chosen for parking garage signage which assist guests with way finding.
“It’s all about creating a m
ore experiential setting,” notes Andrew Miller, president and CEO of Skokie, Ill.-based Miller Capital Advisory (MCA). “Public spaces create personal connections with guests. We believe our properties must be more personal, inviting and customized, and we carefully considered our guests as we sought to enhance Market Street.”
Market Street opened in November 2004 as one of the Houston area’s first outdoor lifestyle mixed-use properties, the result of careful, critical study of the country’s best open-air, urban-styled projects, plazas, parks and fountains. Besides providing The Woodlands and North Houston with a thriving Town Center core, Market Street has successfully captured the essence of what urban planners call “place making,” the process of creating a place where people want to be, not simply where they need to go.
The shopping, dining and entertainment destination opened with an enviable collection of tenants including anchor and Texas grocery retailer H-E-B followed by unique dining options such as True Food Kitchen and Tommy Bahama Restaurant and Bar. Many retailers and restaurants have since debuted such as Tiffany and Co., Suitsupply and lululemon.
Significant additions throughout the years include the opening of the five-screen Cinemark Theater in 2005 the opening of an anchor hotel, now a Hyatt Centric, in 2009 and later the addition of Tesla. Today, the project is home to close to 40 fashion boutiques and 20 restaurants and is situated in The Woodlands, one of the nation’s most sought after master-planned communities.
Market Street presents aspirational and bridge tenants including Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Bonobos, Johnny Was, Michael Kors, TUMI, Vineyard Vines and Warby Parker. It also is home to Grotto Ristorante, Sweet Paris Creperie, Uni Sushi and Jasper’s Gourmet Backyard Cuisine.
Coinciding with Market Street’s new look, three of its anchor tenants also have revitalized their spaces. The boutique 70-room Hyatt Centric The Woodlands recently completed updates to its interior and exterior, the Cinemark Theater recently completed an extensive renovation while Tommy Bahama, one of Market Street’s first tenants, completed its own update while enclosing its patio for year-round use.
“Tommy Bahama has been a proud part of Market Street and The Woodlands community for 14 years. The recent update we did at our restaurant and retail store has refreshed the interior to provide our guests with the best experience possible,” says Tommy Bahama CEO Doug Wood. “We’re excited that our new look coincides with the redesigned Market Street Central Park, which offers a beautiful view from our expanded and upgraded patio.”
Besides its retail and restaurants, Trademark and Institutional Mall Investors (IMI) significantly invested in Market Street’s office space since the beginning: 115,000 square feet of Class A space designed by the award-winning architecture firm, Gensler, with balconies on second and third levels above retail and restaurants.
Market Street is owned by a joint venture between an affiliate of Trademark Property Company and Institutional Mall Investors. For more information, visit www.marketstreet-thewoodlands.com.
SOURCE: Trademark Property Company