The Morgan Residential Group debuted another fabulous property early this year.  2121 Midlane located at the corner of San Felipe and Midlane – Just inside the loop), opened its doors and from what I understand the management is doing a bang up job getting it leased!  I have toured several clients looking for apartments and the response is always the same… OMG!  No detail has been overlooked!  The lobby is absolutely stunning with its funky red couches, crystal chandeliers, and eclectic artwork. 

 The apartments have all of the desirable finishes residents are looking for: stainless appliances, wood floors, granite kitchen counters, premium fixtures, and 10 foot ceilings.

 The exterior amenities are well on their way to being some of the best in the city!  The pool is still under construction but it will be open in the next 30 days….  And from the looks of it, it is going to be a great place to spend those hot summer days.  Outdoor living areas, with fireplaces and plasma TV’s will offer a great place to entertain when you don’t want to be in the summer heat.  The state of the art fitness center is one of the best I have seen! You have to check out the game room/media room, once again, you will be saying OMG!

As to pricing…. They are super competitive!  Offering two months free and if you tell them McKenzie Drake referred you, we will give you an American Express gift card for $150.00 to help buy all the things you need to get settled into your new home!

2121 Midlane Houston 77027       (713) 622.2120

Houston Business Journal – by G. Scott Thomas Special to Houston Business Journal

The Southwest has become the new frontier for young Americans.

According to a new Portfolio.com/

bizjournals study, men and women in their 20s and 30s say that part of the county offers the best sanctuary in a recessionary economy. And Houston figures prominently in that thinking.

The study of 67 metro areas nationwide shows that five Southwestern metropolitan areas, led by No. 1 Austin, rank among the nation’s eight best places for young adults (see accompanying chart).

Austin has two key qualities that make it stand out from the pack, the study shows.

Two-thirds of the nation’s major markets have fewer jobs now than five years ago, but Austin added 99,200 jobs during that span. Its annual employment-growth rate of 2.8 percent is the fastest in America.

What’s more, Austin has the strongest concentration of young people among the metros studied, with 28 percent of its residents between the ages of 18 and 34. The median for the study group is 23.1 percent.

Washington, Raleigh and Boston are the three runners-up in the study’s rankings of the best places for young adults. They’re followed by four Southwestern metros — Houston, Oklahoma City, Dallas-Fort Worth and Tulsa — that occupy fifth through eighth place.

Portfolio.com/bizjournals analyzed the 67 U.S. metros with populations above 750,000, searching for qualities that would appeal to workers in their 20s and early 30s. The study’s 10-part formula gave the highest marks to places with strong growth rates, moderate costs of living and substantial pools of young adults who are college-educated and employed.

Here’s a quick look at the Top 5 metros for young adults, as well as the other major Texas metros in the Top 10.

1. Austin: The Texas capital’s two dominant qualities were noted above. But its attractiveness to young adults is broadly based. Austin ranks among the 10 leading markets in five of 10 categories that were analyzed.

2. Washington, D.C.: Educated young adults flock to Washington, where 35.8 percent of all 18-34-year-olds hold bachelor’s degrees. The study group’s median is 23.2 percent. Per capita income ($56,510) is well above average.

3. Raleigh, N.C.: This is the fastest-growing major metro in the nation. The population of the Raleigh area is increasing by 3.9 percent per year. That’s more than triple the pace for the typical market, 1.2 percent.

4. Boston: Elite universities such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology give Boston its intellectual cachet. The local share of young adults with college degrees (37.6 percent) is the highest in the country.

5. Houston: Employment opportunities abound in Houston. Its job-growth rate (1.7 percent per year) ranks among the five best in the nation. And so does its annual upswing in per capita income (6.6 percent).

6. Oklahoma City: The unemployment rate for young adults is lower here than anywhere but Salt Lake City and Tulsa. Oklahoma City also enjoys the nation’s third-best pace for annual income growth, a rapid 7.2 percent.

7. Dallas-Fort Worth: The recession caused some backsliding in 2009, but Dallas-Fort Worth still has 206,000 more jobs than it did five years ago. Local population is zipping higher by 2.4 percent per year.

8. Tulsa, Okla.: Here’s an area that’s a true bargain. Median rent is $508 per month in Tulsa, the third-lowest figure in the study group. Compare that to such budget-breakers as San Jose (median rent of $1,334) or Honolulu ($1,227).

9. Seattle: This high-tech metro offers a wide range of good-paying jobs. Seattle ranks among the 10 markets with the largest per capita incomes ($50,471) and smallest unemployment rates for young adults.

10. Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana is on its way back from the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, and this is one of its success stories. Baton Rouge boasts a high concentration of young adults (26.1 percent) and a strong rate of income growth.

The least desirable market for young adults, according to the Portfolio.com/bizjournals study, is Detroit, which shares the pain of the major automotive corporations based there.

Methodology for the study

Portfolio.com/bizjournals set out to find the U.S. markets that are best for young job-seekers.
The study’s objective was to identify markets that offer the best opportunities for workers in their 20s and early 30s. It gave the highest marks to communities that have strong growth rates, moderate costs of living and substantial pools of young adults with jobs and college degrees.
The study covered all 67 metropolitan areas with at least 750,000 residents as of mid-2008, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; employment figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and income figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Growth rates were calculated by bizjournals, based on data from all three agencies. All statistics were the latest available when the study was prepared.
A 10-part formula was used to rate each market’s receptivity to young job-seekers. The first five factors dealt with each area’s growth rate and potential. The next four categories assessed conditions for young adults. The final indicator focused on a key component of the cost of living.
Each area’s statistics were compared against the averages for the study group in all 10 categories. Above-average performances received positive scores, while below-average results were given negative scores. Each area’s 10 category scores were totaled to determine its overall rank. Opportunity scores ranged from 10.08 points for Austin to minus-12.53 points for Detroit. – G. Scott Thomas

The Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land area was the fifth-best market in 2009 for companies that wanted to either build new, or expand existing, corporate facilities, according to a recent study.

Site Selection magazine, a publication that covers corporate real estate and economic development, evaluated various regions’ corporate recruiting successes. In 2009, the Houston area was selected by 123 companies as the site of either a corporate expansion or relocation, the publication said.

“In the past year, the Houston region faced — and overcame — the economic downturn challenges through aggressive recruitment and retention efforts and a renewed commitment to fight for high-paying jobs,” says Jeff Moseley, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership. “Site Selection’s recognition of Houston’s prominence for corporate expansions and relocations bears out what our numbers prove.”

The top-ranking regions were considered as long as they attract facilities that come with at least a $1 million capital investment and the creation of 50 or more jobs and the leasing and/or building of 20,000 square feet or more. Houston was topped by New York City, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Detroit.

Life Science Plaza earns LEED Gold

Toronto-based Metrontario Group has been awarded LEED Gold Certification for Life Science Plaza, a 14-story, Class A medical office building located at 2130 West Holcombe Blvd.

The new building earned the certification from the U.S. Green Building Council under the Core and Shell Pilot standard.

The 715,500-square-foot Life Science Plaza is the largest LEED Gold-CS certified building in the Texas Medical Center submarket, and the first medical office building in Houston to receive LEED Gold-CS certification. Life Science Plaza is the Metrontario Group’s first LEED certified building and was designed, constructed, and managed by a team of LEED-accredited professionals. Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. provided project and building management services and coordinated with Kirksey Architects to gain the LEED Gold-CS certification. Other firms involved include BDMI MEP Engineers, Haynes Whaley Structural Engineers and Pepper-Lawson Construction Co.

“LEED certification is still fairly rare among multitenant medical office buildings, even though most tenants say they want it,” says general manager Karen Tucker of Jones Lang LaSalle. “The Metrontario Group deserves recognition for investing the time and money to make Life Science Plaza one of the greenest buildings in the city.”

Lease agreements reached for West Houston building

Panattoni Development Co., Inc. has reached leasing agreements with several tenants for its Class A flex facility in West Houston.

The most recent lease was executed with Carbo Ceramics Inc. for 15,000 square feet. Mark Russell of Studley represented the tenant in the transaction and also represented Zeitecs Inc. for 16,000 square feet in a deal that was completed in April of 2009. The largest tenant in the building is Acosta Inc. with 28,500 square feet. Acosta was represented by Dan Boyles and Griff Bandy of NAI Houston.

John Pruitt, Jessica Ochoa and Kristen Rabel of CB Richard Ellis represented Panattoni in all of the transactions and are currently marketing the remaining vacancy within Beltway 8 Corporate Centre. The building at 5050 Westway Park Blvd., represents the fifth phase of a 120-acre business park.

Occupancy of the 63,500-square-foot building is now at 92 percent, according to Justin E. Bennett, development manager of Panattoni.

“The transactions completed in the building illustrate the strength of the Houston marketplace despite the challenges that exist in today’s commercial real estate market,” Bennett says.

Renovated medical building earns annual BOMA award

A medical office building at Christus St. John’s Hospital was named “Office Building of the Year” in the Renovated Building category by the Houston Area Building Owners and Managers Association, or BOMA.

Cambridge Healthcare Properties announced that Physicians Medical Center I earned the award, which recognizes quality in office buildings and excellence in building management.

Cambridge purchased Physicians Medical Center I, constructed in 1981, along with another on-campus property from Christus in 2004 and has worked with the health system to retain and attract primary care and specialist physicians. During 2007-2008, the building was renovated and expanded by nearly 8,800 square feet to welcome The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as a long-term anchor tenant. M.D. Anderson now occupies approximately 12,550 square feet on the first floor and recently expanded into 16,000 square feet on the third floor. The second-largest tenant is Christus St. John Sports Medicine and Therapy Center, occupying nearly 14,500 square feet on the first floor.

The interior common areas were upgraded to Class “A” status, and exterior improvements encompassed new paint and landscaping to complement neighboring Christus St. John Hospital’s renovation and expansion.

Physicians Medical Center I is 100 percent leased and home to seven medical practices specializing in orthopedic and general surgery, otolaryngology, sports medicine, physical and pediatric therapy, internal medicine, rheumatology and oncology. Renovation and tenant improvement investments in the building total more than $7 million, and an additional $500,000 is budgeted for 2010.

Judging by officials included on-site inspections of policies and procedures manuals, preventive maintenance logs, mechanical and electrical rooms and roof and HVAC equipment. The written submission addressed topics such as the history of the building, renovations, tenants, amenities, staff, training, energy conservation, community involvement and emergency preparedness/business continuity.

On-site management includes Laura Williams, property manager, Mark Jordan, building engineer, and Leo Tapia, day porter.

I just got home from spending a relaxing weekend in Galveston.  A friend of mine recently purchased a two bedroom two bath condo at Palisade Palms on Galvestons East Beach, and let us borrow it for the weekend.   It was absolutely incredible, no detail was overlooked when the Falcon Group built these two towers.  The beach front residences boast an oppulent entry, coffee bar, gameroom/media center, a state of the art fitness center, tennis courts, and a swimming pool with enough lounge chairs for everyone!

The location of the building is perfect!  It is a short drive to Galvestons historic downtown strand district.  We ate at some of our favortie restaurants on the island: Rudy & Pacos, Mosquito Cafe and the steakhouse inside the San Luis Hotel.  It is exactly 3 miles from the front door of Palisades to the Starbucks off the strand, if you are up for a morning jog!

Galveston in my opinion is better than ever after IKE.  Yes, there are still a few blue tarps on roofs scattered aroud town, but for the most part Galveston looks GREAT!  It is amazing to see the plaques at many of the shopping and dining establishements denoting how high the water rose during hurricane IKE.

If you are looking to rent a place in Galveston over the summer, or even buy a place…. I would strongly suggest taking a look at Palisade Palms - You will be impressed -  Check out my website for listings:  http://www.mckenziedrake.com