A decade since Mischer Investments and Kickerillo Companies joined forces to purchase 630 acres from Hewlett-Packard Company, The Vintage has become one of the most sought after mixed-use communities in northern Harris County. The Vintage is now home to a hospital, hotel, thousands of multifamily and single-family residences and more than 500,000 square feet of retail and office space.
However, with less than 50 acres available for new development and dozens of new businesses leasing the available remaining retail spaces in the last two years, the mixed-use community is heading quickly toward completion.
"I'm not sure we would have anticipated the variety of uses we've seen there," said Mark Kilkenny, executive vice president for Mischer Investments. "But I think we saw going in that there was an opportunity to develop amenities and services in that area that hadn't been provided and were skipped over. "
Although The Vintage saw retail interest from its early beginnings, the remaining retail space available for lease has decreased dramatically over the last two years with the rapid development of Vintage Park and Vintage Marketplace.
"This area has grown significantly," property manager Sheri Kremling said. "Since we've bought the property, the retirement communities have built up, the apartments have built up [and] they've added Whole Foods down the street."
Just east of Vintage Park, the Vintage Marketplace has seen a similar explosion in the last year with Whole Foods opening in July and a multitude of restaurants and retailers staking ground in the shopping center, said Christie Amezquita, broker for shopping center owner Read King.
The 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods grocery store is part of Phase I of the 9-acre Vintage Marketplace, Ameqzuita said, which also includes 30,000 square feet of retail and restaurants. The shopping center could be fully leased by the end of the year, she said.
With Noble Energy's headquarters expanding and Lone Star College–University Park's enrollment on the rise across from Hwy. 249, the whole region is growing, Amezquita said.
"You've got good household incomes and a lot of rooftops in the area," she said. "It's a dense market, and you're seeing a lot of companies move their headquarters out here."
Progress in The Vintage is not limited to retail as several residential developments are nearing completion as well.
Vintage Lakes, developed by Kickerillo and Toll Brothers, has only about a dozen homes remaining in the 150-home subdivision, Killkenny said. Kilkenny said there are also five existing multifamily developments within The Vintage housing as many as 1,500-2,000 apartments that are nearing completion.
Laura Hsu, marketing manager for Sueba USA, said Sueba owns and manages both the San Cierra and San Antigua properties and used to manage the Vintage Park complex.
The three complexes—constructed between 2005 and 2011—house a combined 963 units and were leased quickly.
"Close proximity to shopping, dining, entertainment, medical facilities and education establishments have been helpful in marketing to make our property attractive to residents through convenience of location," Hsu said.
The Vintage has also seen an influx of medical facilities in the last decade. In addition to Kelsey Seybold Clinic, the CHI St. Luke's Hospital in The Vintage has served the region since opening in December 2010.
The 212,000-square-foot hospital has seen significant growth in patient volumes since opening, according to CHI St. Luke's officials.
