Houston (Harris County) – It has been nearly two years since Austin-based Whole Foods Market made known its intent to build a 365 grocery in the Garden Oaks/Independence Heights neighborhoods, but vertical construction is about to take off.
As was noticed by Swamplot readers several weeks back, site preparation began in March at the northeast corner of Yale Street and the North Loop 610 frontage road. The initial site work entailed removal of a garage/office building that was used by Neff Rental, a heavy construction equipment supplier.
Contractors may only bid at the invitation of the developer, Fidelis. However, Virtual Builders Exchange has learned that bids on this project, Yale Marketplace, are due tomorrow, May 4.
According to the construction documents, Fidelis directly controls a corner lot of just over 4 acres through a limited liability company, Yale 610 Associates LLC. Fidelis closed on the land transaction in January, according to the county appraisal district.
The Fidelis site will have two leased spaces—a 30,00-square-foot building for 365 by Whole Foods and an adjoining 12,000-square-foot facility for an emergency room clinic. The grocery project name is Garden Oaks 365.
In an effort to attract a larger customer base, Whole Foods rolled out the 365 by Whole Foods concept a few years back. The 365 is a smaller pantry-style store with fewer consumer choices and more competitive pricing. The first 365 stores opened outside of Texas and this will be the first location in Harris County.
