Wulfe & Co. breaks ground on retail-office project in The Woodlands

Houston-based Wulfe & Co. has started construction on the next phase of the East Shore Place mixed-use development in The Woodlands.

The two-level development, at the northwest corner of Grogan's Mill Road and East Shore Drive, will contain 49,000 square feet, with retail, restaurant and professional space on the ground floor and specialty office and medical space on the second floor.

The next phase builds upon the 9,000-square-foot Frost Bank that opened at the corner of the 3.44-acre site in East Shore Place last year. The project also has a four-level parking garage.

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Wulfe & Co. has started construction on the next phase of East Shore Place at the northwest corner of Grogan’s Mill Road and East Shore Drive in The Woodlands. Wulfe & Co. has started construction on the next phase of East Shore Place at the northwest corner of Grogan’s Mill Road and East Shore Drive in The Woodlands. Photo: Wulfe & Co. Photo: Wulfe & Co. Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Wulfe & Co. breaks ground on retail-office project in The Woodlands 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

"We think the timing is right because there's very little retail space available," chairman Ed Wulfe said.

The expansion comes as Houston-area retail spaces are about 95 percent occupied and rents are slightly rising, Wulfe said.

The neighborhood-oriented development has signed leases so far with Toasted Yolk Café, 4,347 square feet, and Isle PediSpa, 2,500 square feet. More deals are in the works, Wulfe said.

The center is walking distance to the East Shore neighborhood, which has upscale townhomes along Lake Woodlands. The next phase is planned for a freestanding restaurant along Grogan's Mill Road, Wulfe said.

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Katherine Wildman of Wulfe & Co. is handling leasing for the project, which was designed Ziegler Cooper Architects and is being built by Arch-Con.

About a half-mile away, Howard Hughes Corp. is developing Lake Woodlands Crossing, a 62,565-square foot retail center in The Woodlands Town Center. The center is at Lake Woodlands Drive and Grogan's Mill Road.

Retail construction is projected to total about 3.3 million square feet across the Houston area this year, Wulfe & Co. said in an annual survey.

Wulfe & Co. plans its next project in Riverstone, but details have not been finalized, Wulfe said.