"There's nothing I want to do more than a $2 cup of coffee," Jeff Kaplan says. "We're going to have a really great cup of coffee that's not just for yuppies moving into the neighborhood."

That's his first word on the cafe that will anchor the Plant at Harrisburg, a redevelopment of the former Imperial Linen Services plant at 3401 Harrisburg in Houston's gentrifying East End.

Kaplan, who founded the eco-friendly retail company New Living and teaches a course in social responsibility at the University of Houston, said he and his partners in the Plant venture all live in the area and are sensitive to its existing culture. The partners include the construction firm Forest Design Build.

They share a desire to see modest design and inclusive urban development models that don't price people out, Kaplan said. "We want to create a community for artisans and creative people that addresses the neighborhood."

It's the oldest story in cities everywhere: Artists pioneer a place, opportunists follow and property values skyrocket, displacing the creatives who made it desirable.

The East End's transformation is underway and inevitable, but Kaplan still sees vacant warehouses that could potentially house a new generation of cleaner industries and local micro-producers. Those companies aren't just good for the environment; they keep money and jobs in Houston, he said.

Kaplan said initially he wanted to create a home for the artisan-owned factory HTX Made, which creates furniture from reclaimed materials.

A rendering of the project, which is conveniently situated at a MetroRail stop for those who don't live nearby, suggests the 20,000-square-foot building could also hold a brewery.

The non-profit arts center galleryHOMELAND has also signed a 10-year lease, and there will be offices and studios for other creative businesses who will share a central gathering space.

"The East End has a legacy of production. Our furniture factories were there," Kaplan said. "In some ways it's like the 1800s again. We want to put a new face on the industry."

Those people are going to need caffeine. And it doesn't have to be Starbucks.

Bookmark Gray Matters now, before property values skyrocket, displacing the creatives who made it desirable.