MetroNational, the prolific west Houston developer behind Memorial City Mall, on Thursday announced development plans for 18 acres it owns on the northwest corner of Gessner and Interstate 10 that could include scores of new retail tenants, a hotel and additional office buildings.

The development is just across the Interstate from MetroNational’s vast collection of office buildings, shopping centers, hotels and medical facilities.

MetroNational began developing the site north of I-10 a few years ago. In 2017, it completed 10100 Katy Freeway, a six-story, 240,000-square-foot building on the site. The largest tenant there is Mexican building materials company Cemex, which occupies 80,000 square feet.

MetroNational has signed deals with three popular restaurant and bar establishments for its next phase of development: Mia’s Table, a casual dining restaurant owned by Houston restarauteur Johnny Carrabba, Austin-based Torchy’s Tacos and Kirby Ice House.

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Russ Morgan, a partner in Kirby Ice House, said the new bar will fill a void in the area, which has seen an influx of professionals and young people in recent years.

“We really like the area and feel like there hasn’t really been anything along I-10 to Katy in terms of a larger bar that offers what we’re going to offer,” Morgan said. He said plans include 100 beers on tap, cocktails and a state-of-the-art television and audio package in the 7,000-square-foot space. Like its Upper Kirby location, the new location will have an expansive patio.

Construction on all three concepts is expected to start within a few months with openings scheduled next spring.

Privately-held MetroNational was formed in 1954 and its largest asset is Memorial City, a 265-acre complex with 9 million square feet, including office space, the shopping mall, apartments, a Memorial Hermann medical center and two hotels, including the new Hotel ZaZa.

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The property is part of a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone — an economic development tool where property taxes are used to make public improvements in an area — which was named along with the city in a 2016 lawsuit over flooding in the residential neighborhood around Memorial City.

A west Houston group called Residents Against Flooding filed the suit, alleging city officials had approved commercial development in the area without requiring adequate storm water mitigation, which resulted in increased flooding. The group sought to force the city to expedite drainage projects in residential areas and halt commercial building permits for projects on certain lots. Last May, a federal appellate court sided with with the city in the case.

MetroNational President Jason Johnson, answering questions via email, declined to explain the company’s plans to detain storm water for the new phase.

nancy.sarnoff@chron.com

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