New Look, New Anchor for 60,000-sf Shopping Center

The Whole Foods Market, a retailer of natural and organic foods, has agreed to be the anchor tenant in the redevelopment of one of Houston’s oldest shopping centers.

Whole Foods, which offers organically grown produce, specialty foods and other grocery items, will occupy 46,000 sf of the 60,000-sf West U Marketplace shopping center. The Bellaire Blvd. shopping center, built in 1949, is located in the affluent West University Place community near Rice University.

The shopping center is being redeveloped by a partnership of Trammell Crow Co. and Eastbourne Investments. The center was once the site of The Bellaire movie theater, which closed over 10 years ago. The theater’s rooftop art-deco icon tower and neon lights will be preserved in the redevelopment effort, which should be completed later this year. Trammell Crow is gutting the interior of the building and revamping the exterior with a new facade and lighting.