Houston's Bush International Airport May Be Getting a High-End Neighbor

This from multiple sources including Globe St. and the Houston Chronicle:

Houston developer Midway Companies, a Houston company known for building high-end real estate projects, is proposing to create what could be a $50 million mixed-use development near Bush Intercontinental Airport (BIA). The plan, more than two years in the making, could move a step closer to reality this week when Houston City Council(HCC)is scheduled to vote on a development agreement for the land, which is owned by the Houston Airport System (HAS). If HCC approves the project, Midway Companies is prepared to sign a forty-year ground lease agreement for approximately 10 acres along JFK Boulevard from HAS. The parcel is near the BIA consolidated rental car center.

In the ground lease agreement, Midway would have two years to "sell" the concept to tenants and then up to two additional years to construct the project. At a minimum, it would include restaurants, a gas station, a convenience store and a cell phone lot with an electronic system to display flight information, and it may also include office space, retail shops, and a 125-room hotel. This would be the first project of its kind for the airport system.

“We hope this is a great success and we can repeat it at our other airports,” said Janet Schafer, assistant director in the Properties Division for the Houston Airport System, which oversees the city's three airports.