Andy Lear was a fresh, young graduate of Harvard Business School when he packed up his Chevrolet Malibu and moved to Texas to be the assistant development manager of a 760-acre tract of land in west Houston. Hired by Dallas-based developer Jack Rogers, who founded the Westchase Corporation, it was Lear’s job to envision what the property would look like in 30 years and then sell the concept.
Back then, it took a lot of imagination. Westheimer was a 2-lane road and Gessner didn’t go south of Richmond Avenue. There were about 200 cattle grazing the property. It was, in Lear’s words, just “bald prairie and fire ants.”
“We went from zero to 3,000 apartment units in just three years,” said Lear, “and 25 office buildings were built between 1979 and 1983.” Other early developments included the Adam’s Mark Hotel (now Houston Marriott Westchase) and the Carillon Center.
Development expands west
In the mid-80’s, the partners bought land west of Beltway 8 for what would become phase two of Westchase development. Retail followed the burgeoning multi-family communities and the corporation made its first Phase Two sale to Weingarten, which built the Westchase Mall at Westheimer and Walnut Bend (now home to Whole Foods and Nordstrom Rack.)
Community association adds value
Sign of the times: Many locations in Westchase were marked by the Westchase Corporation’s distinctive logo, which were removed and replaced by Westchase District’s monument markers as the District assumed marketing responsibilities for the area.
During this same time, Westchase Corporation enacted covenants on landscaping, signage, architecture and setbacks. Perhaps most importantly, they established a funded community association to enforce the covenants and maintain quality of life in the Westchase area.
Lear credits the Westchase Community Association with maintaining quality development during the 80’s when Houston hit the economic skids. “Westchase stood out in Houston,” said Lear. “We maintained our integrity and the area was still prime real estate when the next building boom came in the 90’s.”
Westchase District partnership is formed
Westchase District was formed in 1995, encompassing not only the two Westchase Corporation developments, but also Woodlake, CityWest and Wilcrest Green. Later Westchase III (south of the Westpark Tollway to Bellaire) was added. The two organizations cooperated on many projects to encourage quality development in the area.
“Westchase District never wanted to regulate land use, signage or setbacks,” noted Westchase District’s founding general manager Jim Murphy. “But there was value in seeing that done.”
Philip Schneidau has served on both the Westchase District Board of Directors and the WCA board. “Westchase District has evolved. They didn’t do half the things they do today back in the early years. But WCA is exactly the same. Its bylaws require that.”
Schneidau and his company, Woodbranch Management, have owned and managed multiple buildings in Westchase District. As an owner, he sees the value of the WCA. “When you buy a home in a deed-restricted community, you know your home is not going to be affected by negative development. It’s no different in a commercial area. Investors put a premium on that.”
WCA invests in the community
Early signs of progress: (left-right) Jim Murphy, Andy Lear and (then) Westchase District Projects Director Daniel Tighe celebrate a 2002 project to landscape the esplanades on Westpark.
All properties within the original Westchase boundaries – loosely defined as Gessner, Westheimer, Woodland Park and the Westpark Tollway – pay dues to the WCA. As properties developed back in the 80’s and 90’s, the WCA was able to ride the construction wave, collecting income to pay for community improvement projects like landscaping in the public realm.
Murphy credits Lear’s early work to beautify the street medians in Westchase by landscaping them. “It’s no small thing to take those boulevards and turn them into linear parks,” said Murphy. “WCA planted trees and took on the irrigation expense in the early days. It also required private landowners to landscape their setback areas. That’s why there are mature, 50-year-old trees on Wilcrest and Meadowglen.”
Lear and Murphy have both retired. Schneidau continues to direct the association’s efforts as chair of the WCA board of directors. But he’s handed the heavy lifting over to KRJ Management, which manages the association now. Except for an occasional land use change and updating the signage restrictions to reflect modern technology, Schneidau says the WCA is timeless. It will keep doing what it has always done for the benefit of the property owners that make up the original Westchase development.
