Permit Roundup: 7-Eleven lands in Katy, Indoor Paintball in Spring Branch, and Speculation on Washington Ave.

Howdy folks and welcome to… what I’m hoping may become a somewhat regular feature here on Houston Historic Retail. This is what I’m calling a Permit Roundup, the majority of my information for this post is based on permits that have been filed with the City of Houston. The point of this is to provide one of the earliest possible looks at up and coming retail development throughout the Houston area, somewhat in the vein of what the late great Swamplot did. This is still something I’m trying out, so let me know what you think in the comments!

Corporate Goings-Ons

We all collectively shout “Oh, thank Heaven!” as it appears 7-Eleven has filed permits to build a new location at 1206 Barker Cypress which would put it right on the I-10 Feeder across from Methodist Hospital’s Katy campus. Chase Bank has filed permits to begin remodeling their Lockwood and Lyons location. The permit filed for 1605 Lockwood Drive is for an interior remodel only, unlike the Taco Bell demolition and rebuilt strategy seen last week. Speaking of the soda giant’s fast food wing, Taco Bell has filed two new permits, which will see two more stores either a remodeled or rebuilt. The first store at 1033 Bay Area Blvd has a vague plumbing permit generally precedes a demolition permit. The second location, 2093 Taylor, which has been home to a combo Taco Bell/KFC, has applied for a permit for a completely new restaurant. The Taco Bell portion is listed as closed online, and the phone number listed for KFC was not answered.

While 7-Eleven has to release any concrete plans about the new location, their new build stores are all pretty similar. As seen in 7-Eleven is Starting to Get in the Swing of Things

Restaurant Revivals

The seeming once again abandoned Home Slice Pizza has filed a remodel permit for their planned Midtown location at 3701 Travis, which could be a good or a bad sign. The occupant is listed as Home Slice, who was originally announced in 2019 and planned to open a Midtown location in 2020. As of March 2021 the opening was pushed back again to later this year. I haven’t been able to locate any new since then, and this means the remodel could be by Home Slice, or by another restaurant to redo what Home Slice had accomplished so far. Speaking of Pizza, according to a build out permit, local Pizza chain Crust Pizza Co is working on opening a location in the new Kingwood Place Shopping Center. Crust Pizza Co was founded in 2011 only a few miles West in The Woodlands. Getting back to revivals, lets talk about a restaurant revival that didn’t work out. After sitting closed for about a year it seems that the West University location of Berryhill will be replaced by a nail salon.

It doesn’t look much like a Bar/Lounge to me… More like another bank. Photo Credit: /u/hindesky

A little bit of Entertainment

Finally, some entertainment news comes to town! Starting with the vaguest information I’ve got; a new bar could be coming to the former Bank of America Drive-Thru at 3905 Washington. While the permit does not name the establishment, it does list it as a bar/lounge. The redevelopment of this former Bank of America Drive-Thru has been the point of contention many times on HAIF over the past years, which is how long it has taken to get this far in the construction process. It should also be noted that this not the first time permits have been filed for this address, and plans could change. Along 90-A, Lakeview RV Resort continues to make steps forward with their expansion taking over the former residential properties next door, which they acquired about two years ago. The RV resort is not the only one in Houston, but is one of the largest in the area. Finally, to close us out, something a bit more entertaining than an RV park. Splat Zone Paintball  is preparing to open their doors at 11260 Hempstead Highway. The indoor paintball facility has been in the works at least since 2020 based on Streetview imagery but was likely, delayed due to COVID. The industrial Spring Branch location actually helps to complement the long-standing Speedy’s Fast Track Go-Kart Facilities across Mitchelldale Street. Splat Zone seems like it should be open within the next few week(s) or so.

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