Unique Retail Opportunities in the Heart of Texas’ Past & Future History La Porte is a very stable, growing community that has been overlooked and under-served in the area of retail and restaurants for decades. Founded by French settlers in 1889, the community became known as the “La Porte”, which translated from French means “Gateway”, because of its proximity to what later became known as the Houston Ship Channel. La Porte is also home to the San Jacinto Monument and Battleground, where Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, and the Battleship Texas. 500,000 tourists visit the San Jacinto Monument, Battleship Texas, Sylvan Beach Park, historic Main Street, Bay Forest Golf Course, Houston Bayport Cruise Terminal, and 5 Points Plaza each year.
5 Points Plaza, S. Broadway, a city-owned 300 acre municipal airport, and city-owned 8.5 acres on the bay-front near Sylvan Beach Park. La Porte’s historic Main Street, which contains antique stores, restaurants, a cinema hall, and novelty shopping, is connected to both 5 Points Plaza, Sylvan Beach Park, and S. Broadway. 5 Points Plaza is the community’s park for special events, while S. Broadway is the center of the community’s plan to re-develop existing retail centers and create a pedestrianfriendly environment for daytime, evening, and weekend activities at Sylvan Beach. Other ‘names in the news’ in La Porte: Rob John-
son, owner of Rob Johnson Interests, is constructing La Porte Plaza at the SWC of SH146 & Spencer Hwy. Dollar Tree will be the anchor of the 3 acre retail center, and plans are underway for Phase II on an adjacent 2 acre tract. Ford Scott, Partner at Capital Retail Properties, is undertaking a retail development on Spencer Hwy called the Shops at Spencer. Jason Leopard of Leopard Realty owns a building on Main Street, which has been recently leased by a restaurant planning to open by the end of March 2014. Nizar Manesia is planning to construct a new Hampton Inn & Suites on State Hwy 146 in La Porte.
Today, La Porte lies between the two international terminals of the Port of Houston and at the center of the 2nd largest petro-chemical cluster in the world, where billions of dollars of new projects have been announced. La Porte is the “hole in the donut” that is surrounded by retail/restaurant development in Baytown, Pasadena, and Clear Lake/ Webster, but unique opportunities for retail/ restaurant development await astute investors. In La Porte’s Primary Trade Area, the pent-up retail demand is $437 million in sales and 500,000 sf of retail space with a population of 380,000, an avg. HH income of $72,000, and a daytime workforce of 154,000. Opportunities for retail/restaurant development are available along State Hwy 146, Fairmont Parkway, Spencer Hwy, the historic Main Street District,
Come and Join Us! Robert Earl Keen’s “A Texas Uprising” -- March 15th at the Battleship Texas’ Centennial Celebration Texas Independence Relay -- March 29th-30th San Jacinto Day Festival & Battle Re-Enactment on April 26th Sylvan Beach Day Festival on April 25th and 26th 16 REDNews.com