Houston Northbelt
Download Case Study- 2004
Acquisition Year
- 2
Years
Held - 174k
Total Square Footage
- 18
Number of Buildings
OPPORTUNITY
Northbelt Industrial, a portfolio comprised of 18 mixed-use industrial buildings totaling 174,145 square feet, is located three miles west of Bush Intercontinental Airport near several major highways. With buildings suited for light industrial, warehouse, distribution, and office space, the portfolio had a unique offering in an attractive location in one of the U.S.’s largest cities. However, Northbelt fell victim to terrible flooding in the early 2000’s primarily from Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 and a 10-year storm in 2002. This created an opportunity to acquire the property at a point where vacancy rates were higher and renovations needed to be made.
SOLUTION
Westmount acquired this property in December of 2004. In the time between the flooding and acquisition, Harris County announced that they had received four times the funding they had received previously to resolve the flooding issues in the region. Additionally, Westmount speculated that passenger and freight air traffic in the area would grow to match the technological development of Houston. All these factors played part in the strategic plan to renovate, reposition and aggressively lease the property to improve occupancy. After a brief two year hold, the property was sold for considerable gain.
TAKEAWAY
Westmount identified and capitalized on area flood-control initiatives which brought value to the portfolio. Leveraging our expertise in identifying market trends, we accurately forecasted the area’s growth and its impact on the demand for mixed-use industrial space.
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