Westchase, Houston
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Westchase is a business district and neighborhood in western
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, bounded by Westheimer Road on the north, Gessner Road on the east, Houston Center Boulevard on the west, and
Westpark Tollway The Westpark Tollway, also Fort Bend Westpark Tollway, is a controlled-access toll road in Texas, serving western Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in th ...
on the south. The area is bisected by
Beltway 8 Beltway 8 (BW8), the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is an beltway around the city of Houston, Texas, United States, lying entirely within Harris County, Texas, Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway mai ...
. Westchase is adjacent to Greater Sharpstown, the International District (which includes part of
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
), and the Royal Oaks Country Club subdivision. The area is immediately northeast of Alief. A large portion of Westchase is covered by a special district, the Westchase Management District, which was created by the
Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...
in 1995. This entity, funded by a tax increment on businesses within its boundaries, provides branding,
urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...
, and public safety functions for its constituents. More than 1,500 businesses reside in Westchase; several are associated with the
petroleum industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of hydrocarbon exploration, exploration, extraction of petroleum, extraction, oil refinery, refining, Petroleum transport, transportation (often by oil tankers ...
, for which Houston is considered a major capital. Major employers that have offices in Westchase include
ABB Group ABB Group is a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Incorporated in Switzerland as ABB Ltd., and headquartered in Zurich, it is dual-listed on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and the SIX Swiss Exch ...
, BMC Software, Chevron,
Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, assisted in establishing ...
,
Dow Chemical The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., ...
,
Petrochina PetroChina Company Limited () is a Chinese oil and gas company and is the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The company is currently Asia's largest oil and ga ...
, and Jacobs Engineering. The Westchase management district is approximately in size, with of office space contained in 118 buildings. In 2006 Westchase was described by John Nova Lomax of the ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
'' as
suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
in nature, with a high concentration of
chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many p ...
s along its major
arterial road An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights o ...
s.


History

In the 1950s, large portions of Westchase were purchased by Robert E. Smith, a Houston oilman and philanthropist well known for creating the Houston Colt .45s baseball team. In 1969, Friendswood Development Company purchased a section of Smith's land to form what is now Woodlake, a residential subdivision at the intersection of Westheimer and Gessner. In 1973, Westchase Corporation, the predecessor to the modern management district, purchased of Smith's land and began preparing land parcels for corporate development. Chevron and Western Geophysical were some of the first companies to establish operations in the district. Construction on Beltway 8 (the Sam Houston Tollway) through the area began in 1985 and was completed in 1988. Financing for this section of the tollway was particularly challenging, as the
Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a Texas state government agency responsible for construction and maintenance of the state's immense Texas state highway system, state highway system and the support of the state's maritime trans ...
's right-of-way acquisition program coincided with the rapid development of Westchase and Sharpstown, induced by the
1970s energy crisis The 1970s energy crisis occurred when the Western world, particularly the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, faced substantial petroleum shortages as well as elevated prices. The two worst crises of this period wer ...
. In order to ensure that the highway would be built, landowners and developers in Westchase and Sharpstown formed the Beltway 8 Group, which coordinated with TxDOT to lock in property values at rates the state could afford. In the early 1990s, BMC Software relocated its headquarters from
Sugar Land Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a po ...
to a new 20-story tower in Westchase.Bivins, Ralph.
BMC building 20-story tower near tollway on city's west side
" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
''. Tuesday August 6, 1991. Business 1. Retrieved on August 3, 2009.
Legislation creating the Westchase District was passed by the 73rd Texas State Legislature and became law on August 28, 1995. In 2012, after splitting from
ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas. The company has operations in 15 countries and has production in t ...
,
Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, assisted in establishing ...
began construction on a corporate headquarters in the district. The project was completed in 2016. That same year, due to the
2010s oil glut The 2010s oil glut was a significant surplus of Petroleum, crude oil that started in 2014–2015 and accelerated in 2016, with multiple causes. They include general oversupply as Unconventional (oil & gas) reservoir, unconventional US and Canadi ...
,
Halliburton Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation and the world's second-largest oil service company which is responsible for most of the world's fracking operations. It employs approximately 55,000 people through its hundreds of su ...
moved out of its campus near
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
, and Maersk Oil ended operations in the area.


Economy

The following companies have regional or international headquarters in Westchase: * BMC Software *
Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, assisted in establishing ...
Sebastian, Simone.
Phillips 66 to build global headquarters in West Houston
" ''FuelFix'' (''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
''). September 12, 2012. Retrieved on September 13, 2012.
* Geokinetics * The Men's Wearhouse * Randall's Food Markets *
Statoil Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. It is primarily a petroleum company operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renewable energy. In th ...
Additionally, the following companies have operations in Westchase: *
Jacobs Engineering Group Jacobs Solutions Inc. is an American international technical professional services firm based in Dallas. The company provides engineering, technical, professional, and construction services as well as scientific and specialty consulting for a ...
*
Chevron Corporation Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation predominantly specializing in oil and gas. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California (shortened t ...
*
PetroChina PetroChina Company Limited () is a Chinese oil and gas company and is the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The company is currently Asia's largest oil and ga ...
* WesternGeco *
ABB Group ABB Group is a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Incorporated in Switzerland as ABB Ltd., and headquartered in Zurich, it is dual-listed on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and the SIX Swiss Exch ...
*
KRBE KRBE (104.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. The studios are located in Suite 700 at 9801 Westheimer Road in western Houston. KRBE has an ...
, a radio station * Compuware * Vroom, Inc. Westchase is home to a growing number of hotels; between 2014 and 2016, the hotel market in the district grew by 9%. The two flagship full-service hotels in the district are the Marriott Westchase and the Houston Hilton Westchase. Westchase is home to one of Houston's only Japanese markets, the Nippan Daido (大道日本食料品店 ''Daidō Nihon Shokuryōhinden''). In 2022 the
Bechtel Bechtel Corporation () is an American engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company founded in San Francisco, California in 1898, and headquartered in Reston, Virginia in the Washington metropolitan area. , the '' E ...
announced it would move its Houston area offices, currently in the Houston Galleria area, to Westchase effective late 2023. In 2023
Mattress Firm Mattress Firm, Inc. is an American mattress store chain founded on July 4, 1986. The headquarters of the company is located in Houston, Texas. History Founding Mattress Firm was founded by Steve Fendrich, Harry Roberts, and Paul Stork. The thr ...
announced it would move its headquarters to Westchase as the lease at its current headquarters ends.
Halliburton Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation and the world's second-largest oil service company which is responsible for most of the world's fracking operations. It employs approximately 55,000 people through its hundreds of su ...
previously operated the Houston Office (a.k.a. Oak Park Campus) on of land located in
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
and in the Westchase district.Rodriguez, Lori.
Opinions vary over naming the growing Asian community on Houston's southwest side


. (Archived on May 15, 2008). Alternate version without Chinatown map:
DIVERSITY DEBATE / Chinatown outgrowing name / Opinions vary over naming the growing Asian community on Houston's southwest side
" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
''. Wednesday May 9, 2007. A1.
SECT5-key.gif
." ''Westchase District''. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.
Clanton, Brett.

" ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
''. April 3, 2009. Retrieved on April 3, 2009.
Sarnoff, Nancy.
Halliburton move could create hole in Houston's office market
" ''
Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...
''. Friday August 10, 2001. Retrieved on November 11, 2009.
The complex included the Latin America division of Easywell, a division of Halliburton. The building first opened as a Brown and Root facility in 1979. In 2009 the Westchase campus had 1,700 employees; Halliburton plans to increase its workforce at Oak Park to 3,000 workers. At the Bellaire site Halliburton plans to build a 16-story tower, a two-story "life center", an additional parking garage, expanded child care facilities, auditoriums, and bridges to connect the many buildings. In 2009 Halliburton had about 1,000 employees worked in leased office space in Westchase. During that year Halliburton stated that it planned to vacate the leased space.HALLIBURTON TO CONSOLIDATE HOUSTON OPERATIONS
." Halliburton. April 3, 2009. Retrieved on January 22, 2010.
The plans for the Oak Park office had been delayed by one year, and Halliburton expected completion in 2013. However Halliburton closed the facility in 2015, and in 2020 a planned demolition was revealed.


Diplomatic missions

The consulate generals of
Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, and the Philippines reside in Westchase. The Indonesian consulate has been in Westchase since 1993. The Philippines consulate opened on September 24, 2018. In 2015,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
submitted plans to construct a new general consulate complex in Westchase. In 2019 the Mexican government agreed to give the state government of Texas the land of the Consulate-General of Mexico, in Southeast Houston, in exchange for the state giving the Mexican government of land in Westchase, that was previously state property. The move is rebuilding so the state government can reconstruct freeways in the Southeast Houston area. The current Mexican consulate opened in June 2021.


Demographics

In 2015 the Westchase Super Neighborhood, defined by the City of Houston and with boundaries different from that of the Westchase Management District, had 29,149 residents in 2015. 33% of them were non-Hispanic black, 26% were Hispanic, 25% were non-Hispanic white, 13% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 2% were non-Hispanic others. The super neighborhood had 21,017 residents in 2000. Of the residents, 40% were non-Hispanic white, 22% were Hispanics, 23% were non-Hispanic black, 13% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 2% were non-Hispanic others.


Government and infrastructure


Municipal services

Westchase is located in
Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...
district F. Two
Houston Fire Department City of Houston Fire Department (HFD) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States. HFD is responsible for preserving life a ...
stations, Station 69 Westchase and Station 83 Royal Oaks, serve Westchase. Both stations are a part of Fire District 83. Station 69, located on
Beltway 8 Beltway 8 (BW8), the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is an beltway around the city of Houston, Texas, United States, lying entirely within Harris County, Texas, Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway mai ...
, opened in 1980, after rapid area development stressed existing emergency infrastructure. Station 83 opened in 2005. The Houston Police Department's Westside and Uptown Divisions serve separate sections of the district.


County, state, and federal representation

Westchase is located in Harris County Precinct 3, which is headed by Commissioner Steve Radack. The
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates the Westchase and Debora Sue Schatz post offices in the district.


Education


Colleges and universities

Houston Community College Houston Community College (HCC), also known as the Houston Community College System (HCCS), is a community college that operates community colleges in Houston, Texas, Houston, Missouri City, Texas, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford, Texas ...
Alief Campus, opened in 2007, is located along Westheimer in Westchase. In 2017, the West Houston Institute, a
STEM Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...
-focused facility, opened adjacent to HCC Alief.
American InterContinental University American InterContinental University (AIU) is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois. It employs open admissions. American InterContinental University is a member of the American InterContinental Universit ...
, a for-profit institution, operates its Houston campus in the district. Remington College opened a campus in the district in 1997.


Primary and secondary education

Much of Westchase is zoned to Alief Independent School District.


Public schools

Most of Westchase, which is south of Westheimer Road ( Farm to Market Road 1093) and west of Gessner Road, is zoned to schools in Alief Independent School District, while the parts north of Westheimer and parts east of Gessner Road are zoned to the
Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the ci ...
. Two AISD public schools are located within the boundaries of the district, Alief Early College High School and Sneed Elementary School. The school zoning for the Alief ISD portion is as follows: *The portion inside Beltway 8 south of Westheimer and west of Gessner is zoned to Sneed Elementary School (Sneed Elementary is in Westchase District Section 5), Budewig Intermediate School, and O'Donnell Middle School. *The portion outside Beltway 8 north of the Westpark Tollway and south of Westheimer is zoned to Outley Elementary School, Budewig Intermediate School, and O'Donnell Middle School. *The portion outside Beltway 8 south of the Westpark Tollway is zoned to Chancellor Elementary School (Bilingual students go to Youens Elementary School), Owens Intermediate School, and Alief Middle School. *Westchase students in Alief ISD may attend Elsik,
Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
, and
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...
high schools, as high school assignments in Alief ISD are determined by a
lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...
. The school zoning for the Houston ISD portion is as follows: * Areas north of Westheimer and west of East Rivercrest are zoned to: Walnut Bend Elementary School
Paul Revere Middle School
(Revere is located in Westchase) wit
West Briar Middle School
as an option, and Westside High School. * Areas north of Westheimer, east of East Rivercrest, and west of Gessner are zoned to
Emerson Elementary School
Paul Revere Middle School (with West Briar Middle School as an option) and Westside High School. * Areas west of Gessner (whether north or south of Westheimer) are zoned to: Emerson Elementary School, Paul Revere Middle School, and Lee High School with Lamar High School and Westside High School as boundary transfer options. ** Residents of the Emerson Elementary School attendance zone may apply for th
Briarmeadow Charter School
** Residents zoned to Westside may transfer to Lamar High School.


Private schools

Private schools in Westchase include Alexander-Smith Academy, River Oaks Academy, Wesley Academy, Woodlake Square Children's Center, Ascension Episcopal School, Children's World Learning Center, and the Grace Presbyterian Church and School. Westchase Methodist School is a preschool and kindergarten in Westchase. The Tenney School is also in Westchase.Contact Us
" The Tenney School. Retrieved on August 14, 2019. "Contact Info 3500 South Gessner Houston, Texas 77063"


Public libraries

The area is served by the Judson W. Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library of
Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...
at 3223 Wilcrest Drive. The branch is named for Judson W. Robinson Jr. (1932-1990), who in 1971 became the first African-American elected to the Houston City Council. The library, originally opened in 1991, was closed for major renovations in the fall of 2016, and re-opened in the spring of 2018.


Transportation

METRO maintains a park and ride station for commuting to the central city. This station's construction had an anticipated start date of September, and there were plans for it to have spaces for 1,473 vehicles.


Parks, recreation, and culture

The Westchase District maintains a network of trails along a
tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of Brays Bayou which flows through the center of the district. The Brays Bayou Connector, which commenced construction in 2016, will connect Richmond Avenue and Bellaire Boulevard with a
grade-separated In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...
trail, providing pedestrian and bicyclist access to the International District and Arthur Story Park. The district government had revealed its initial plans for it in 2012. Another section opened in 2016. In 2016 the city government bought of land, on two plots adjacent to the library, to create a park there.
Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...
voted to approve creation of a park the following year. Wilcrest Park is scheduled to begin operations in December 2022. Woodchase Park, in size, had its opening scheduled for October 2021. Prior to the openings of these parks, as of 2020, Trust for Public Land described Westchase as having a below average number of public parks for a city neighborhood. Harris County operates Tracy Gee Community Center, named after Tracy A. Gee (), a
Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...
university student who was murdered in 1990. The center opened in 1993. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston maintains the Chinese Cultural Center in Westchase. By 2020 the
farmers market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...
in Westchase had an increase in traffic during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Texas The COVID-19 pandemic in Texas is a part of the ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The state of Texas confirmed its ...
. Congregation Or Ami, a Jewish congregation, is located in Westchase. the
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
is Gideon Estes.


Image gallery


See also

*
List of Houston neighborhoods The city of Houston, Texas, contains many neighborhoods, ranging from Planned community, planned communities to historic Ward (United States), wards. There is no uniform standard for what constitutes an individual neighborhood within the city; ho ...


References


External links


Westchase website
{{coord, 29.729, -95.564, type:city_dim:5km_region:US-TX, display=title Neighborhoods in Houston