For the community near Tampa, see Westchase, Florida.
Westchase is a business district and neighborhood in western Houston, Texas, bounded by Westheimer Road on the north, Gessner Road on the east, Houston Center Boulevard on the west, and Westpark Tollway on the south. The area is bisected by Beltway 8. Westchase is adjacent to Greater Sharpstown, the International District (which includes part of Chinatown), 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 in 1995. This entity, funded by a tax increment on businesses within its boundaries, provides branding, urban planning, and public safety functions for its constituents.
More than 1,500 businesses reside in Westchase; several are associated with the petroleum industry, for which Houston is considered a major capital. Major employers that have offices in Westchase include ABB Group, BMC Software, Chevron, Phillips 66, Dow Chemical, Petrochina, and Jacobs Engineering. The Westchase district is approximately 4.32 square miles (11.2 km2) in size, with 16.3 million square feet (1,510,000 m2) of office space contained in 118 buildings.
Westchase has been described by the Houston Press as suburban in nature, with a high concentration of chain stores along its major arterial roads.
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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 760 acres (3.1 km2) 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's right-of-way acquisition program coincided with the rapid development of Westchase and Sharpstown, induced by the 1970s energy crisis. 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 to a new 20-story tower in Westchase.
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, Phillips 66 began construction on a 14-acre (5.7 ha) corporate headquarters in the district. The project was completed in 2016. That same year, due to the 2010s oil glut, Halliburton moved out of its 48-acre (19-hectare) campus near Chinatown, and Maersk Oil ended operations in the area.
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Economy
The following companies have regional or international headquarters in Westchase:
- BMC Software
- Phillips 66
- Geokinetics
- The Men's Wearhouse
- Randall's Food Markets
- Statoil
Additionally, the following companies have operations in Westchase:
- Jacobs Engineering Group
- Chevron Corporation
- PetroChina
- WesternGeco
- ABB Group
- KRBE, a radio station
- Compuware
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 (???????? Daid? Nihon Shokury?hinden).
Diplomatic missions
The consulate generals of Costa Rica and Indonesia reside in Westchase. The Indonesian consulate has been in Westchase since 1993.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia submitted plans to construct a new 3-acre (12,000 m2) general consulate complex in Westchase.
Government and infrastructure
Municipal services
Westchase is located in Houston City Council district F.
Two Houston Fire Department 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, 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 operates the Westchase and Debora Sue Schatz post offices in the district.
Education
Colleges and universities
Houston Community College Alief, opened in 2007, is located along Westheimer in Westchase. In 2017, the West Houston Institute, a STEM-focused facility, opened adjacent to HCC Alief.
American InterContinental University, 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
Westchase is zoned to Alief Independent School District. Two AISD public schools are located within the boundaries of the district, Alief Early College High School and Sneed Elementary School.
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.
Public libraries
The area is served by the Judson W. Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library of Houston Public Library at 3223 Wilcrest Drive. The branch is named for Judson W. Robinson Jr., who in 1971 became the first African-American elected to the Houston City Council.
Parks and recreation
The Westchase District maintains a network of trails along a tributary 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 1.92-mile (3.09 km) grade-separated trail, providing pedestrian and bicyclist access to the International District and Arthur Story Park.
Harris County operates Tracy Gee Community Center, named after Tracy Gee (Traditional Chinese: ???, Simplified Chinese: ???, Pinyin:Zh? Xiùju?n), a Chinese American 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.
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Source of the article : Wikipedia
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