How much did they pay the consultants to come up with that stupid as name?

Quote:

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San Francisco-based FPA Multifamily LLC, a vertically integrated real estate investment company, announced Sept. 17 that it acquired the West Ave shopping center and adjacent apartment complex Gables West Ave. FPA plans to rebrand the shopping center as "Shops at Arrive" and the apartment complex as "Arrive River Oaks," per the Sept. 17 press release.

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West Ave mixed-use development in Houston's Upper Kirby sold, rebranded

it doesn't even accomplish pretension...just sounds stupid.

Hey..."let's go shopping the Arrive at Houston".

"Arrive" is an apartment brand, just like "Gables"

All this is saying is that instead of Gables, the apartments are now Arrive because of the new owner, and they are switching up the names to emphasize the Arrive part whereas Gables has so many apartments under that name that they needed the extra geographic qualifier. They wouldn't call the retail part "Shops at Gables" because nobody knows which Gables you'd be talking about from that name, but I'm pretty sure there are no other Arrive branded complexes in Houston.

It would make sense to change the apartment name. But calling the development as a whole "Shops at Arrive" just sounds dumb.

Nobody is familiar with that branding here.

Diggity said:

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It would make sense to change the apartment name. But calling the development as a while "Arrive at Houston" just sounds dumb.

Nobody is familiar with that branding here.

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Yeah but from their point of view, naming the entire development as "Arrive" probably raises the profile of the Arrive brand here, and they'd probably gain very little if anything from the West Ave branding. It's not like people think "West Ave oooh, I've got to be associated with that!" If anything its the development style and location itself that is a much bigger factor in probably both retail and residential leasing. It could be called anything, so why not make it promote your brand?

I've just never noticed mixed use developments naming their whole project after the apartment piece. Seems to be the tail wagging the dog.

I never thought West Ave was a particularly great name either. Something that gives you some indication of location makes more sense to me.

Diggity said:

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I've just never noticed mixed use developments naming their whole project after the apartment piece. Seems to be the tail wagging the dog.

I never thought West Ave was a particularly great name either. Something that gives you some indication of location makes more sense to me.

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Really, I would actually struggle to name any development that consists only of apartments over lower level retail that does not take the name of the residential component as its location name. There aren't a lot of comparables, but the two I can think of easily are named after the residential.

Post Midtown Square
The Fairmont on San Felipe


Mixed use developments of other configuration (ie with office or other uses) or that are much larger mixed developments with retail/residential/other components in separate areas or buildings tend to create a district names, but just offhand I cant think of any ground floor retail apartment projects that aren't just known by the apartment building name.

Post is an apartment complex that happens to have some retail on the bottom. Nobody I have ever met refers to the retail potion as being part of "Post Midtown Square". I don't think the Fairmont even has retail.

West Ave. has nearly 200,000 sqft of retail.

The Milkman said:

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What the hell is West Ave?

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I'm going to guess you live in Katy

Diggity said:

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Post is an apartment complex that happens to have some retail on the bottom. Nobody I have ever met refers to the retail potion as being part of "Post Midtown Square". I don't think the Fairmont even has retail.

West Ave. has nearly 200,000 sqft of retail.

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I mean if this is the standard then really there is only one property that fits the standard, and they seem to be renaming it after the apartments. The reality is in your "nobody refers to the retail portion" quote. Thats because the retail doesn't have a name separate from the whole development, the apartments have the name. The building that the retail is in, is an apartment building. The same thing is true of West Ave.

Fairmont absolutely has retail, but its more strip center on the north edge of the property, rather than urban like Post Midtown or West Ave. I agree West Ave is huge, but the reality is that it is simply apartments over retail (albeit a large retail component). Its not nearly as diverse in uses as River Oaks District, BLVD Place, CityCentre, to say that it requires some kind of special district name or that it be primarily referred to by a nickname for the retail shops, IMO.

Ah-Rih-Ree-Vey

Blvd. Place has pretty much exactly the same amount of retail as West Ave.

I think the scale makes a big difference. Mixed use like Post Midown and Hanover Post Oak is around 90-95% residential. In most large cities, that wouldn't really be considered mixed use...just the norm. West Ave. is probably closer to 60/40.

The distinction for me is if I'm not looking for an apartment, I'm barely aware that West Ave even has them. You're not confusing the two at developments by Hanover or Post.

Yeah but BLVD Place could never be called an apartment building and West Ave easily can. West Ave is apartment building from property line to property line. BLVD Place is a district style development that includes an office retail component on 1/4 of its land, plus 3 office towers, and 3 residential towers, served by a parking garage.

Not sure what you're talking about as far as Blvd Place. It has no residential or office towers. Hanover has a couple residential towers but it's not the same owner.

Anyway, we aren't going to agree on this so no point in continuing the back and forth.

I lived on Ferndale. Moved, cause fail was easy to spot. This is the "Dickey" parcel for the most part. Hottest in the entire city. HUGE fail, and those who are selling...tails between legs. WEST was a major fail, and there's no soft-sell here, they blew it and wrecked adjacent residential. You LOSE!
Had to bail. Ha-ha. Now it becomes a tacky, midtown-type, generic, 4 storey half-empty retail with 400 apartments. Tough *****. You bullied, how does it feel?

Diggity said:

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it doesn't even accomplish pretension...just sounds stupid.

Hey..."let's go shopping the Arrive at Houston".

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It's not like West Ave was much better. I mean, it sits on the corner of Kirby and Westheimer.

I mean, they could have just called it Gables Kirby Ave or the Shops at Kirby Ave. You know, the streets they are actually on.....

I agree. West Ave was a stupid name too.

Something to highlight Upper Kirby or River Oaks area would make sense.

Like Arrive River Oaks?

Arrive is stupid. Sorry you don't agree.

Not to mention they're calling the retail... Shops at Arrive.

Oh I agree Arrive is a stupid name, but that's the brand name so the horse has already been out of the stable I guess.

Is there not a real estate forum hosted elsewhere to hash out this dumb bullish t?

Sorry to clutter up this super active board

I work like a mile from there and had no idea what "west ave" was.

Diggity said:

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Sorry to clutter up this super active board

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We need to get the dry cleaners wars going again.

Diggity said:

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I've just never noticed mixed use developments naming their whole project after the apartment piece. Seems to be the tail wagging the dog.

I never thought West Ave was a particularly great name either. Something that gives you some indication of location makes more sense to me.

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It does (did).

It was on Westheimer Avenue.

And tons of people refer to Westheimer as "West"

Not to mention it ain't an avenue.

Other than that...

Westheimer "Avenue"?

Diggity said:

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And tons of people refer to Westheimer as "West"

Not to mention it ain't an avenue.

Other than that...

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I've not once ever heard Westheimer referred to as West. Especially since there is a West Rd already.

He was being sarcastic.

Ah. The lack of emoticon for context threw me off.