Tanglewood developer plans $300 million, 33-story tower

The family of the founder of Houston’s prestigious Tanglewood neighborhood plans to build a $300 million, 33-story condominium tower on the community’s southern edge. The 1.3-acre site, at the northeast corner of Tanglewood Boulevard at San Felipe, currently houses the headquarters of Tanglewood Corp., a third-generation, family-run real estate venture founded by Tanglewood developer William G. Farrington. The ranch-style office building, which opened in 1949, the same year as the neighborhood, would be torn down to make way for the tower. “We’ve been incubating this wonderful corner for approximately 70 years,” said Kendall Miller, Farrington’s grandson, who lives in the house his grandfather built nearby. “The plan has evolved over the years, but has always been the new commercial idea of the moment.” On HoustonChronicle.com: Pelican Builders lines up financing for Galleria-area condo tower The lot was set aside for commercial use in the original plans for Tanglewood, which opened in 1949 with with innovative “rambling ranch” style homes on spacious lots and curved streets named for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Tanglewood Tales. Residential lots in the neighborhood typically range from 1/4-acre to 3/4-acre, providing space for grand scale, multimillion-dollar houses that have replaced so many original homes in recent decades. The proposed condo tower replaces a plan for a previous development announced for the site. That project, a 20-story luxury tower with 230 units was to be marketed to residents aged 62 and up. It was to include amenities associated with Canyon Ranch, the well-known health and wellness resort. On HoustonChronicle.com: Canyon Ranch and Hines associated with proposed Tanglewood tower That project, which sparked a lawsuit by the Tanglewood Homes Association seeking to restrict the scale of the development on the parcel, is no longer planned. The case is still pending, according to Miller. Tanglewood Homes Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The new condo building is designed to be compatible with the neighborhood and will adhere to deed restrictions, which were written by Tanglewood Corp., Miller said. It will have three levels of underground parking and be situated close to San Felipe with 60 feet between the building and houses to the north. He added that the project will have less than 30 percent of the impact on city services than a previous proposal for the site. “Tanglewood has on its periphery happily coexisted with more intense tall developments,” Miller said. “All parts of the area seem to be harmoniously working together.” Tanglewood Corp. will have an office at the new 1661 Tanglewood building, which also borders Sage Road. The company has also developed Post Oak Shopping Center at Westheimer and Post Oak Boulevard, which it sold in 2019; the Parkwood apartments, which were torn down to make way for a hospital on Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center’s McNair Campus; and built the Lamar River Oaks Shopping Center across from Lamar High School. At the earliest, the groundbreaking for 1661 Tanglewood could occur in early 2022, Miller said. He said the project would be about a year behind the Hawthorne, a 17-story condo building that Pelican Builders is preparing start construction on at 5656 San Felipe at Chimney Rock, less than a mile away. Miller said 1661 Tanglewood was being positioned to have international appeal, luring buyers from Mexico and South America as well as from surrounding neighborhoods. Prices have not be set, but are expected to begin near where the Hawthorne leaves off — or upward of $3 million, according to Miller. Most of the units will be more than 5,000 square feet, with some in the ballpark of 2,500 square feet and others topping 10,000 square feet. “We think our target buyer is someone who doesn’t necessarily want to downsize, but would like to move into a vertical estate in the sky with amenities and views and the ability to lock and leave with less maintenance than a house,” Miller said. Jackson & Ryan Architects designed the neo-classical style building with a granite-paved driveway, a guard house and porte cochere. A Venetian-inspired lobby will have inlaid marble and onyx ceilings. Rising 460 feet, the building would offer panoramic views of the city. The property will have full-time concierge services, doorman, smart-home technology, a skyline pool deck, exercise, social and business facilities and landscaped gardens. Miller said the scale of the building is on par with other Galleria-area condos such as Belfiore and Four Leaf Towers. katherine.feser@chron.com twitter.com/kfeser - Record heat is giving Texas' power grid a challenge like never before. Can it survive the summer? - IRS agents swarm Galleria-area office building - Houston gas prices are on the rise again, jumping to an average of $4.24 a gallon, GasBuddy reports - The pain drivers feel at the pump is nothing compared to the deep wounds by diesel's soaring price - A carbon fee on U.S. imports? 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Tanglewood developer plans $300 million, 33-story tower

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