The 33-story tower will also include 125 apartment units, and two restaurants on the top floor.
Rendering of Woodway Tower. The new project will break ground January 2025.
Gensler
A real estate developer has plans to construct a 33-story mixed-use tower in Houston’s Uptown/Galleria neighborhood, a departure from the typical sprawling office towers that dot the city’s skyline.
Zieben Group announced plans to start construction of Woodway Tower at 11 Riverway Drive in January 2025. The 617,943-square-foot structure will include five floors of boutique office space and 11 residential floors with 125 apartment units, a tenants’ penthouse suite, and two restaurants on the top floor. The building will have a helipad, three outdoor decks with unobstructed views of downtown Houston and Memorial Park, and the back of the building will have a large waterwall, CEO Lee Zieben told Chron.
“The views are great, nice shared amenity spaces,” Zieben said. “I really want the exterior of the building to be something that looks beautiful. A lot of my inspiration comes from my current office… and all the beautiful views and light that gives people energy.”
Woodway rendering
Gensler
With its floor plates estimated at around 20,000 square feet, Zieben aims to capture smaller companies as tenants or companies that need less space due to remote or hybrid work schedules. Zieben isn’t focusing on larger corporate tenants needing upwards of 50,000 square feet or more.
“People realized they don’t actually need a ton of space,” Zieben told Chron, referring to companies downsizing to smaller office spaces.
The company estimates that the tower construction will cost $100 million with an approximate grand opening slated for summer 2027. The project has already garnered a lot of interest, and is currently soliciting investors and pre-leasing, with CBRE’s Lucian Bukowski tapped to handle office leasing, Zieben said.
The firm is working with Houston-based architect firm Gensler to design the building and is in negotiations with contractor Tellepsen for the construction work. Once construction is finished Zieben Group plans to move its headquarters from Post Oak to the new space.
Woodway Towers promises standard amenities including meeting areas for tenants, a large kitchen, a small library, and a game room, in addition to decks and patios. The developer is already in talks with possible tenants of the restaurant space, planning for a sushi and Italian restaurants in the top floor.
“My driver behind this was that I wanted to build a really cool office building… with really great views… and my favorite food is sushi and Italian,” Zieben said, adding that he thinks many people will enjoy the new build.
