HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMBER. Drake:Grenspoint-the Market, the Myths, the Milestones

Jack Drake

GREENSPOINT– In his evangelical style, Greenspoint President Jack Drake presented to the Houston Intercontinental Chamber a talk entitled “Greenspoint Revealed.”
The occasion was the monthly luncheon of the chamber, held last Thursday, April 3 at the Airport Marriott hotel.
Drake has talked before about the vigor of the Greenspoint District, and this was an update of the activities that have happened in the last year, and some plans and predictions for the future.
Drake started by reviewing the Market that exists around the Greenspoint area. Continued growth of population, employees, and businesses signal economic strength now and in the future, he said. He presented a number of new projects, ranging from parks and bayous, to large warehouse and office prospects. He also mentioned the revitalization of the Greenspoint Mall, as the new 20 screen theater opens next month.

Location both in the county, and in the country, foretell continued market strength, he indicated. This is true for transportation, real estate, and also a national fiber optics network that passes through Greenspoint.
Transportation is a key factor in Greenspoint’s future, he said. He mentioned that the combination of Continental and United make the country’s largest airline, and their reservation center remains in Greenspoint.
High speed rail is in our future, Drake indicated, with a line from Dallas to Houston by 2020. The private corporation that will build it is headquartered in Greenspoint. It will partner with Japan High Speed Rail, a leader for 50 years in this technology. He foresees a HSR line that will take only 70 minutes to reach Dallas, travelling at 215 miles per hour. Former county judge Robert Eckels is president of this corporation, Lone Star High Speed Rail.
Drake made a point of debunking a Myth, that crime is rampant in Greenspoint. In fact, he said, crime is down 42% since 1991, while population has grown 63% and employment in the area has grown by 121%.
He took pride in mentioning some Milestones, such as leading the city in LEED certified buildings, having 10,000 hotel rooms or 17% of the city’s total in Greenspoint.
He said that there was 13 million square feet of office space in Greenspoint, with 80 energy related companies as tenants. The class A office space is almost 100% occupied.
Recently, former Mexican president Vincente Fox visited the offices of Greenspoint District, and also toured a call center on Northborough, which is in a building meant to be an “incubator” for other Hispanic oriented businesses. This is another indication of the diverse businesses that are interested in Greenspoint, Drake said.
Chamber president Jocklyn Keville announced the next luncheon, on April 5th, would focus on the subject of Trans-Border International Police. It is in conjunction with a conference on the subject.