Energy Corridor | |
|---|---|
Business district ofGreater Houston | |
 Westlake Park, which contains theBP Americas headquarters | |
 | |
| Coordinates:29°46′N95°38′W / 29.77°N 95.63°W /29.77; -95.63 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Harris |
| Government | |
| • Type | County Improvement District |
| • Body | Harris County Improvement District #4 (Energy Corridor Management District) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2016) | 22,034 |
| Website | energycorridor.org |
TheEnergy Corridor is a business district inHouston,Texas, located on the west side of the metropolitan area betweenBeltway 8 and theGrand Parkway. The district straddles a 7-mile (11 km) stretch ofInterstate 10 (the Katy Freeway) from Kirkwood Road westward to Barker Cypress Road and extends south along Eldridge Parkway to Briar Forest Drive.[1][2] Parts of the district overlap with theMemorial area ofHouston. The district is located north ofWestchase, another major business district of Houston, and east ofGreater Katy.
Many energy sector companies have major operations in the Energy Corridor, includingBP America,Citgo,ConocoPhillips, Nouryon andShell Oil Company.[1] Non-energy firms also have a presence;Sysco andGulf States Toyota Distributors are both headquartered in the district.[1] The Energy Corridor contains over 26 million square feet (2,400,000 m2) of office space, with an employment capacity of over 105,000.[1]
Over 26,000 acres (41 sq mi; 110 km2) ofurban park area borders the Energy Corridor, includingGeorge Bush Park andBear Creek Pioneers Park.[3] These parks are located withinBarker Reservoir andAddicks Reservoir, respectively, which comprise a majorflood control system forBuffalo Bayou.
Energy industry corporations began moving to west Houston in the 1970s, seeking land for suburban office campuses and proximity to new housing developments.[4]
Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI) had its headquarters in the district until its acquisition byAllied Waste in 2000.[5][6]
In 2001, theTexas Legislature created the 1,700-acre (2.7 sq mi)[7] Energy Corridor Management District.[8] In Texas, management districts are special government entities empowered to levy commercial taxes within their boundaries to support investments in infrastructure,urban planning, district branding and advertising, and public safety.[9] Since then, the district has been actively involved in the creation of new infrastructure in the area, including road widening and the addition of bicycle lanes and sidewalks, and operates an extensivetree-planting and beautification program.[7][10]
Between 2001 and 2013, the district more than tripled its total property value, from $600 million to over $2 billion.[10] The amount of new office space added to the Energy Corridor between 2005 and 2015 is equivalent to the amount added during the preceding three decades.[11] However, the2010s oil glut put a damper on this growth, causing office and apartment vacancy rates in the area to rise significantly.[12] Despite this slowdown, the district saw a significant increase in hospital construction during the mid-2010s, including new facilities forTexas Children's Hospital,Houston Methodist Hospital, and theM.D. Anderson Cancer Center.[13]
ExxonMobil operated a large chemical facility in the district until 2013, when it consolidated operations in its new corporate campus inSpring.[14]
The Energy Corridor experienced extensive inland flooding fromHurricane Harvey in August and September 2017 after historic rainfall exceeded the retention capacity of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs. TheUnited States Army Corps of Engineers was forced to maximize discharge out of the reservoirs intoBuffalo Bayou to protect the structural integrity of the dams, causing extensive downstream flooding of residential and commercial areas throughout the district, particularly along the Eldridge Parkway corridor.[15]
| Company | Employment |
|---|---|
| Wood Group | 10,960 |
| BP | 9,537 |
| Technip USA, Inc. | 4,300 |
| ConocoPhillips | 3,000 |
| Shell Oil Company | 3,000 |
|-|Baker Hughes|3,000|}|-|Endbridge|3,000|}|-|Flour Daniels|3,000|}Historically, the Energy Corridor has been one of Houston's strongest office markets.[6]
The district is the second-largest employment center in the region with more than 94,000 employees and over 300 companies.[16]
The Energy Corridor is home to the national or international headquarters of the following companies:
Shell Oil Company, the fifth-largest employer in the Energy Corridor, operates a large campus in the district.[32][33]Dow Chemical Company andSonangol USA have offices in the area.[34][35]
TheMetropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) provides public transportation to the area. Line 75, originally known as the Energy Corridor Connector, operates during weekdays.[36] Commuters fromDowntown Houston andMidtown Houston can connect to the 75 connector via 228 Addicks and 229 Kingsland/Addicks through the Addicks Park and Ride. The 75 connector also connects with routes alongWestheimer Road andMemorial Drive.[37] In January 2011, the name of the route was changed to 75 Eldridge Crosstown, and the southern terminus of the line was extended to Mission Bend Park and Ride, enabling more convenient connections with theWestchase district and theNew Chinatown area.
Two general aviation airports serve the Energy Corridor:West Houston Airport, nearAddicks Reservoir, andHouston Executive Airport inunincorporatedWaller County. The latter was built to serve employees of firms in the Energy Corridor.[38]
Two-thirds of the district's employees live within a "commute zone" spread across northernFort Bend County, westernHarris County, and southernWaller County.[39]
The southern, western and eastern areas of the Energy Corridor are served byHouston Independent School District,Katy Independent School District, andSpring Branch Independent School District, respectively.[40]
Houston ISD residents are zoned to Ray K. Daily Elementary School,[41] West Briar Middle School (with Revere Middle School, a STEM Magnet, as an option),[42] andWestside High School.[43] Residents zoned to Westside may transfer toLamar High School.[44]
Katy ISD residents are zoned to Wolfe Elementary School, Mayde Creek Junior High School,Mayde Creek High School, Memorial Parkway Junior High School, andJames E. Taylor High School.[45]
Spring Branch ISD residents are zoned toNottingham Elementary School,Spring Forest Middle School, andStratford High School.[46]
The Village School is near the Energy Corridor.[47] In 2016, theBritish International School of Houston opened inGreater Katy to serve the district's large population of Britishexpatriates.[48]
TheHouston Public Library operates the Kendall Neighborhood Library on Eldridge Parkway.[49]
Of all HPL branches the Kendall Library received the most severe damage duringHurricane Harvey in 2017; the damage, which affected the electronic system and elevator, but not most of the books as the majority were on the library's second floor, included mold and was so severe that HPL employees re-entered the branch several days after the flood. The total level of water ranged from 4.5 feet (1.4 m) to 5 feet (1.5 m). The library afterward enacted a $4 million project post-Harvey renovation program with a tentative 2019 opening.[50]
The Energy Corridor is intersected byTerry Hershey Park, alinear park which runs east to west along Buffalo Bayou fromBeltway 8 to Barker Reservoir. The district is connected to a wider trail system bytrailheads at the intersection of Eldridge and Enclave and at Mayde Creek as it passes under Interstate 10.[51] These trails connect the district toGeorge Bush Park to the southwest.
Ray Miller Park, aneighborhood park, is located at the southern end of the district on Eldridge Parkway.[52]
In 2015 Energy Corridor Cricket, a children'scricket club, was established.[53]
757 N. Eldridge Pkwy. Houston, TX 77079 USA
The Village School, located in Houston's prestigious Energy Corridor,[...]
