Exxon to Expand Houston Footprint, Inking 478,000-SF Lease

By Amalia Otet, Associate Editor

Exxon Mobil Corp. signed a deal to lease approximately 478,000 square feet of office space at Hughes Landing, a 66-acre mixed-use community situated on Lake Woodlands.

The energy giant will take over an entire office building and a portion of a second structure at the master-planned development, with plans to move in during the first half of 2016, according to The Woodlands Development Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC).

Each building will feature approximately 300,000 square feet of Class A office space. The compound will also include an adjacent 13-story, 800,000-square-foot parking garage.

“We are very pleased to welcome ExxonMobil as a tenant in Hughes Landing, only a short distance from their new campus,” said Paul Layne, executive vice president of master-planned communities for The Howard Hughes Corp. “Their offices in Hughes Landing are ideally situated, only steps away from all that Hughes Landing has to offer, providing their employees a one-of-a-kind setting where they can work in a vibrant lakeside community.”

Designed by Houston-based Kirksey Architects, the buildings are seeking LEED certification. Harvey Builders will oversee the work as general contractor.

At full build-out, Hughes Landing will feature as many as 11 Class A office buildings; shopping, dining and entertainment; a 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market®, an upscale hotel; a state-of-the-art fitness center; and as many as 800 multi-family residences.

The first office building, One Hughes Landing, opened almost fully leased less than 10 months after starting construction; according to the developers, that is an excellent indicator of the strong demand for premium commercial, residential and retail space in The Woodlands.

Construction is currently underway on Two Hughes Landing, a 197,000-square-foot, Class A building expected to be complete in mid-2014.

Restaurant Row in Hughes Landing will house a variety of culinary establishments, including Escalante’s Fine Tex-Mex & Tequila and Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar, which have already signed leases and will soon begin construction.

Photo credits: ExxonMobil in The Woodlands -View Rendering via Business Wire