13 Celsius, Canal Street Apartments, and Discovery Green win 2009 ULI Houston Development of Distinction Awards On January 27, 2009, The Urban Land Institute (ULI) presented Development of Distinction Awards to three developments before a sold-out audience at the Rice Crystal Ballroom in downtown Houston.

Canal Street Apartments, a development of New Hope Housing, and Discovery Green took top honors. The redevelopment of a 1920s-era laundry into 13 Celsius, a Midtown wine bar and café, received an Honorable Mention. The annual recognition of the best in Houston real estate development also honored: Westway Park, a 150-acre, master-planned project in West Houston developed by Wolff Companies, Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University, and the School of Nursing and Student Community Center, UT Health Science Center at Houston.

"The ULI Award competition does not pit finalists against each other," said Reid Wilson, managing partner of Wilson, Cribbs & Goren, and the ULI Houston District Council Chair. "Instead, each is considered individually and evaluated for its contributions to a more sustainable, thriving community."

Or, as ULI Award juror Vernon Swaback, who began his career as Frank Lloyd Wright’s apprentice said, "each winner is about a larger story than itself."

The Development of Distinction Award is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development. Local versions of the ULI Awards help to raise awareness of ULI’s mission: to provide leadership in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI hopes the Houston award can serve as a springboard to send more Houston award entries to the ULI Americas competition in Washington, DC.

A nominations panel of local real estate leaders selects finalists. The 2009 ULI Houston Development of Distinction Award nominations panelists were: Lou Cushman, Vice Chairman, Cushman & Wakefield, Ramona Davis, Executive Director, Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, Cydney Donnell, Executive Professor, Texas A&M University Mays School of Business, Roger Galatas, CEO, Roger Galatas Interests, Pat Kiley, Principal, Kiley Advisors, James Noteware, CEO, Noteware Development, Gary Maler, Director, The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, Joe Mashburn, Dean, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at University of Houston, Gayle Smith, Board Member, U.S. Green Building Council Houston Chapter, Jeff Taebel, Director of Community & Environmental Planning, Houston-Galveston Area Council.

Wilson said that bringing judges from outside Houston to make the final awards selections also showcases the best of Houston to a larger audience.

"The judges bring their expertise and knowledge of best practices to Houston," Wilson said. "Then they spread the word about Houston’s best developments when they return to their own communities."

The 2009 ULI Houston judges were: Rachelle Levitt, Executive Vice President, Global Information Group, ULI Washington, DC; Jeff Gunning, Senior Vice President, RTKL, Dallas; Vernon Swaback, Managing Partner, Swaback Partners, Scottsdale.

"We also hope the ULI Award program causes us to see familiar projects with new eyes," said Ann Taylor, Executive Director, ULI Houston. "Looking through the lens of a few, or even several years, we see pioneering efforts like the School of Nursing and Student Community Center, UT Health Science Center make important contributions to the community. We learn valuable lessons from a development like Westway Park, seeing how higher quality developments ride out the up and down cycles to achieve and sustain greater financial success.

About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in sustaining and creating thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 40,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

For more information, visit www.uli-houston.org

2009 Development of Distinction Awards Sponsors

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Award Eligibility Requirements

• The project must be in stabilized operation and must be financially viable.
• The project must achieve a high standard of excellence in all areas — design, construction, economics, marketing and management.
• The project must demonstrate relevance to the contemporary and future needs of the community in which it is located.
• The project must be worthy of emulation.
• The financial viability of programs and processes, such as growth management strategies and publicly guided development programs, will be based upon the soundness of the investment of public funds and the extent to which the fully-implemented program or process has transformed communities and neighborhoods.
• Developments or programs within the following counties are eligible for nomination: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, Wharton.

CRITERIA

• Leadership
• Contribution to the community
• Reflection of the special character of our region or the community in which the project is located
• Innovation
• Public/private partnership
• Environmental compatibility, sustainability and stewardship
• Responsiveness to societal needs
• Financial success