NewQuest Properties has shored up Willowbrook Pavilion as a family fun destination in North Houston, signing a 10-year lease with Florida’s largest amusement vending operator for its Texas inroad.
The family-owned Game Time has leased 69,105 sf in Willowbrook Pavilion, taking the last piece of iT’Z Entertainment’s space in the development at 18355 TX 249. The new lease is the result of Game Time’s recent acquisition of the anchor tenant’s furniture, fixtures and equipment not only in Houston, but in the Dallas/Fort Worth suburb of Euless.
NewQuest previously leased the former anchor’s 43,761-sf theater space to EoS Fitness, which is under construction on a major renovation. A summer opening is planned.
“Game Time and EoS Fitness are good additions to Willowbrook Pavilion,” says Kevin Sims, vice president of Houston-based NewQuest. “They will revitalize the center.”
Game Time, which has 22 locations in Florida, has been handling the day-to-day operations of the restaurant, arcades and bowling lanes in Willowbrook since it acquired the business. The strategic plan calls for one year of transitioning the space to the new owner’s brand.
“There’s been no down time with the transition to Game Time,” Sims says. “Over the next 12 months, Game Time will be extensively overhauling the space to upgrade the gaming experience and elevate the food and beverage options.”
Willowbrook Pavilion, totaling 140,377 sf, is a 96%-leased footprint tucked into a densely developed residential and commercial stretch of Tomball Parkway, which has a daily vehicle count of nearly 127,000. Methodist Hospital, a 358-bed facility with 2,000 employees, is directly across the freeway.
Sims and Nick Ramsey, also a NewQuest vice president, had multiple operators jockeying for the iT’Z space. The Texas-based entertainment company kept the venue operational during a quiet marketing period.
“Game Time’s owner is very detail-oriented and extremely passionate about the gaming industry,” Sims says. “We felt he really understood the marketplace. That was the catalyst for choosing him.”
NewQuest Properties, founded in 2001, is a privately owned, full-service commercial real estate firm specializing in development, land brokerage, leasing, tenant representation, investment sales and property management services. Headquartered in Houston, NewQuest owns a portfolio encompassing more than 100 retail and mixed-use projects exceeding $2.3 billion in value and provides leasing services for more than 12 million square feet of commercial space in Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia and throughout the U.S.
