{"id": "n-b23ed49f8c", "slug": "houston-ion", "type": "big-box", "name": "Ion", "aka": [], "city": "Houston", "county": "Harris County", "state": "TX", "country": "US", "census_division": 7, "lat": 29.73396, "lon": -95.38259, "geocode_method": "wikipedia", "address": null, "metro": null, "original_use": "department store", "year_opened": 1939, "year_closed": 2018, "acres": null, "gla_sqft": 266000, "stores_peak": null, "levels": null, "original_developer": null, "original_architect": null, "before_notes": "Draft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: A former Sears department store in Houston was converted and expanded into The Ion, a 266,000 sqft innovation hub with offices, classrooms, and restaurants, opening in 2021 after a $100 million renovation by Rice Management Company.", "strategy": ["redevelop", "reinhabit"], "new_use": ["education", "office", "other", "retail"], "share_retrofit": null, "status": "built", "year_retrofit": 2021, "developer": "Rice Management Company (RMC)", "architect": "SHoP Architects, Gensler, James Carpenter Design Associates, and Walter P Moore", "after_notes": "technology park and innovation district central hub with coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a prototyping lab, investor studio, and restaurants.", "narrative": "The Ion District, Ion Innovation District, or Rice Innovation District, is a technology park and innovation district in Midtown Houston which was established as a joint initiative between Rice University and the City of Houston. It has also been called the South Main Innovation District. The district's central hub and first building is the Ion, which opened in 2021 after owner Rice Management Company (RMC) converted it from a former Sears store. The building houses coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a prototyping lab, investor studio, and restaurants. Current tenants include Chevron Technology Ventures, Microsoft, and Liongard.", "narrative_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "narrative_source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_District", "zoning_change": null, "public_subsidy": null, "entitlement_year": null, "planning_notes": null, "wikidata_qid": "Q104850636", "wikipedia": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_District", "osm_id": null, "verified": "draft", "verified_by": null, "last_verified": null, "last_updated": "2026-10-18", "created": "2026-10-18", "contributor_name": null, "contributor_org": null, "contributor_link": null, "international": 0, "county_fips": "48201", "opp_score": 0.0, "opp_reasons": ["retrofit already built", "county grew 3.4% 2018–23"], "for_sale": 0, "distressed": 0, "url": "https://retrofitatlas.org/big-box/tx/houston-ion/", "events": [{"year": 1939, "date": null, "kind": "opened", "detail": "Opened", "source_id": null}, {"year": 2018, "date": null, "kind": "closed", "detail": "Closed", "source_id": null}, {"year": 2019, "date": null, "kind": "note", "detail": "Renovation project began", "source_id": 7787}, {"year": 2021, "date": null, "kind": "note", "detail": "Building opened", "source_id": 7788}, {"year": 2021, "date": null, "kind": "retrofit", "detail": "Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit", "source_id": null}], "sources": [{"id": 7786, "site_id": "n-b23ed49f8c", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_District", "title": "Ion District", "publisher": "Wikipedia", "date": null, "quote": null, "kind": "wikipedia", "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "retrieved": "2026-10-18"}, {"id": 7787, "site_id": "n-b23ed49f8c", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_District", "title": "Timeline", "publisher": null, "date": null, "quote": "The $100 million renovation project, which began in 2019", "kind": "quote", "license": null, "retrieved": "2026-10-18"}, {"id": 7788, "site_id": "n-b23ed49f8c", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_District", "title": "Timeline", "publisher": null, "date": null, "quote": "opened in 2021", "kind": "quote", "license": null, "retrieved": "2026-10-18"}], "deals": [{"id": 452, "site_id": "n-b23ed49f8c", "kind": "sale", "date": null, "year": 2017, "acres": null, "sqft": null, "buyer": "RMC", "seller": "Sears", "broker": null, "lender": null, "loan_maturity": null, "loan_status": null, "listing_url": null, "status": null, "notes": null, "source_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_District", "source_title": null, "source_date": null, "quote": "RMC bought the company out of the lease in 2017.", "verified": "draft", "retrieved": "2026-10-18"}], "parties": [{"name": "Rice Management Company (RMC)", "kind": "developer", "role": "developer", "year_from": 2021, "year_to": null}], "parcels": [], "context": {"assessment": {"what_happened": "Former Sears department store (opened 1939, closed 2018) was converted to a tech/innovation hub called The Ion. Developer Rice Management Company (RMC) acquired the site from Sears in 2017. The retrofit was completed in 2021, opening as a mixed-use space with coworking, offices, incubators, classrooms, and restaurants. The new use aligns with 'redevelop' and 'reinhabit' strategies.", "why": "The site is part of a cluster of innovation-focused projects within 10km, including the built Greentown Labs Houston (3.1km) and proposed Park Eight Master Plan (3.1km). It has peer comparisons with similar TX projects like Greentown Labs (score 8.0) and former JCPenney (score 7.0).", "where_it_stands": "Status: Built (2021). Housing market shows a 2% annual ZHVI decline but 11.3% 5-year growth. Harris County permits show $7.3B in construction value (2023).", "for_a_planner": ["Located in Midtown Houston, adjacent to established innovation clusters.", "No current occupancy or tenant data provided.", "County population growth (3.4% 2018-23) cited but not verified in record."], "for_a_developer": ["Retrofit already completed (2021).", "Peer projects in same state with similar strategies exist.", "No data on current tenant mix or financial performance."], "risks_and_unknowns": ["No tenant occupancy rates or revenue metrics.", "Housing market shows recent decline (-2% YoY) despite 5-year growth.", "County growth metric (3.4%) not cross-checked with housing data."], "data_quality": "partial", "one_line": "RMC completed a 2021 retrofit of a 1939 Sears store into a tech hub (The Ion), positioned within Houston's innovation cluster. Retrofit is built; no current occupancy data.", "model": "qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest", "machine": "Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b)", "record_sha1": "1b4505992e28"}, "cluster": {"within_10km": [{"id": "n-7759283ae9", "name": "Greentown Labs Houston", "city": "Houston", "status": "built", "km": 3.1}, {"id": "n-84b1c0e9cb", "name": "Georgian apartments", "city": "Houston", "status": "under construction", "km": 3.1}, {"id": "n-c0a7f972ca", "name": "Power Center", "city": "Houston", "status": "operating", "km": 3.1}, {"id": "n-ff9cbb4777", "name": "Park Eight Master Plan", "city": "Houston", "status": "proposed", "km": 3.1}, {"id": "n-636f06603f", "name": "River Oaks Shopping Center", "city": "Houston", "status": "operating", "km": 3.3}, {"id": "n-364574df10", "name": "Blair House", "city": "Southside Place", "status": "built", "km": 6.1}, {"id": "m-e9252ce63f", "name": "Palm Center", "city": "Houston", "status": "operating", "km": 6.3}, {"id": "m-a81e99656a", "name": "Saks Fifth Avenue Center of Fashion", "city": "Houston", "status": "built", "km": 7.8}, {"id": "m-693a85f800", "name": "Gulfgate Mall", "city": "Houston", "status": "unknown", "km": 9.3}, {"id": "m-85a2ba0be8", "name": "Northwest Mall", "city": "Houston", "status": "demolished", "km": 10.0}], "count_10km": 10, "count_25km": 18}, "elevation": {"elevation_ft": 46.9, "resolution": 0.9999999999999986, "source": "USGS EPQS (3DEP)", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}, "food_access": {"tract10": "48201312500", "urban": 1, "lila_1_10": 0, "low_access_1mi": 0, "poverty_rate": 16.909532483303, "median_family_income": 157750.0, "snap_households": 68.0, "pop2010": 4235.0, "source": "USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas 2019 (ArcGIS copy)", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}, "housing_market": {"zhvi": {"latest": 276524, "month": "2026-09", "change_1y": -0.02, "change_5y": 0.113}, "zori": {"latest": 1583, "month": "2026-09", "change_1y": -0.001, "change_5y": 0.1}, "county_fips": "48201", "source": "Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI)"}, "jobs_lodes": {"tract20": "48201312502", "jobs": 1277, "retail_jobs": 131, "food_accommodation_jobs": 64, "year": 2022, "source": "Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 (all jobs, primary and secondary), blocks summed to the 2020 tract", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}, "listings": {"zip": "77004", "month": "202609", "median_listing_price": 389850, "median_listing_price_yy": -0.0799, "active_listing_count": 287, "median_days_on_market": 62, "price_reduced_share": 0.1762, "pending_ratio": 0.1272, "source": "Realtor.com Research, inventory core metrics by ZIP (ZCTA at the site point)", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}, "opportunity": {"tract10": "48201312500", "kfr_p25": 0.389, "jail_p25": 0.0368, "kids_count": 383.3961, "commuting_zone": "Houston", "vintage": "children born 1978-83, outcomes measured 2014-15", "source": "Opportunity Insights, Opportunity Atlas (Chetty, Friedman, Hendren, Jones, Porter 2018)", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}, "peers": {"peers": [{"id": "n-7759283ae9", "name": "Greentown Labs Houston", "city": "Houston", "state": "TX", "score": 8.0, "why": ["closed 2020", "same strategy: reinhabit", "also in TX"]}, {"id": "n-1d50643a7a", "name": "Former JCPenney building", "city": "Edina", "state": "MN", "score": 7.0, "why": ["similar GLA (247,902 sq ft)", "closed 2017", "same strategy: redevelop"]}, {"id": "m-21305c2a44", "name": "Town & Country Mall", "city": "Houston", "state": "TX", "score": 6.5, "why": ["same strategy: redevelop", "also in TX", "18 km away"]}, {"id": "m-2983e65f63", "name": "Deauville Mall", "city": "Kingwood", "state": "TX", "score": 6.5, "why": ["same strategy: reinhabit", "also in TX", "37 km away"]}, {"id": "m-de62631182", "name": "Sharpstown Mall", "city": "Houston", "state": "TX", "score": 6.5, "why": ["same strategy: reinhabit", "also in TX", "13 km away"]}, {"id": "m-85a2ba0be8", "name": "Northwest Mall", "city": "Houston", "state": "TX", "score": 6.5, "why": ["closed 2017", "same strategy: redevelop", "also in TX"]}], "method": "size, era, strategy, status, type, state, distance"}, "permits": {"county": "Harris County", "2024": {"units_1": 20087, "units_2_4": 1226, "units_5plus": 8623, "value_total": 7773245482}, "2023": {"units_1": 20324, "units_2_4": 1006, "units_5plus": 13263, "value_total": 7361046528}, "retrieved": "2026-10-18"}, "qcew_retail": {"county": "48201", "year": 2025, "establishments": 13134, "employment": 210476, "avg_annual_pay": 44568, "lq_employment": 0.87, "employment_change_1y": -0.8, "source": "BLS QCEW 2025 annual, county, NAICS 44-45 retail trade, private", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}, "retail_trend": {"2012": {"estab": 12661, "emp": 192127}, "2023": {"estab": 13613, "emp": 213745}, "estab_change": 0.075, "emp_change": 0.113, "county_fips": "48201"}, "schools": {"district": "Houston Independent School District", "district_geoid": "4823640", "grades": "PK-12", "district_vintage": "SY2024-25", "public_schools_1mi": 5, "schools": ["MACGREGOR EL", "HOUSTON ACADEMY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES", "YOUNG WOMEN'S COLLEGE PREP ACADEMY", "ARABIC IMMERSION MAGNET SCHOOL", "HCC LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM"], "schools_vintage": "SY2023-24", "source": "NCES EDGE", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}, "storms": {"county": "48201", "years": "2016-2025", "events": 489, "by_type": {"Thunderstorm Wind": 176, "Hail": 143, "Flash Flood": 92, "Tornado": 33, "Lightning": 28, "Funnel Cloud": 10, "Flood": 6, "Heavy Rain": 1}, "property_damage_usd": 10324991000, "deaths_direct": 54, "injuries_direct": 11, "note": "county-typed events only; events logged to forecast zones (CZ_TYPE Z: most winter, heat, flood and coastal events) are not counted", "source": "NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files", "retrieved": "2026-10-20"}}, "elements": [{"slug": "strategy-reinhabit", "name": "Reinhabited", "group_": "strategy", "evidence": "technology park and innovation district central hub with coworking and office spaces, business incubators and accelerators, classrooms, a prototyping lab, investor studio, and 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