Market briefs
Plaza for CityCentre: Pipeline Company Leaves Greenway
In Houston, Boardwalk Pipelines, LP will relocate to a larger headquarters with nearly 50% more space in one of Houston’s newest office buildings.
The Houston-based midstream company will move from its longtime home in Greenway Plaza to 990 Town and Country Blvd. in West Houston by the fall of 2026, the company reported.
The 145,000-SF office puts Boardwalk closer to its customers in the Energy Corridor in a modern space with walkable location to restaurants and shopping in CityCentre for hundreds of employees.
“Relocating our headquarters reflects where Boardwalk is headed,” Scott Hallam, president and chief executive officer of Boardwalk Pipelines, said when the deal was released. “We have outgrown where we have been. Our aims are greater as we enable larger teams to meet more complex customer challenges than we faced five years ago. This move positions our people in an environment designed to help them succeed.”
Boardwalk currently leases 98,600 SF at 9 Greenway Plaza, a 1970s building with an inner-Loop location between downtown and the Galleria. The 53-acre Greenway Plaza campus, totaling 4.5 million SF of office and retail space, was recently purchased by Interra Capital Group, which has tapped CBRE to assist with leasing and a long-term repositioning of the property.
A Record Deal
Boardwalk’s new lease is the largest office deal to be reported in the first quarter, as stated by CBRE research. It’s the latest example of the “flight to quality” trend of companies seeking A-plus buildings with top amenities to attract and retain employees.
The Katy Freeway submarket, which contains CityCentre and Memorial City, is 19.6% vacant compared to 25.7% for the Houston region overall, as stated by CBRE.
The 442,042-SF 990 Town and Country building, which was built for Marathon Oil but became surplus space after the company was purchased by ConocoPhillips in 2024, is now almost leased up. MetroNational purchased the building last year from ConocoPhillips when it was mostly empty. JLL handles leasing on behalf of MetroNational.
Room to Grow
Boardwalk’s 350 employees and executive leadership team will occupy four floors of the 15-story building.
The company’s natural gas and natural gas liquids transportation and storage business has grown, driven by demand from power generation, LNG exports, and emerging markets. The new larger office will provide updated workplace technology and expanded collaboration, conference, and meeting spaces, as stated by Boardwalk.
“When people walk into our new headquarters, they will immediately feel the difference,” said Helena Fyda, senior vice president and chief human resources and communications officer. “This space reflects how our teams work today, with more room to collaborate and technology that enables them to work more effectively. It brings together our physical and digital culture and supports our ability to attract and retain top talent.”
The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business leased 30,000 SF in the building for the relocation of its Working Professional MBA Program in Houston.
Next door, the recently completed CityCentre Six office building will welcome tenants soon. A development of Midway, the 320,000-SF building is already more than 90% leased. Dow is the anchor tenant.
MetroNational, Boardwalk’s new landlord, has been expanding its holdings in West Houston. The company also purchased the retail component of the 47-acre CityCentre multi-use campus last year.
