Moody Developing Adaptive Silo-Centered Apartments

Some of Houston’s grain silos are getting a second act — this time as apartment eye candy.

Moody National Companies broke ground on Silo Springs, a 346-unit multifamily project that will weave the historic Shadowdale grain elevators into the heart of a 17-acre mixed-use development at 1235 Shadowdale Drive, just north of I-10 near Beltway 8 in West Houston, Bisnow reported.

The apartment community marks the first phase of what the company describes as a decadelong master plan for the site. Arch-Con Corporation is serving as general contractor, according to the outlet.

Rather than raze the industrial relics, Moody is turning them into a focal point. Plans call for cutting pedestrian walkways through the silos to link future retail along Westview Drive with shops planned at the base of a second-phase building, a higher-end multifamily project dubbed Silo Villas. A water feature inside the silos is also in the works, envisioned as an “active art installation” at the center of the development.

Moody bought the parcel in December 2022. CEO Brett Moody likened the site in a press release to a “lady-in-waiting” finally making its debut after decades of dormancy, and equated its size to five downtown blocks.

Phase one includes ground-up construction of Silo Springs and cosmetic upgrades to the silos, including paint, lighting and signage, according to the outlet. Designed by PVEDI and Stantec, the five-story, 364,000-square-foot project will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units in a wrap-style configuration around a 165,000-square-foot, six-story parking garage.

Future phases are slated to add 80,000 square feet of retail, more multifamily and potentially office and boutique hotel space — a full mixed-use plan for a property long defined by agriculture, according to the publication.

The adaptive reuse angle stands out in a metro where teardowns remain more common. Just this week, the 130-foot rice silos at 10031 Hempstead Highway in Spring Branch East were demolished, the Houston Business Journal reported, clearing the way for a potential land sale.

— Eric Weilbacher