The Houston real estate company co-founded by Washington Ho, HBO reality TV star plans an 8-acre “eat-entertain” project in Katy, the first of several commercial real estate projects the company hopes to complete in the area.
The approximately 200,000-square-foot development, proposed at Kingsland Boulevard and Katy Fort Bend Road near the Katy Mills shopping center, is expected to include a hotel, restaurants and entertainment venues. This is one of the first projects from WHGP Commercial, a new commercial real estate division of Houston White World Properties, which was co-founded by Ho and broker partner Angelica Smart in 2023.
WHGP Commercial, launched this month, is in lease negotiations with a family-owned sports and entertainment company to anchor the development, Ho said, and the hotel could have about 120 rooms. Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2025 and tenants will move in by the end of 2026.
“We created WHGP Commercial…because of projects like this, a beautiful, big project in Katy,” Smart said.
Elsewhere in the region, WHGP Commercial is also working to develop a 5-acre “restaurant row” project off Highway 249 in northwest Houston.
Mexican restaurant Ambriza plans to move to the complex in 2026 from its current location on Louetta Road, Ambriza owner Julio Garcia said.
Ambriza would be joined by two restaurants that have not yet been announced, said Chris Johnson, director of business development for WHGP Commercial.
Ho said he encourages his agents to invest in commercial developments like this.
“The legacy depends on what you are going to show. After five years of working in the real estate industry, most agents don’t have much to show for it. They have a nice lifestyle,” Ho said. But projects like these will create opportunities for White House Global officers to make a bigger impact.
The new year will mark White House Global’s first expansion outside of Houston, with the opening of an office in Austin in the first quarter of 2025.