Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1322155
GRAND PLANS T here's nothing small about Midway's East River plans. When you manage to acquire the largest undeveloped area in Houston's urban core — a 150-acre tract along the river east of downtown — a grand vision with long-term thinking is required. Midway is finally ready to begin building early this year, with phase one to include restaurants, retail, an apartment complex, and a 2,000-square-foot green plaza that will serve as a hub of the new mega development. The entire build is projected to take 20 years, but phase one should open in 2023. Midway CEO Jonathan Brinsden gives PaperCity's Chris Baldwin an exclusive preview. Read more at papercitymag.com/east-river. FOOTBALL'S FAMILY A WIN FOR RESTAURANTS A WOMAN'S PLACE Jamey Rootes invokes a famous movie scene when the subject turns to Bob McNair. The Houston Texans president is one of the most powerful business executives in sports, but when he first met McNair, that was all ahead of Rootes. "Jerry Maguire style, he had me at hello," Rootes tells PaperCity when asked about the man who brought football back to Houston — and gave him his big NFL break. "We had so many things in common." Since McNair's death, Rootes has been trying to help his mentor's widow, Janice, and son, Cal, get the Texans back on track after one of the most trying seasons in franchise history. Read more at papercitymag.com/rootes. When celebrity chef David Chang became the first celebrity to win $1 million on ABC's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, he turned to a Houstonian to spend it. Chang, the head of the Momofuku restaurant empire, immediately donated his winnings to Chris Shepherd's Southern Smoke Foundation. It's a windfall for the foundation's Emergency Relief Fund, which helps hospitality workers whose jobs have been upended by COVID-19. But Chang hopes the national publicity his win garnered will bring even more money to Shepherd's mission. "I was over the moon we could do that, because it's been a ridiculously tough year," Chang says. Read more at papercitymag.com/millionaire. Stephanie Tsuru and her daughter- in-law, Katie Tsuru, didn't set out to create a female-focused coworking center. The original vision was to create a congenial place for women to meet for special programs and learning opportunities. But a more business- minded plan prevailed. "You need to have a way to support all of this, and that's where co-working comes in," Stephanie says. Enter SheSpace, which occupies a 6,000-square-foot build-out in The Heights. SheSpace is the center of everything the Tsurus envision, including a bookshop for volumes authored by women and a pop-up shop for female entrepreneurs. Read more at papercitymag.com/ shespace. D on't be the last to get the new PC Daily. Our redesigned, expanded editorial newsletters put the entire city right in your inbox. Get Houston's top fashion, restaurant, real estate, society, and art news — and more — five times a week. Sign up at PaperCityMag.com/newsletter. Jamey Rootes Stephanie & Katie Tsuru David Chang & Jimmy Kimmel Midway's East River LIKE: facebook.com/papercitymag FOLLOW: @papercitymag TWEET: @papercitymag GET SOCIAL: D I V E I N T O O U R D I G I TA L W O R L D PA P E RC I T Y M AG.COM A 2nd Cup @papercityhouston NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP Blossom Hotel @papercityhouston Kinder Building @catherinedanspon #PCSEEN WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE UP TO, DIGITALLY. 10