Getting to UH
Closest practical point: Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine · UH
Quickest observed drive: 4.0 mi · 11 min observed
Peak weekday: 4.0 mi · typically 10–20 min
Via Martin Luther King Blvd; Google Maps Wednesday lighter-than-usual traffic observation from nearby proxy, not a zero-traffic measurement.
Google Maps driving alternatives · checked 16 Sep 2026
Open live directions ↗Property & potential
Approximately 1.22-acre cleared, fenced vacant land offering in Edgewood Terrace Sec 02. The $299,000 listing is unusually attractive per square foot relative to smaller nearby candidates, but the listing explicitly says no water or sewer available. Pin is a Reed/MLK neighborhood proxy, NOT a surveyed tract marker; verify legal location before using any commute estimate or concept.
Building: UNKNOWN sq ft · Year built: UNKNOWN — research pending · Beds/baths: UNKNOWN — research pending / UNKNOWN — research pending
Parking, housing, chapter/event capacity: UNKNOWN parking; UNKNOWN housing. Read the findings below; no legal capacity is inferred.
Potential plan: Vacant-land-only concepts: (1) meeting facility first with a reserved realistic residence envelope; (2) full lodge and 20-resident housing at once. Compare both against a surveyed 50–75-stall plan, detention, fire access and actual water/wastewater extension costs. Neither concept has been proven buildable.
Overall view: Conditional — potentially one of the better-sized and lower-ask land options, but no purchase recommendation yet. The listing says no water and sewer are available, while use rights, exact boundaries/entrance, FEMA status and insured total project cost remain unresolved. A nearby route proxy showed 4.0 miles / 11 minutes in lighter observed traffic and typically 10–20 minutes at 8 a.m. First price the utilities and establish title/use and flood; abandon if these gates are uneconomic or blocked.
Flood, legal use & transit
Flood: UNKNOWN; FEMA and Harris County status must be checked by parcel. Flood-insurance quote: UNKNOWN.
Deed/HOA restrictions: UNKNOWN; fraternity residential/assembly use: UNKNOWN.
Transit: UNKNOWN — review listing notes and METRO source. Safety: Site-specific assessment not established unless recorded below.
Location pin: 29.6589, -95.3366 (NEARBY ROUTE PROXY ONLY: Reed Rd/MLK Blvd vicinity; Google recognizes this coordinate as 8520 MLK Blvd. Listing tract APN 0870580000034 boundaries and true driveway NOT confirmed. Do not rely on pin for navigation or due diligence.).
Findings, sources & due diligence
Water, sewer and service · Critical feasibility gate
Zillow lists electricity/gas as available but WATER NOT AVAILABLE and SEWER NOT AVAILABLE. This is a listing field, not an engineering availability determination. A 20-resident lodge needs reliable permitted water, wastewater and fire flow; line extensions or capacity work could materially exceed the land price.
Next: Request written Houston Public Works water/wastewater availability and capacity, utility maps, line distances, fire-flow and engineer-priced connection/extension alternatives before pursuing design.
Source: Zillow property utilities View source ↗Deed, HOA and chapter-use permission · Unconfirmed
Seller calls the lot “zoned commercial” and suggests church/townhomes, but Houston has no conventional zoning; neither statement establishes permission for fraternity residence, assembly or events. Edgewood Terrace Sec 02 recorded covenants, plat restrictions, easements and any association are unreviewed.
Next: Obtain title commitment, recorded deed/restrictions/plat and amendments; obtain written municipal/fire guidance separately for lodge meetings, events and 20-person residence.
Source: Zillow seller remarks and subdivision View source ↗Parcel, access and map pin · Exact tract location unverified
Listing APN 0870580000034 and RES A BLK 7 EDGEWOOD TERRACE SEC 2 distinguish this offering from other “0 Reed Rd” listings. The visible map pin is a neighborhood proxy near MLK; Google resolves those coordinates to a neighboring business. True frontage, driveway and buildable rectangle require a survey.
Next: Match HCAD tract, HAR map, current survey and title; replace pin and Google Maps route origin with surveyed entrance before decision or site visit.
Source: Zillow parcel and listing View source ↗Size, parking and 50-year use · Promising area · untested fit
At a listed 52,978 square feet / 1.2162 acres, the land exceeds the preferred 0.75–1 acre. A rough 50–75 conventional stalls plus aisles could use about 15,000–22,500 square feet before structures, fire access, setbacks, utility easements and drainage detention. It may support the complete chapter program and expansion, but no scaled civil plan or 50-year lifecycle cost exists.
Next: Prepare survey-based layout for meeting/event occupancy, 20 beds, 50–75 spaces, stormwater, access, fire turnarounds and future maintenance/expansion.
Source: Redfin listed lot size View source ↗Floodplain and insurance · Official status unverified
Redfin/First Street displays 1/10 Flood Factor for a hypothetical building over 30 years, a model only. Effective FEMA map, draft MAAPnext, road ponding and parcel drainage have not been checked; there is no property-specific flood, property or liability quote for a fraternity facility. Zillow monthly home-insurance estimate is not such a quote.
Next: After locating the exact tract, obtain effective FEMA determination, draft county map, elevation/drainage and loss history; solicit quotes for planned occupancy before underwriting.
Source: Redfin third-party Flood Factor View source ↗Transit and neighborhood safety · Unverified at entrance
Zillow calls the broader area somewhat walkable and “some transit,” but this is an area index, not a verified bus stop, service hours or safe walking route. Rail walking access and localized incident/lighting conditions have not been measured.
Next: With surveyed entrance, map METRO stops, walking crossings and evening service; visit after dark and review incident data in context.
Source: Zillow neighborhood overview View source ↗Land value and operating economics · Low ask · total cost unknown
The September 11 reduction to $299,000 is about $5.64 per listed square foot. Zillow shows previous pending episodes and a much higher prior ask; request reasons those transactions failed. The $8,166 tax figure and generic mortgage insurance estimate are not a developed property tax or chapter insurance forecast. Construction, utility extensions, civil work, annual operations and financing remain unpriced.
Next: Confirm availability and prior contract failures; compare closed land transactions and appraised value; obtain full civil/build/insurance/tax/financing estimates before claiming good value.
Source: Zillow price history and tax field View source ↗Owner diligence statuses and private notes are available in the interactive review; the public page presents the source-backed findings above.
