Rice University Ion Graduate Housing in Houston, TX

Ion Graduate Student Housing is a new construction project located at 4101 San Jacinto Street in Houston's Midtown neighborhood. The development is listed on the TDLR filing as Rice University Ion Graduate Housing and involves the construction of a 353,440 sq ft mixed-use building. The estimated cost for this project is $85,000,000, which calculates to $240 per square foot. The owner of record is Ion Graduate Student Housing LLC, and the design firm is Ayers Saint Gross.

The scope of work includes a Type IB mixed-use building with Mercantile (M), Assembly (A-3), and Residential (R-2) occupancy groups. The project is privately funded on private land for private use. TDLR completed plan review in December 2024, and the registered accessibility specialist is Marcela Abadi Rhoads. Construction is scheduled to start in June 2026 and is scheduled to finish in July 2028.

Project Scale and Context

This development is significantly larger than the median new construction filing in Harris County. The median estimated cost for such filings is $750,000, while this project is $85,000,000. The median size is 9,000 sq ft, whereas this project is 353,440 sq ft. The median cost per square foot is $88, compared to this project's $240. The scheduled build window is 790 days, which is longer than the county median of 219 days.

Ayers Saint Gross has registered five other TDLR projects, including Miner Crossing in El Paso and Building One in Frisco. The total value of these other projects is $292,087,716. In the same Midtown area, other registered projects include Amegy on Main and Houston Methodist Neurosensory building, both of which are renovations or alterations.

According to U.S. Census American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates for ZIP 77004, the population is about 35,866. The median household income is $65,901, and there are 18,321 housing units. The median owner-occupied home value is $384,100. Housing in this area is mostly renter-occupied. Nearby businesses include The Breakfast Klub, Tacos A Go Go Midtown, and The Ensemble Theatre.

Harris County unemployment rate for July 2026 is 5.2 percent, which is higher than a year earlier. The project status is Review Complete. The filing indicates the project is for graduate student housing, aligning with the Rice University connection noted in the project name. No other specific details about interior finishes or amenities are provided in the TDLR record.