Project NEO in Houston, TX

Project NEO is a $1,100,000 renovation and alteration of the AEL Building located at 5950 North Course Drive in the Alief area of Houston. The project involves converting 9,041 square feet of existing shop space into a visualization room and an equipment simulation lab. The owner of record is Mi-Llc, and the work is privately funded on private land for private use.

Scope and Scale

The filing describes the work as adding a visualization room within the existing space previously used for shop operations. The remaining shop area is being converted into equipment simulation lab space. This specific scope transforms the functional use of the 9,041-square-foot facility. The estimated cost of $1,100,000 places the project above the median estimated cost for renovation and alteration filings in Harris County, which stands at $250,000. The cost per square foot is $122, which is also above the county median of $80 per square foot.

The scheduled build window for this project was 63 days, from March 2025 to June 2025. This timeframe is shorter than the county median scheduled build window of 92 days for similar projects. The registered accessibility specialist for this work is Danny Ray Hart. Mi-Llc has one other TDLR-registered project in Houston called North Course, which totaled $200,000 and has completed inspection. The site is situated near several established businesses, including SLB North Course Campus, Worley, and Viridien.

Current Status

TDLR completed plan review in March 2025, and construction was scheduled to finish in June 2025. However, TDLR has not yet recorded a final inspection, so the current state of the site is not confirmed in the public record. The completion date listed on the filing has passed, but the lack of a final inspection record means the project’s physical completion is not verified by the state. The project is registered with TDLR under the name Project NEO, with the facility identified as the AEL Building.

The surrounding area, ZIP code 77072, has a population of about 58,681 according to U.S. Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates. The median household income in this area is $49,893, and the median owner-occupied home value is $175,100. These census estimates provide context for the demographic and economic profile of the Alief neighborhood where the renovation is taking place. The project represents a significant investment in specialized laboratory and visualization infrastructure within this private campus setting.