Wazobia Kitchen

A 4,000-square-foot renovation at 2609 S Dairy Ashford in Houston is converting a retail space into a restaurant. The project, filed under the name Wazobia Kitchen by SKJ Westheimer Market Place LLC, is registered with TDLR and targeted for December 2026.

The scope of work involves a remodel from retail to restaurant use. The estimated cost for this alteration is $250,000, which equates to $62 per square foot. This figure is below the Harris County median of $80 per square foot for similar renovation and alteration filings. The scheduled build window of 100 days is close to the county median of 92 days for this project type.

Project Details and Location

The owner of record is Steven D. Aluis, and the registered accessibility specialist is James Darrell Southerland. The project is privately funded on private land for private use. Construction start is recorded as September 2026, aligning with the registration date.

The surrounding ZIP code 77082 has a population of about 57,269 people according to U.S. Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates. The median household income in this area is $60,510, and the median owner-occupied home value is $225,600. Housing in this specific ZIP code is mostly renter-occupied, with approximately 24,994 housing units reported. These demographic and economic factors provide context for the local market in which this new restaurant space is being developed.

Harris County’s unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in July 2026, higher than a year earlier. The project status remains Project Registered, with plan review pending. No information is provided regarding specific menu items, staff counts, or operational hours, as these details are not part of the construction record. The focus of the filing remains strictly on the physical alteration and accessibility compliance of the building structure itself.