feeling green

Coffee, gelato, and 'chops' coming to new Memorial-area development

Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is one of five new tenants coming to Greenside.

Courtesy of Tifa Chocolate & Gelato

A wellness-focused new development near Memorial City Mall has announced five new tenants. Greenside, the new project from Memorial City owner MetroNational and Houston’s Radom Capital (Montrose Collective, M-K-T Heights, etc), has completed construction, which means the tenants can begin building their spaces with an eye towards opening later this year.

The new tenants are:

Merit Coffee, a San Antonio-based coffee shop known for its comfortable spaces and creative drinks
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato, a franchised sweets shop that makes its gelato fresh daily
Epic Cycles, a bike shop that will relocate from CityCentre
Swish Dental, a practice with locations throughout Houston, Austin, and San Antonio
Original ChopShop, a healthy eating concept known for its protein bowls, salads (“chops”), sandwiches, fresh juices, and more.

They join previously-announced tenants Honest Mary’s, Leemoo, Hiatius, Solidcore, and Pizzana. Various media reports indicate that ChòpnBlọk, the West African concept that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide and just won Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, may also be headed to the development, but a representative declined CultureMap’s request to comment.

MetroNational and Radom first announced Greenside in 2024. They’ve retained the Texas-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to transform a group of industrial warehouses into 35,000-square-feet of new businesses.

“These tenants expand on Greenside’s long-term vision to transform former industrial buildings into a vibrant, community-focused destination,” said Barton Kelly, principal at Radom Capital. “We look forward to sharing additional tenants and community updates in the coming months.”

openings news-you-can-eat memorial-city

renter livability report

New study ranks Houston as one of the worst places for renters in U.S.

Photo by Leo Yao on Unsplash

Houston flopped toward the bottom as one of the worst places for renters in the nation.

Renters looking for a place in Texas that balances affordability, convenience, and quality of life may want to look outside of Houston, which was just named the 144th "best" city to rent in America.

Houston's rental market apparently leaves much to be desired, according to WalletHub's newly released report, "Best & Worst Places to Rent in America." Experts analyzed 182 U.S. rental markets based on 21 relevant metrics, including the difference between rental rates and mortgage payments, rental affordability, the local cost of living, job availability, and more.

Surprisingly, Amarillo was deemed the No. 1 best Texas city for renters, and it ranked 10th nationally. Hot Dallas suburb Plano came in second place statewide and ranks 12th for a second year in a row, leaving Austin in third place and 13th overall (up from No. 31 last year).

The report said Houston has the 120th best quality of life out of all 182 U.S. cities in the report, and the city ranked 127th nationally in the "renter market and affordability" category. Ouch.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the best cities for renters offer much more than inexpensive housing, a good job market, and recreational activities. For example, rent prices in the top cities cost tenants as little as 15 percent of their income.

"You’ll also have access to robust laws that protect renters, such as limiting deposits to only a month or two of rent," Lupo added.

Houston residents know their city better than a study ever could, so they can decide if the city's renter market isn't up to par. A separate RentCafe study found the city has become a magnet for Gen Z renters searching for good job opportunities, recreation, and good schools. And now that local rent prices are declining, things might be starting to look up for Houston renters.

Though renting can be more cost effective than owning a property, WalletHub said it's not always a better choice.

"The right road to take depends on a variety of factors, including an individual’s or family’s financial means and how well the local real-estate market is doing," the report said. "Like home prices, rental rates can vary significantly by region, state or city."

Other Texas cities that ranked among the top 100 best places to rent in America include:

No. 24 – El Paso
No. 34 – Grand Prairie
No. 37 – Laredo
No. 48 – Brownsville
No. 49 – Arlington
No. 50 – Fort Worth
No. 63 – Corpus Christi
No. 64 – San Antonio
No. 66 – Irving
No. 79 – Garland
No. 81 – Lubbock

wallethub reports rent report renting real estate