| Summary | National Percentile | Rank vs Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 41st | Poor |
| Demographics | 31st | Fair |
| Amenities | 50th | Best |
Multifamily Valuation
| Property Details | |
|---|---|
| Address | 1800 James Bowie Dr, Baytown, TX, 77520, US |
| Region / Metro | Baytown |
| Year of Construction | 1983 |
| Units | 100 |
| Transaction Date | 2008-07-01 |
| Transaction Price | $1,781,000 |
| Buyer | FIRST COMMERCE OF AMERICA LLC |
| Seller | WILLOW TREE LTD |
1800 James Bowie Dr Baytown 100-Unit Multifamily
Positioned in Baytown’s inner-suburban fabric, this 100-unit, 1983-vintage asset appeals to workforce renters, supported by a renter-occupied housing base within 3 miles that approaches half of all units and is projected to deepen, according to WDSuite’s CRE market data.
Baytown’s inner-suburban setting provides everyday conveniences that matter for renter retention. Neighborhood-level amenities skew functional over lifestyle: grocery access is competitive among Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land neighborhoods (537 of 1,491), while cafes and childcare options stand in the top quartile nationally by density. Park and pharmacy presence is thinner immediately nearby, so on-site offerings and partnerships can help round out resident services.
Schools in the broader area rate below national averages, which some family renters may weigh when choosing submarkets. That said, the 3-mile radius profile shows a balanced age mix and steady household formation, giving operators a broad tenant pool spanning young workers to established households. Over the last five years, population and households have grown, and forecasts point to additional renter pool expansion by 2028; these trends generally support lease-up and occupancy stability when paired with competitive unit-level value.
Tenure patterns also support multifamily demand. At the neighborhood level, renter-occupied share indicates meaningful rental housing presence, while within 3 miles the renter concentration is near parity with owners and projected to rise, reinforcing depth of demand for professionally managed apartments. Median rents in the area remain positioned against local incomes at roughly mid-range levels, suggesting manageable affordability pressure and room for disciplined rent growth where unit quality and management performance merit it.
For investors, the ownership landscape is a high-visibility factor: home values in the neighborhood sit below national medians, which can introduce some competition from entry-level ownership. Effective positioning—especially with smaller, efficient floor plans averaging about 444 square feet—can keep the property relevant to cost-conscious renters. Neighborhood occupancy has been softer than national norms in recent years, so leasing strategy, amenity prioritization, and operational execution remain key to outperforming the submarket.

Safety indicators are mixed across measures and should be underwritten with current comps rather than block-level assumptions. Recent data shows property-related offenses easing year over year, while violent-offense indicators moved higher in the latest period. Neither metric tells the whole story, so investors typically compare trends to peer neighborhoods across the Houston metro and focus on property-level controls (lighting, access management, cameras) to support resident experience.
Given variability across adjacent blocks, a prudent approach is to benchmark incident trends against similar inner-suburban Houston neighborhoods and to align operating plans with resident profiles (shift-worker commutes, parking needs). This framing helps maintain leasing velocity and retention even when regional safety metrics fluctuate.
Proximity to energy, industrial services, and aerospace offices underpins a stable commuter renter base, with near-to-mid radius access supporting both weekday occupancy and lease retention. The following nearby employers are most relevant to the property’s workforce demand profile.
- Air Products — industrial gases (4.8 miles)
- Calpine Turbine Maintenance Group — power services (12.5 miles)
- Boeing: Bay Area Building — aerospace offices (14.4 miles)
- Waste Management — environmental services (25.3 miles) — HQ
- Calpine — power generation (25.3 miles) — HQ
This 1983-built, 100-unit asset offers an attainable entry point into Baytown’s renter base with efficient floor plans that can appeal to value-oriented tenants. Within a 3-mile radius, population and household counts have risen and are projected to grow further, expanding the tenant pool and supporting occupancy when assets are competitively positioned. Median rents remain aligned with local incomes, and, according to CRE market data from WDSuite, neighborhood fundamentals suggest disciplined renovation and operations can capture demand from workforce households commuting to nearby industrial and energy employers.
Key underwriting considerations include the area’s relatively soft neighborhood occupancy in recent years and below-average school ratings, which place a premium on property-level experience, security, and services. With selective capital investment—common-area refresh, curb appeal, and in-unit updates—investors may enhance leasing velocity and retention while differentiating against entry-level ownership options present in this submarket.
- Workforce demand anchored by nearby energy/industrial employers and commuter access
- Growing 3-mile renter pool supports leasing and occupancy over the hold
- 1983 vintage offers value-add potential through targeted unit and amenity upgrades
- Rent-to-income positioning indicates manageable affordability pressure for prudent rent growth
- Risk: softer neighborhood occupancy and lower school ratings require strong operations and resident experience