Orion Group leases its headquarters in the $2.5 billion Midway Houston development

Midway has signed another lease for its headquarters at its $2.5 billion East River mixed-use development in central Houston.

Construction engineering firm Orion Group Holdings has leased 63,500 square feet in two buildings along the Buffalo Bayou River in the 26-acre first phase of East River at 100 Jensen Drive, Houston Business reported Newspaper.

Orion’s lease fills the top floors with full office space at East River, increasing the occupancy rate of the office portion of the first phase to 95 percent.

CBRE brokers Collin Grimes and Bill Boyer represented Orion in the lease negotiations, while Amanda Nebel of Orlando-based Parkway represented Midway.

Orion Group will move into its new location next year, consolidating its three Houston offices. It will move from its headquarters, located at 12000 Aerospace Drive, near the Ellington Airport in southeast Houston.

Its East River headquarters will feature flexible workspace and state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, while providing easy access to the development’s retail, dining and leisure amenities.

Several other businesses have planted a flag at East River, a 150-acre development that will also include retail, apartments and green space.

Port Houston is moving its headquarters to a 96,000-square-foot building that Midway is custom building. Port Houston is expected to move by summer 2025.

Other companies that will establish their headquarters at the site include laboratory equipment supplier Anton Paar USA, shipping company Suderman & Young and OJB Landscape Architecture.

Houston’s office vacancy rate reached 25% in the first quarter, according to Partners Real Estate, highlighting the continued impact of the remote work era. However, new or renovated office buildings, like East River, perform relatively well because they offer businesses a better chance of attracting employees to come back to the office.

—Quinn Donoghue