Renderings of XSpace’s new Houston development now under construction just north of Memorial Park.
XSpace
Renderings of XSpace’s new Houston development now under construction just north of Memorial Park.
XSpace
Renderings of XSpace’s new Houston development now under construction just north of Memorial Park.
XSpace
Renderings of XSpace’s new Houston development now under construction just north of Memorial Park.
XSpace
RAFA Racing Club’s current location on Brittmoore in northwest Houston, the home base for the motorsports country club.
RAFA Racing Club
A lounge in RAFA’s north Houston location where racing simulators are pictured.
RAFA Racing Club
XSpace will offer for-sale units for owners to operate small businesses, store luxury vehicles, host podcasts and work in private offices.
XSpace
At first glance, a new garage and office complex under construction near Memorial Park sounds like just another place for affluent buyers to store luxury cars or operate a small business. But the developer behind the four-story project says he’s selling something much broader: the chance for entrepreneurs to own customizable commercial space while joining a growing “country club” of car collectors and racing enthusiasts.
Called XSpace Houston, the 109,000-square-foot project broke ground earlier this year with 86 for-sale warehouse-style units planned at 7810 Katy Fwy. Under a commercial condominium model, buyers could use the spaces for professional offices, small business headquarters or upscale storage for luxury cars.
And now, the project is adding another amenity through a newly formed partnership with RAFA Racing Club, a Houston-based members-only motorsports club that currently operates from a warehouse in northwest Houston off Brittmoore Road.
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RAFA Racing, which typically carries a $25,000 initiation fee, acts like a country club for motorsports enthusiasts, Formula One fans, car collectors and hobbyists interested in learning how to race. Under its new deal with XSpace, every condominium buyer will also receive a RAFA social membership with the initiation fee waived. The partnership links XSpace’s condo owners to automotive-themed events and F1-inspired training at RAFA’s Brittmoore campus.
The partnership offers a clearer picture of how XSpace is trying to distinguish itself from more conventional warehouse-style commercial condos. Rather than simply selling space, founder Byron Smith said the company is laying the foundation for a future community built on social programming and shared amenities.
“We’re selling (condo) ownership underpinned by a blue-chip real estate asset, but off the back of that, we’re selling community,” Smith said. “This is an interesting and diverse mix of entrepreneurs, established businesses, growing businesses, high-net-worth (individuals), and intersecting interests, so that’s what makes it vibrant.”
The approach reflects a broader strategy in real estate, where developers increasingly use events, amenities and curated programming to make their projects feel less like standalone buildings and more like social hubs.
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XSpace will offer for-sale units for owners to operate small businesses, store luxury vehicles, host podcasts and work in private offices.
XSpace
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RAFA is for people who “want to be part of a car culture community,” said Rafael Martinez, founder of RAFA Racing Club. “I would say (racing) is a pretty luxurious sport, and we provide pretty luxurious experiences,” such as group trips to watch races in Belgium.
Additionally, five condo units will include access to RAFA’s higher-tier membership with a $75,000 initiation fee waived. That membership level includes access to a motorsports-oriented gym, training programs and driver-development coaching.
XSpace already operates an Austin location where it uses events such as McLaren showcases, sports watch parties and happy hours to build social connections among condo owners, Smith said.
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Beyond events, Houston condo owners will also have access to amenities such as a café, an on-site gym and rooftop lounge. Smith also hopes to install a racing simulator in the building’s lounge that provides a virtual driving experience.
A lounge in RAFA’s north Houston location where racing simulators are pictured.
RAFA Racing Club
Backed by investors such as Houston real estate developer Welcome Wilson Jr., XSpace plans to relocate its headquarters from Austin to Houston once its project here delivers in the second quarter of 2027.
Smith expects the Houston project to be about 50% presold by the end of the summer. The condos range from 800 square feet to 3,000 square feet, with the ability to combine units. Pricing per unit is typically about $400,000 to $500,000, Smith said. Average asking prices are about $500 per square foot so far, but that could increase, he said. Washington Ho’s real estate brokerage, White House Global Properties, is overseeing marketing.
Mike Vu, owner of Automotive Film Specialists in Houston, is among the XSpace Houston condo buyers who said he is shifting his real estate strategy from leasing to owning. Vu has agreed to pay $1.2 million for two units spanning 2,500 square feet in XSpace Houston. This represents AFS’ fourth location, giving Vu’s tinting and vehicle-wrapping business the ability to be closer to wealthier clients in Memorial and the Heights, he said.
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By comparison, leasing an existing 2,500-square-foot flexible industrial space in that area of Houston would likely cost about $31,500 annually, not including taxes, maintenance and insurance. That estimate is based on average base rent prices in the area as of the first quarter, according to Transwestern research, and does not include the cost of tenant improvements.
XSpace will offer for-sale units for owners to operate small businesses, store luxury vehicles, host podcasts and work in private offices.
XSpace
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Before committing to XSpace, Vu said he visited the company’s complex in Austin. He was impressed by the design and how it was operated.
“It was different than some of the garage spaces that people are doing … All the other ones I’ve seen are typically just like warehouse spaces or garages, not a multistory development with all these other businesses,” Vu said.
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The social events and sense of community at XSpace is another bonus, he said.
XSpace and RAFA are using the new Houston location to test the partnership model through a joint venture established with Martinez’s family office, Maximo Capital. They hope to roll out that partnership at future XSpace locations planned in Miami, Dallas, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
“We’re establishing a community blueprint,” Martinez said.