Winning the Luxury Arms Race?

With more than 40 new luxury high-rise and mid-rise projects in various stages of construction in Houston, keeping up with the city’s vertical boom requires much more than counting cranes. In this new PaperCity online series, we’ll look at all the top luxury high-rises and mid-rises in various stages of completion throughout the region.

We’ll compare square footage, amenities, views from the top, luxe factors, walkability and price for the definitive guide to Houston’s new high life. You’ll find out about everything from the starchitects and the kitchen specs to the pet perks.

Next up: Astoria, a 29-story sky palace overlooking Houston’s Uptown Park. The project marks yet another score for developer Randall Davis, who has three additional high-rises under construction (Arabella, The Marlowe and Chateu Ten). But don’t worry, Astoria in no way gets lost in the shuffle.

For starters, it’s one of the first of the new ultra-luxury high-rises slated for completion, with an expected opening in the first half of this year. And with amenities like a state-of-the-art infinity pool, a private screening and wine room and private elevator entry, Astoria has shaped up to be one hot commodity — so hot that there’s but one condo left for purchase.

The building is also steps away from happening centers like Uptown Park and BLVD Place, which offer top-of-the-line restaurants and shopping. The mammoth new Whole Foods is your walkable grocery store and a hot restaurant like Peska could be your nightly hangout. There is little doubt that this high-rise puts you into the center of The Galleria scene.

Project: ASTORIA

Address: 1409 Post Oak Boulevard.

Developer: Randall Davis Company.

Floors & Units: 29 floors, 75 units.

Status: Under construction.

Square Footage: 1,459 to 9,503 square feet, with the option to combine units.

Starchitect/Designer: New York-based 212 Box.

Amenities: Starlight infinity-edge pool, pied-à-terre for guests, storage units, private movie theater, private wine room, fitness center and private elevator entry options.

Luxe Factor: Astoria’s 10 exclusive penthouses have extra-large terraces, private garages and exclusive access to four sky pools.

Walkability: It’s Post Oak Boulevard!

Why We’d Live Here: Astoria is a hot commodity. With construction still under way, the building has one unit left for purchase at press time.

Dollar: For purchase; $800,000 to $7 million.

Move-in Date: First-quarter 2016.

Contact: Gloria Tanksley, off-site sales center at 4521 San Felipe, 713.822.3163, gloria@astoriahouston.com, astoriahouston.com.