HOUSTON | Metro/Suburban Area Developments

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Dayton

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...oenix-oil.html

Gulf Inland Logistics Park in Dayton adds first industrial users after trading hands last year

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Nov 20, 2023

Since being acquired by a joint venture a little over a year ago, the 2,400-acre rail-served Gulf Inland Logistics Park in Dayton has sold 66 acres to two different industrial companies and has nearly another 120 acres under contract.

Liberty Development Partners, a joint venture between Houston-based Connor Investment Real Estate and Dayton-based Logistics & Development Resources, closed on the sale of 55 acres to OmniSource LLC, a subsidiary of Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Steel Dynamics Inc. (Nasdaq: STLD), on Nov. 2.

The company plans to break ground on an automobile metals recycling facility early next year and start operations in about a year from now, said Marcus Goering, principal at Liberty Development Partners.

Most of the facility's operations will be outside, he said, with maybe 150,000 square feet under a roof.

Cushman & Wakefield’s John Littman, Kelley Parker III and Coe Parker represented Liberty Development Partners. Michael Keegan and Andrew Laycock of Partners Real Estate Co. represented OmniSource.

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Mont Belvieu

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...wn-center.html

Riceland community in Mont Belvieu to deliver first lots, start first commercial building

Riceland Town Center will give Mont Belvieu back its downtown

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Nov 30, 2023

Riceland, a master-planned community spanning more than 1,400 acres in Mont Belvieu in Liberty County, is set to deliver its first homesites and start construction on the town center’s first commercial building.

The 144-acre first phase will include 417 homesites ranging from 42-foot alley-loaded lots to 70-foot traditional lots, Riceland developer McGrath Real Estate Partners said.

All lots are under contract, with closings expected over the next four to five weeks, said Barrett Kirk, chief investment officer at McGrath.

Homebuilders include Chesmar Homes, David Weekley Homes, Highland Homes and Perry Homes. The first houses are expected to begin construction in the first quarter of 2024 with delivery expected in the second. Pricing is estimated to start in the $350,000s.

The phase will also include several parks and trails. At build-out, the community could have about 4,000 single-family homes plus multifamily units, 30 miles of trails, a stocked 10-acre lake and resort-style pools.

First commercial building in Riceland Town Center

McGrath expects to start construction on a 16,956-square-foot commercial building in the first quarter of next year. The building, called The Mill House, is already 95% pre-leased, with an unnamed restaurant taking up 8,500 square feet on two stories and the Riceland Development HOA occupying 2,275 square feet of space. Another 1,000 square feet is available that would ideally be filled with a coffee or ice cream shop, Barrett said.

The Mill House will be the first commercial building in Mont Belvieu’s new 30-acre town center, on the corner of FM 565 and Eagle Drive, for which McGrath is partnering with the city. Earlier this year, the city opened its new two-story, 30,721-square-foot City Hall and new fire station, which replaced the old station. In between the new buildings, McGrath plans to develop additional restaurant space along an event lawn and eventually more commercial buildings around it.

The community is designed for residents to visit the Riceland Town Center without having to use a car.

“To be able to walk to Town Center, ride your bike to Town Center, have restaurants, have dinner or lunch on the green while your kids play, that's pretty special for this area of town,” Barrett said. “We think it will not only serve residents of Riceland but the greater Mont Belvieu area and even beyond that as a draw so well located off of the Grand Parkway just north of (Interstate) 10.”

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Friendswood

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...-district.html

Developer plans 106-acre mixed-use district with city park in Friendswood


By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Dec 8, 2023

A local developer is undertaking the largest mixed-use development project to date in the southeastern Houston suburb of Friendswood.

Tannos Development Group, in partnership with Friendswood-based Wolfgramm Capital, plans to break ground in January on infrastructure for Friendswood City Center, a $750 million development on 106 acres along FM 528 next to Brookside Intermediate School.

The 54-acre mixed-use district will include 150,000 square feet of retail space, 200,000 square feet medical and office space, a 500-unit apartment complex and a nationally branded boutique hotel with 150 rooms, a restaurant and 5,000-square-foot convention center, which will be either the first or second hotel in Friendswood.

The other half of the development will be a 52-acre park, to be donated to the city of Friendswood, with 4.2 miles of walking and biking trails, a fishing lake with pier, parking and public restrooms.

Tannos will build the infrastructure, including an extension of Blackhawk Boulevard to connect FM 528 with West Bay Area Boulevard, and the majority of shell buildings. All 12 parcels of the commercial development are already spoken for, said Louis Tannos, owner and president of Tannos Development Group.

“We formulated partnerships with other developers rather than take eight years to do this by myself,” he said. “That way, I can build it all at one time, and all the vertical value goes up instead of causing chaos and piecemealing the whole thing.”

Tannos retains an 80,000-square-foot medical office building, and Wolfgramm will have a 100,000-square-foot building. Webster-based Diamond Development Group designed Friendswood City Center.

Tannos said he wasn’t ready to disclose the other developers nor the name of the boutique hotel brand at this time. He estimated to be able to start vertical construction in late 2024 and complete the project within three years.

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Sugar Land



https://communityimpact.com/houston/...-pointe-plaza/

Sugar Land City Council lays groundwork for construction of Lake Pointe Plaza

By Wesley Gardner | 2:41 PM Dec 7, 2023 CST
Updated 2:41 PM Dec 7, 2023 CST

Sugar Land City Council approved a pair of items on first reading at the Dec. 5 meeting needed before developers can move forward the recently announced Lake Pointe Plaza.

The overview

In August, Sugar Land-based developer Planned Community Developers announced plans for the construction of Lake Pointe Plaza—a 69-acre, mixed-use development consisting of:

-Retail space
-Medical facilities
-High-density housing
-Office buildings
-Hotels
-Entertainment venues

The project will be located along Creekbend Drive and Fluor Daniel Drive, and will largely consist of redeveloping the existing 52-acre Fluor Corp. campus. Officials said more than 1 million square feet of office space will be vacated when the company relocates to the Energy Corridor in July.

Officials also said the project area falls within the 148-acre Lake Pointe Regional Activity Center located along Hwy. 6 and. I-69, noting it's one of several regional activity centers throughout the city aimed at promoting tourism and hosting citywide events.

At the Dec. 5 meeting, council members approved first considerations on a pair of ordinances that would amend the city’s land use plan and development plan to allow for the creation of the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District. Officials said the amendments, along with the approval of a redevelopment concept plan, are required before the project can move forward.

A closer look

Ruth Lohmer, Sugar Land assistant director of community planning and redevelopment, said the first ordinance would amend the city’s land-use plan to allow for flexibility in revising land-use distribution in the area. The ordinance would also change the number of multifamily units allotted to the area from 444 to 1,100.

Lohmer said the second ordinance would amend the city’s development code by creating the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District, which will create new standards and processes for development in the area.

The new standards will allow for the development of additional housing options—including duplexes, quadplexes and sixplexes—and will allow for housing to be constructed in close proximity to retail and other services, Lohmer said.

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Dickinson

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=1#cxrecs_s

Bayou-facing park, mixed-use district planned in Dickinson


By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Dec 13, 2023

Some major development projects are happening in the small Galveston County city of Dickinson, and one of them will bring a much-needed grocery store to the area.

Houston-based Collaborate is planning Bayou Village, a 14.7-acre mixed-use development on FM 517 across from John Barber Middle School, in a public-private partnership with the city of Dickinson.

The development — as currently proposed — will include a 20,000-square-foot, multitenant retail building; two pad sites; a 40,000-square-foot grocery store; and a four-story apartment complex with up to 240 one- and two-bedroom units and a garage on the ground level.

Immediately south of the project, facing Dickinson Bayou, the city plans to develop the first city park. Other parks in Dickinson are Galveston County parks, said Courtland Holman, the city’s economic development director. The new 23-acre park could include sports fields, parking, trails, water features and a boardwalk, according to a project presentation provided by Holman.

“The idea is to create a destination place where you can live, work, play next door and just have everything you need right there,” said Chris Kay, principal at Collaborate.

There will be about 240 parking spaces for the retail and at least 350 for the apartments.

About 50% of the retail building is leased, Kay said. The grocery tenant has been secured as well, though Kay would only confirm it is a statewide brand.

“We have restaurants, we have some wellness physician offices, a number of other retail outlets — local small businesses,” Kay said.

Collaborate is evaluating two different companies for the apartment development, he said.

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Dickinson


Downtown Master Plan images c/o texan on HAIF

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Pasadena

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...expansion.html

Pasadena Convention Center and Fairgrounds to undergo $50M renovation, expansion

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jan 8, 2024

The city of Pasadena will undertake a $50 million renovation and expansion of its decades-old convention center and municipal fairgrounds.

The city’s economic development corporation said it will break ground on Feb. 9 and hopes to finish by fall 2025.

The project includes the addition of a 110,000-square-foot multipurpose arena with 7,500 seats to create an approximately 153,000-square-foot complex. The existing building will be remodeled to update meeting rooms, restrooms and finishes.

The facility, built in 1983, is in dire need of renovation to stay competitive, the EDC says on its website.

Major events the venue hosts every year include the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Strawberry Festival and gun shows.

“We anticipate attracting larger expos and mid-size conventions to the facility after the renovation/expansion,” Pasadena Economic Development Director Rick Guerrero said in an email.

Other plans for the roughly 300-acre property at 7902 Fairmont Parkway, which also houses rodeo and livestock facilities, include some landscaping and general beautification as well as improved access, electrical capacity and lighting. Parking capacity will be increased to a total of about 2,500 spaces, Guerrero said.

No additional structures are currently planned, but there is an opportunity for hotel development, he said, and part of the property is reserved for potential retail and restaurant space.

A few retailers have expressed interest in purchasing property on the site, though no letters of intent have been signed, Guerrero said.

The Pasadena City Council approved the project in a 5-4 vote during its Oct. 3 meeting, with Mayor Jeff Wagner casting the decisive vote.

The four council members who voted against all said they are in favor of upgrading the convention center but disagreed with the process and financing of the project.

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Fulshear

https://www.fbherald.com/community/p...1211fa776.html

Public invited to Fulshear library grand opening
Jan 2, 2024

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of Fort Bend County Libraries’ Fulshear Branch Library will take place on Saturday, Jan. 13, beginning at 10 a.m., at the new library, located at 6350 GM Library Road in Fulshear.

The grand opening will be officiated by Fort Bend County Judge KP George, who will be joined by Precinct 1 County Commissioner Vincent Morales and other county and local officials. All area residents are invited to come out and take part in the grand-opening reception.

The Fulshear Branch Library, which replaces the Bob Lutts Fulshear/Simonton Branch Library, is now the third largest library in the Fort Bend County library system. Designed by Huitt-Zollars, the two-story building is 41,980 square feet in size. Flintco is the general contractor.

Construction of the new Fulshear Branch Library is the final phase of a $19.8-million bond referendum approved by voters in November 2015, which included $13.4 million for a new library to be built on the north side of the county.

The library was designed to be family-friendly, with individual areas for children, teens, and adults. The general library areas on the first and second floors are enhanced by natural light from a series of glazed windows framing spectacular views of the area.

The library includes an outdoor patio with charging stations, a drive-thru book return in the parking lot, community meeting rooms, study rooms, a puppet theater, and a computer lab for technology classes and public use. Additional computers will be available for public use outside of the computer lab. The library has free WiFi access for individuals wishing to bring their own laptop computers to the library.

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Fulshear

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District buys 100 acres in Cross Creek West as part of expansion efforts

By Sofia Gonzalez – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jan 18, 2024

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District is one step closer to seeing its expansion efforts come to fruition.

On Jan. 15, it was announced that LCISD closed on 100 acres in Cross Creek West. The land, located in the northern portion of the master-planned community, will hold a new high school, junior high school, middle school and potentially a future elementary school.

Houston-based Johnson Development Corp. is developing Cross Creek West on 1,258 acres just north of Fulshear with an expected 3,000 homes at build-out. Cross Creek West is situated along FM 359 at Jordan Road within the city of Fulshear’s extra-territorial jurisdiction and touching the Waller County line to the north. Currently, the community is zoned to four LCISD schools: Morgan Elementary School, Roberts Middle School, Dean Leaman Junior High School and Fulshear High School, but none are located within Cross Creek West.

The new high school, junior high school and middle school are projected to open in August 2027. However, no timeline has been announced for the potential elementary school, a release says.

The Houston Business Journal has reached out to officials for more information about the new schools.

The land deal is thanks to the district’s $1.5 billion 2022 bond referendum. Propositions A, B and C were passed by voters. The land purchase and construction for the new schools were included in Proposition A, which was for $1.3 billion. The proposition called for the construction of four new elementary schools, two new middle schools, a new junior high school and a new high school, along with land purchases for future new schools and other things.

Meanwhile, Elementary No. 36, which is also located in Cross Creek West, is expected to begin construction in March of this year and will be ready to welcome students in fall 2025. It will have the ability to accommodate 850 students. The elementary school was also included in the 2022 bond program.

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Rosharon

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...n-18621516.php

New 114-home build-to-rent community opens in Rosharon south of Houston

By Marissa Luck,
Staff writer

Jan 23, 2024

A 114-unit build-to-rent community is opening south of Houston, adding to the growing trend of single-family rental projects across the region.

Residents recently began moving into Balcara at Meridiana, a single-family rental community built by Balcara Group about 25 miles south of Houston, near Highway 288 and County Road 56 in Rosharon.

“Balcara’s strategy has always been to locate within superb master plans and provide a complimentary, no-maintenance lifestyle choice to residents in a great, family-oriented environment. The growth and future of the area is confirmed by the recent opening of Manvel Town Center anchored by a large H-E-B,” said Paul Davey, CEO of Balcara Group, in an email. Manvel Town Center is about 5 miles away.

After launching leasing in November, Balcara at Meridiana is 15% leased, Davey said. Rents start at $2,450 after various specials the landlord is offering; without discounts, rents will range $2,795 to $2,995. The average lease price for a single-family home in Houston was $2,207 in December, according to Houston Association of Realtors.

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Galveston

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...t-seawall.html

The 16 acres for Royal Crown Enterprise's $250 million mixed-use development are part of more than 50 undeveloped acres next to Courtyard and TownePlace Suits by Marriott Galveston Island at the western end of Seawall Boulevard.

LEE & ASSOCIATES

Local businessman plans $250M mixed-use development in western Galveston

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jan 29, 2024

A Friendswood-based financial adviser is planning a $250 million beachside mixed-use development in west Galveston for his first commercial real estate project.

Mohamed Eldawy, through his new company, Royal Crown Enterprise LLC, last month purchased about 16 acres on the western-most edge of the Seawall from members of the Maceo family, a famous Galveston clan that goes back to the island’s gambling and bootlegging era of the early 20th century.

The mixed-use development will be adjacent to Courtyard and TownePlace Suits by Marriott Galveston Island.

It will include restaurants and other food-and-beverage concepts around a courtyard, midrise condos with Gulf views, two apartment complexes and a midsize hotel, Eldawy told the Houston Business Journal.

The hope is to start construction at some point next year after securing necessary permits from the city of Galveston and the Army Corps of Engineers, which has regulatory control over the properties, part of which includes wetlands.

“It's going to be something different from anything else in Galveston,” Eldawy said. “It’s something really the city needed and the public needed.”

Phases of the mixed-use project

The project will be developed in phases, he said. The first phase will include bars and restaurants and a 10- to 12-story condo tower with 270 to 300 two- and three-bedrooms units.

The height for the buildings will depend on clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration, Eldawy said, because of the property’s proximity to Scholes International Airport.

For the second phase, Eldawy plans to build a seven-story hotel with 120 to 150 rooms and a seven-story senior-living apartment tower with 80 one- and two-bedroom units.

The third phase will be a two-building, 270-unit apartment complex. Among the amenities will be a swimming pool, gym, sports courts, media rooms and a meeting room.

Royal Crown Enterprise has engaged an architecture firm and marketing team, but Eldawy was not ready to name them.

The company purchased another 15 acres of the Maceo property adjacent to Seahorse Grill on Termini-San Luis Pass Road and across the street from Diamond Beach Condos in October 2021.

Royal Crown owns the property together with a partner that is based overseas, Eldawy said. While he declined to provide details, he said the vision may include a big resort hotel.

The mixed-use project is the first development for Eldawy, a financial adviser whose other companies include Royal Crown Wealth and Royal Crown Insurance Agency. A third, Royal Crown Property Management, is set to launch later this year.

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Texas City

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...exas-city.html

Exclusive: Sports Illustrated Resort planned next to Lago Mar lagoon in Texas City

This is one of the first Sports Illustrated Resorts ever announced.

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jan 30, 2024

Texas City will be home to one of the nation’s first Sports Illustrated Resorts, next to the 12-acre Crystal Lagoon in Land Tejas’ master-planned community Lago Mar.

A joint venture between Houston-based Lagoon Development Co. and Sports Illustrated hotel and resort licensee Sports Hospitality Ventures LLC is developing the resort.

It will have 200 rooms on at least six stories on the southeast side of the artificial lagoon. Amenities include the Stadium Sports Grill restaurant and a public Beach Club to be developed on the lagoon, with beachside cabanas, resort services and a swim-up island bar.

The hotel will be managed by Grand Prairie, Texas-based American Resort Management, which has a strategic partnership with SI Resorts.

“This location in Texas City is an exciting venture for us,” Christopher Schroeder, CEO of Sports Hospitality Ventures, said in a statement. “Texas sports, especially Houston sports, are integral to this state, and we are pleased to bring this resort to such a dedicated fan base.”

The joint venture has tapped Houston-based Project Luong as the architect.

The project is in the early design phase and will be submitted to the city of Texas City for permitting later this year, Lagoon Development Co. CEO Uri Man said.

Groundbreaking is expected for the third quarter.

Lagoon Development Co. first started working with American Resort Management after searching for a property management company for its projects a few years ago, Man said.

Around that time, American Resort Management became the operator for the newly created SI Resorts.

“We were able to benefit from that by bringing SI Resorts to our property to see Lago Mar (and) see the lagoon,” Man said. “And they immediately felt like it was a very good fit.”

For example, he said, Lagoon Development Co. already had plans to add a beach club to the Lago Mar lagoon.

While part of the lagoon is for residents of Lago Mar only, a paid section is open to the general public. Like residents, resort guests will be able to access the lagoon all year long, while the public is admitted from spring to fall.

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Good article from Houston Business Journal regarding developments in the Bay Area as of late...

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...-bay-area.html

NO LONGER DRIVE-THROUGH COUNTRY

The Bay Area has long been ignored, but once Great Wolf Resorts took notice, everyone else followed suit.

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Feb 2, 2024

Even in Houston, when people talk about the Bay Area, the first place that may come to mind is San Francisco.

Sure, that may be the more famous bay, but the Galveston Bay Area has quite a few things going for it, too.

Although it has long been the home of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Kemah Boardwalk and Baybrook Mall, Interstate 45 south of Beltway 8 has mostly been drive-through country for visitors and commuters to Galveston or downtown Houston.

But that is changing.

A growing number of major projects have the potential to turn some of the bedroom communities along I-45, the Gulf Freeway, into destinations in their own right.

Unlike other growth areas in Greater Houston – such as Katy, Cypress or Montgomery County – the Bay Area has been well developed for many years, and its growth is restricted by the bodies of water surrounding it.

However, there are many smaller infill opportunities sprinkled throughout the corridor, and developers have been getting busy, well, filling them in.

Take Baybrook East, on the east side of I-45 at El Dorado Boulevard, by Florida-based Regency Centers (NYSE: REG) and CDC Houston Inc., a subsidiary of New York-based Coventry Development Corp. The 23-acre retail center’s first phase opened in December 2021 with a new H-E-B. The second phase is halfway completed and open, including a 30,000-square-foot retail complex that houses Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse, Dave’s Hot Chicken, a barbershop, liquor store and nail salon. In-N-Out Burger opened last fall on an outparcel, and The Taco Stand is currently under construction on another.

Others have been developing shopping centers on small tracts along I-45, including Jericho, New York-based Kimco Realty Corp.’s (NYSE: KIM) Shops at Baybrook at Bay Area Boulevard, which will house a Shake Shack and Velvet Taco.

In League City, New York City-based WB Property Group, in partnership with Atticus Real Estate, has said it will build the 70-acre mixed-use development Riverview at Clear Creek, just east of I-45 and north of FM 696. It would include 30,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space as well as public amenities such as a boardwalk, an amphitheater, a boutique hotel, a small marina, fishing deck, trails, an outdoor gym and a picnic area. However, the future of that project is unclear, as League City has terminated a Chapter 380 developer agreement with WB. The developer did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Further south along the Gulf Freeway, several new mixed-use developments are planned in Dickinson, including Houston-based Reme Cos. and Bryan, Texas-based William Cole Cos.’ $100 million Water Street on 19.5 acres along the southbound side of the freeway at FM 517.

In La Marque, Galveston County developer Jerome Karam is redeveloping the former Gulf Greyhound Park into an 11,000-seat “Las Vegas-style” concert and event arena, with adjacent retail and restaurants as well as a possible hotel and apartments.

And Texas City will soon be home to one of the first Sports Illustrated Resorts in the United States. The resort will be adjacent to the semi-public lagoon in Land Tejas’ Lago Mar community.

Many of those new developments are coming on the heels of the announcement by Chicago-based Great Wolf Resorts that it has picked Webster for the second Great Wolf Lodge in Texas. The company expects the indoor water park and resort to open later this year east of I-45, just south of the NASA Bypass and adjacent to Topgolf.

Dan Seal, executive director of economic development at the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, credits Great Wolf for starting an avalanche of commercial development.

“A lot of these other developments are saying, ‘Hey, if Great Wolf Lodge is going there, then we need to be there because they do their homework,’” Seal said.

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Hockley

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

Grainger plans to open one of its largest US facilities in Hockley, employ 400 people

By Sofia Gonzalez – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Feb 2, 2024

Illinois-based W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) — a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating products — plans to bring one of its largest U.S. facilities to Hockley to help the company provide additional capacity for its next-day orders.

The new 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center, which will be known as the Houston Texas Distribution Center, will be constructed on a 108-acre site in unincorporated Harris County northwest of Houston at Roberts Road and U.S. Route 290. The property is being developed by Houston-based Hines, and although the cost is not disclosed, the company said it was a significant investment.

Grainger expects to employ about 400 people at the facility within a year of opening.

The groundbreaking is set for this coming spring, and the company anticipates a 2026 opening. Once the distribution center is completed, it will house over 250,000 industrial supply items. This includes hand and power tools, heating ventilation and air conditioning equipment, fluid power solutions, lighting, power transmission equipment and motors.

The Hockley distribution center is just one of many projects the company has underway as it aims to enhance its network operations, accommodate a growing product offering and expand on its next-day delivery offer, the company says.

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Manvel

Rendering of one vision of Reserve at Manvel
JLL

75-acre shopping center Reserve at Manvel planned along Highway 288 in Brazoria County

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Feb 2, 2024

After the long-awaited opening of the first phase of the Manvel Town Center three months ago, the fast-growing town in Brazoria County will soon have another shopping center.

Sales are now open for commercial lots on the 75-acre future Reserve at Manvel, on the southeast corner of state Highway 288 and County Road 58.

Local family-owned company VDB Partners Ltd. is getting ready to develop the property with the goal to turn it into a shopping and entertainment destination for the Manvel area.

Simmi Jaggi and Elizabeth Clampitt of JLL’s land advisory team represent the owner and are marketing the property.

VDB plans to build a new road on the east side of the property, which will be County Road 94, as well as an extension to County Road 58, said Bill Visinsky, vice president at the company.

The developer will not put up any buildings; instead, the plan is to sell the more than 20 lots ranging from 1 to 15 acres to retailers, restaurant operators, medical offices and entertainment concepts, which will then build their own facilities.

VDB will build the infrastructure, all common areas, landscaping and detention. The goal is to start construction this summer.

“Our plan is to have trails through the subdivision, or landscaped sidewalks, and then pocket parks at various places,” Visinsky said. “We want to have a common feel to it, and we want it to be high quality. We want it to be as walkable as we can be and attractive to bring people in.”

The development could include a “restaurant row” with different food and beverage concepts, a medical campus, a movie theater, arcade, small hotel or a big-box store — though probably not a large grocery store, as there is a new H-E-B in the recently opened Manvel Town Center just 3 miles south on Highway 288.

Overall, Reserve at Manvel could have an estimated 300,000 square feet of commercial space, all of it owned by the individual businesses, which would be part of a commercial owners association.

“There's a lot of people that want to own their property, in the medical area especially and in restaurants too,” Visinsky said. “People can come in and buy their property and have control and don't have to worry about rising rents.”

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Iowa Colony

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...community.html

Home sales to begin soon in Starwood Land's new Brazoria County community Canterra Creek

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Feb 5, 2024

Florida-based Starwood Land and its Houston-based partner, Land Tejas, are developing another single-family home community near Sierra Vista, a Crystal Lagoon community in Brazoria County just outside of Iowa Colony.

Canterra Creek will have about 850 homes on 380 acres west of state Highway 288 along county roads 57 and 383, Starwood Land said.

The developer said it broke ground on the community early last year and delivered lots in the fourth quarter of 2023 to first-phase homebuilders Tricoast Homes, Lennar Corp. and CastleRock Communities.

The lots range from about 45 feet to 60 feet wide, and homes will range from 1,800 to 3,600 square feet.

Home sales will begin this quarter, Starwood Land said. The houses are priced from the upper $200,000s to the upper $400,000s.

The community will be zoned to the Alvin Independent School District.

Planned amenities include a resort-style pool, splash park, covered pavilion, playground and play fields. In addition, Canterra Creek residents will have access to the amenities within Sierra Vista, which are currently under construction. That includes the planned Crystal Lagoon — currently expected to open in 2025 along Highway 288 north of County Road 56, according to Starwood — as well as The Island amenity village with a pool, cabanas, sports courts and a clubhouse.

Katy-based KGA DeForest is the landscape architect for Canterra Creek, and Starwood Capital provided financing.

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Santa Fe

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

Megatel Homes to develop 1,000-acre community with lagoon in Santa Fe near Houston

By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Feb 15, 2024

A new lagoon community planned for Santa Fe has the potential to double the rural Galveston County town’s population.

Dallas-based Megatel Homes in December signed a developer agreement with the city of Santa Fe for the development of Tres Rios, a 1,056-acre community with a 2.3-acre artificial lagoon surrounded by restaurants and entertainment.

The current plan calls for 2,844 single-family homes on 40- and 50-foot lots and about 1,200 apartment units at build-out, which is to occur in phases.

Per the agreement, the developer will set aside up to 3.5 acres for a fire station and between 12 and 15 acres for a Santa Fe Independent School District elementary school.

The plan is for the lagoon to be open to the public for a possible fee. Residents will have free entry, to be covered by their homeowners association fees.

The total investment for the community, excluding homes, is estimated to be nearly $428 million.

The property is located south of FM 517, adjacent to the Lakes of Bay Area subdivision, and wraps around several residences along Jack Beaver Road, according to a land use map submitted to the city.

Most of the future community is located immediately south of Dickinson Bayou, though about 82 acres stretches from FM 517 south to the bayou. That portion would contain the lagoon and apartments, according to the developer agreement.

Santa Fe will annex the community as it is being developed, per the agreement. Most of the land is in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The northern part of the land, including the future lagoon, is currently in League City’s ETJ but would also be annexed by Santa Fe.

Tower Road would be improved and connect Tres Rios to state Highway 6 to the south. The plan is also to build a portion of Bay Area Boulevard through the community to intersect with FM 517. Currently, Bay Area Boulevard dead-ends just south of League City Parkway in League City’s Magnolia Creek neighborhood, and League City plans to extend it south to FM 517, Santa Fe City Manager Alun Thomas said.

Megatel Homes did not respond to repeated requests for information about the planned community.

The city of Santa Fe is in frequent contact with the developer to work on setting up a public improvement district, Thomas said. Water and sewage will come from an existing water improvement district.

Once all that is set up, construction could start around May, Thomas said.

[Wattleigh]

Conroe

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2024/02/25/sam-houston-state-university-conroe-expansion.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_27&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s

Sam Houston State University’s Conroe campus to add 85,000-SF, $70M building

By Sofia Gonzalez – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Feb 25, 2024

Sam Houston State University will soon see a new building rise on its Conroe campus in Houston-based Johnson Development Corp.'s Grand Central Park master-planned community, the Boy Scouts' former Camp Strake site.

The future Sam Houston State University Health Professions Building design development documents were approved during a Texas State University System Board of Regents meeting this week. The new building will be located next to SHSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Grand Central Park.

The new 85,000-square-foot, four-story building currently is expected to cost $70 million. It will be home to SHSU’s allied health programs, including athletic training, dietetics, physician’s assistant and physical therapy programs. The Master of Science program in athletic training and Master of Science in dietetics will also relocate from Huntsville to Conroe and will be housed in the new building.

Documents from the board meeting state that the new building will help strengthen “the mission and vision of the College of Health Sciences to positively impact the east/southeast Texas allied health community and workforce.”

[Wattleigh]

Cypress

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...d-central.html

Howard Hughes Holdings broke ground on the highly anticipated Village Green at Bridgeland Central on Feb. 26. The 70-acre mixed-use project will be anchored by an H-E-B grocery store spanning more than 100,000 square feet, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2024.

COURTESY HOWARD HUGHES HOLDINGS INC

Howard Hughes breaks ground on HEB-anchored mixed-use project in Bridgeland Central

By Olivia Pulsinelli – Assistant managing editor, Houston Business Journal
Feb 26, 2024

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HHH) broke ground on the highly anticipated Village Green at Bridgeland Central on Feb. 26.

The 70-acre mixed-use project is adjacent to the Grand Parkway and bound by Bridgeland High School Drive, Bridgeland Creek Parkway and Summit Point Crossing. It's part of the 925-acre urban core of the 11,500-acre Bridgeland master-planned community in Cypress.

Village Green will be anchored by an H-E-B grocery store spanning more than 100,000 square feet, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2024. Additionally, the mixed-use project will include more than 28,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space slated to be complete in spring 2025.

Marissa Moreau with Howard Hughes and Jacob Weersing with Capital Retail Properties will oversee retail leasing for Village Green. The goal is to "deliver a blend of premier national brands as well as a curated mix of homegrown local and Texas brands," The Woodlands-based Howard Hughes Holdings said.

Plans for Village Green — including a 49,000-square-foot, three-story office building — were first announced in October 2022. The office building, called One Bridgeland Green, will be the first mass timber office development in the Houston area. The project team includes San Antonio-based Lake Flato as the design architect, Houston-based Kirksey Architecture as the architect of record and Houston-based Tellepsen as the general contractor.

Howard Hughes will move its Bridgeland development office to One Bridgeland Green and also open a community welcome office there, Jim Carman, Houston region president at Howard Hughes, told the Houston Business Journal in 2022.

Although Village Green is slated to span 70 acres, the first phase will be on 23 acres, according to Bridgeland's website.

Meanwhile, the 925-acre Bridgeland Central urban core has been in the works for years.

“These developments take a lot of time. They're very large,” Carman said in 2022. “And thankfully, with the tremendous growth in the community over the years, Bridgeland Central is now ready to launch and to be an attractive destination for these retailers and these businesses to locate.”\

[Wattleigh]

Katy

https://communityimpact.com/houston/...c-rice-dryers/

Katy considers entertainment district around historic rice dryers

By Kelly Schafler | 3:19 PM Feb 23, 2024 CST
Updated 3:20 PM Feb 23, 2024 CST

A study taking place this year aims to reimagine an industrial area surrounding Katy’s historic rice dryers into an entertainment district.

The idea for the district emerged in the process of creating the city’s 2040 comprehensive plan, which was completed in March 2023. As part of the plan, planning firm Kendig Keast Collaborative developed a future land use and character map, which noted an unrealized mixed-use entertainment area that could be created.

Meanwhile, change in the area is already happening, with a local staple having shuttered its doors in December and a developer soon opening the first phase of The Dryer, a 3-acre revitalization project.

“I’m not a sentimental person, to be honest,” The Dryer developer Hadi “Andrew” Nurcahya said. “But to me, [preserving the dryers] just makes sense.”

However, business owners from the area said they believe there’s steps the city can take to make the area attractive to new businesses as well as partner with existing businesses.