GRAND PARKWAY SPRAWL STIMULUS “The road exemplifies an unintended effect of the stimulus law: an administration that opposes suburban sprawl is giving money to states for projects that are almost certain to exacerbate it. A new master-planned community called Bridgeland is rising on the prairie along the proposed site of the road; once completed, the development is expected to have 21,000 new homes on 11,400 acres. Other developers are eagerly awaiting the new road so they can start building on their empty land, too. . . . [Roger H. Hord, the president of the West Houston Association] pointed out that the road would connect two existing highways and said it would ease congestion on some of Houston’s other beltways. He said that an existing leg of the Grand Parkway, just to the south of the proposed leg, would give a sense of what the new stretch of the Grand Parkway might look like when it is done. The existing stretch is lined with strip malls and gas stations and drug stores and a huge 7,600-acre residential development called Cinco Ranch that is popular with families.” [New York Times]
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Tag: 77449
GRAND PARKWAY SEGMENT E: MALL SHOPPER EXPRESS LANES Approvals by the Harris County Commissioners Court this week — along with the timely arrival of $181 million of the state’s stimulus money — means nothing but a new Sierra Club lawsuit now stands in the way of building Segment E of the Grand Parkway toll road. The segment, which will cut through the Katy Prairie between I-10 and 290, will allow shoppers a convenient and direct link from the Katy Mills Mall to the new Houston Premium Outlets mall in Cypress, just west of Fairfield. “Peter Haughton with General Growth Properties said, ‘We need this road to continue the build out of Bridgeland, which we hope will be one of America’s best master planned communities.’” [abc13]
The Katy real-estate rush spreads to the insect world:
Neighbors say bees are nothing new to the Settlers Village subdivision.
One homeowner just down the block had a similar infestation about a year ago and had to remove the siding from his home to get the hive out, said Rowhan Cummings . . .
“They’re traveling,†Cummings says. “Once they got rid of those, they came back here.â€
The 12-year-old subdivision is surrounded by open fields, and Cummings says the bees simply appear when the flowers bloom, then look for a place to settle down.
“Those bees were probably here before we were,†he says.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pf-c5jVm1g 400 330]
Pay no attention to that dying possum by the side of the road! Lou Minatti takes a bike ride through a neighborhood of new Royce and Centex homes in Katy and finds lots of building going on — and plenty of “sold” signs!!! But . . . is anybody actually living here? And uh, some of those signs look awfully familiar — from a ride through this same area back in May.
After the jump: some of the same scenes, 4 months ago!
A story by Paul Knight in this week’s Houston Press adds a little color to the Houston foreclosure map:
Houston’s 77449 ZIP code, on the northwest side, made the top 100 in the nation for 2007. The area saw rapid growth in the early part of the decade, with retail strip centers and a sea of new homes popping up almost overnight.
“They started developing that area really aggressively,” says Erion Shehaj, a Houston realtor who specializes in foreclosed homes. “Like clockwork…[foreclosures] have been popping up one after another, because they were pushing them to people that couldn’t really afford them in the first place.”
Large signs are now planted along the roadside, advertising housing deals such as “Inventory Clearance!” and “Closeout Specials.”
One subdivision in the area that was hit particularly hard is Bear Creek Meadows. The neighborhood was developed about five years ago, with houses priced in the $120,000 range and marketed to first-time buyers.
Below the fold: More on Bear Creek Meadows, plus a few photos to illustrate Knight’s reporting on foreclosure cleanups.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVnx0vWPnE0 400 330]
Blogger and head Michael Pollack cheerleader Lou Minatti posts this street-level video report on the state of the real-estate market in Katy and West Houston, and includes the following odd claim:
I’ve never seen a stucco house in Houston before.
- Houston Real Estate, Valentines Day Edition [Lou Minatti]
The wave of foreclosures sweeping over neighborhoods at the outer edges of town has . . . an upside!
Remember back when these neighborhoods were new — like, four years ago? Well, for buyers it’s just like those good old days all over again . . . only cheaper! That’s right: if you’ve settled on one builder model, you can be pretty picky about which upgrades and finishing touches you really want — even though the builder has moved on.
If you’re shopping for a home in Bear Creek Meadows in Katy, for example, you’ll find the four distinct residences pictured above listed on MLS. That’s right, those are four different houses. But they’re all the same model — The Cairns, Plan 509, by Legend Homes — and they’re all resales!
Which one is right for you? Clockwise from top left, the contenders are: 19411 Billineys Park Dr., 19606 Ballina Meadows Dr., 19906 Brisbane Meadows Dr., and 19510 Buckland Park Dr.
After the jump, a look at the differences between these four newish but back-on-the-market homes!
Houston’s middle-age spread continues:
- Just north of I-10 at the Grand Parkway, Kickerillo is starting a large residential development called Grandeur Park. It’ll be across the street from The Grand, Simon Property Group’s new mall. Homes there will cost 300 to 600 Grand.
- Houston will soon stretch to Sealy:
Silvestri Investments of Houston has purchased 1,375 acres just west of Firethorne, which is a mile south of Interstate 10 on FM 1463.
The new owner will hold the land for future development.
“With the historical trend of development in Houston, it was only a matter of time before someone purchased land in the next logical pattern of growth,” said Michael Carroll, president of Riverway Properties, who brokered the deal. The price was not disclosed.
- Ross Perot Jr.’s Hillwood Development Company has bought Sienna Plantation South. What we’ll get there: about 7,000 single-family homes on the 3,827-acre site. Included in that total: 300 acres for offices and retail, 100 acres for schools and churches, and 1,000 acres of parks and open space. No breakdown available on the acreage of cul de sacs, lakes, or driveways.
- The fourth Del Webb retirement compound in Texas will be near Richmond, at Highway 59 and Thompson Rd. Fifteen hundred homes on 500 acres. You’ll need to be at least 55 years old to live there, and drive at least 55 to get there.
- It’s tough building slabs in Texas City:
After what developers described as a “minor slowdown,†the 574-home Grand Cay Harbour project in Texas City is back on track.
Persistent rain during the summer was part of the problem. But project manager Norman Reed didn’t elaborate about what other factors led to a long stretch of inactivity at the development. The project is on 250 acres beside Galveston Bay at the end of the Texas City levee system.
And don’t you worry about flooding after the construction’s done. This gated community will keep out the tides, too.
- Kickerillo Closes on Land Deal for a Community at I-10 and the Grand Parkway (PDF) [Kickerillo Companies]
- Commercial market still active [Houston Chronicle]
- Project targets older adults [Houston Chronicle]
- North Texas Real Estate Company Buys Sienna Plantation South [Fort Bend Now]
- Grand Cay Harbour sails ahead after delay [Galveston Daily News]
Plan of Grandeur Park: Kickerillo Companies
Katy residents upset with the prospect of a new low-income housing development in their community have won a round: Elrod Place, a 126-unit, 25-acre project proposed for 3700 Elrod Place—near Katy’s Bridgewater subdivision—won’t be able to get the $12 million in state housing tax credits the developers had applied for. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has denied the application by Barry Kahn of Hettig/Kahn Holdings.
- State denies tax credits for low-income housing project [Houston Chronicle]
- Is more low-income housing in store for the Katy area? [Inside Katy]
- Low-Income Housing: Any Takers? [Swamplot]
- Clay Rd. & Elrod Rd. [Google Maps]
One of the advantages of covering real estate throughout an area is the opportunity to spot larger opportunities—in issues that at first glance might seem only of interest to a particular neighborhood. Communities battling with new development, for example, might benefit from hearing how residents in other locations might deal with similar situations.
Over in Katy, residents up in arms about a low-income housing development proposed near the intersection of Clay and Elrod have been actively challenging the rosy picture of the low-density project presented by developer Barry Kahn. Residents of the nearby Bridgewater subdivision have been joined by the Katy Area Economic Development Council, Katy Rep. Bill Callegari, and the Katy Area Economic Development Council in opposition to Elrod Place, which would consist of 76 single-family homes and 50 apartment units for seniors.
Their complaints? The project would lower home values, put a strain on area schools, and increase crime in the neighborhood.
The Katy Area Economic Development Council sent a letter to state officials claiming that Katy was the wrong location for this project:
Our opposition should not be construed as a referendum on the need or lack thereof of affordable housing. We do not feel that the development of a project of this type is compatible with the stated goals and objectives of the Katy area.
More succinct are the comments of Jeff, one of many posters to news websites covering the controversy:
Fact is, Mr. Kahn just needs to pack his bags and go elsewhere. In fact, if he is such a philanthropist and wants to help the disadvantaged, why does’n he house 4 families of 4 in his 6000+ sqft mansion? Hmm…….
and:
This development must be stopped. We do not want Katy to become like the inner-city of Houston. We do not want an overburdened and underfunded school system. We do not want high-crime where gangs control neighborhoods while citizens lock themseves in their homes behind barred windows and doors.
This is what many of us moved to Katy to escape from.
So . . . readers, can we help out the people of Katy? Got a better spot for this development in your neighborhood? Just let us know, and we’ll pass the information on to Mr. Kahn. We’ll be waiting patiently for your email.
- Upset residents taking housing project fight to Harris County [Katy Times]
- Hearing on low-income housing project to take place Tuesday [Inside Katy]
- Neighborhood residents mobilize to fight low-income housing proposal [Inside Katy]
- Opponents of low-income housing have new concerns [Houston Chronicle]
Photo of Waterside Court, another development by Hettig/Kahn in northwest Houston, under construction: Hettig/Kahn Holdings
