THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING, ONCE YOU DRIVE ALL THE WAY OUT THERE 
The latest event in the growing trend of establishments far from the center of the city adopting names that convey an aura of centrality comes from the firm turning the former Camp Strake Boy Scout facility just south of Conroe into a large suburban residential development. Henceforth, Johnson Development announced today, the 2,046-acre property just west of I-45 and south of Loop 336 — north of The Woodlands — shall be known as Grand Central Park. [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Jones Lang LaSalle
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“a distinctive forest living experience with a decidedly urban feel”
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“urban approach to living, shopping and dining in a pristine and protected wooded environment”
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yeah, I had plenty of LOLs from the announcement. I can understand the predicament of these marketing write-ups, but the spin still just smacks you in the face. more like come to the Woodlands and help us to continue desecrating previously pristine and wooded environments as you seek to enjoy all the affluence of “urban living” without any of the urbanity.
Ah, the atemporality of contemporary property development
I hate the whole idea of this development. The trees gone, Wetlands filled in. Goofy signage constructed of trucked-in limestone. 25%-50% vacancy rate. More traffic. Boo
I’ve been to Central Park, I know about Central Park, Central Park is a friend of mine and you sir are no Central Park.
“Grand Central Park”
Neither grand, nor central, nor a park.
The scouts used to have a hike called “the death march” that was 4 miles at night and we had to go through a small river at one point. It was pretty epic for suburban junior high kids. Plus, one of the staff members would always leave the group to go capture baby alligators.
Hahahahaha
Can’t wait for their “urban” experience to actually turn that way, with high crime, shitty schools, and crooked city government that continuously turns in non-productive circles. Meanwhile, my “urban” inner loop existence keeps improving while the causes of those problems get driven out that way by high property values and rents.
We can make fun of developments like this all we want, but people will buy houses way up there, and they’ll move in. The same thing is happening down South. Suburban Houston is swallowing Richmond-Rosenberg. I’ve said before and I’ll say again, if we want to curb sprawl, we need to make our older, closer-in suburbs more livable. It’s no coincidence that development North of the Woodlands is happening right when the FM-1960 Corridor is in decline. It’s a pattern that has happened all over Houston and in other cities as well.
Grand Central Park? I don’t think there’s any possible way to be less thoughtful or original. Is it too late to call it the Empire State Building? What about Hermann Park?
These are the same geniuses who came up with the names Sienna Plantation and Tuscan Lakes. They must’ve been brainstorming for a title while looking at a map…and there’s the Grand Parkway…and we’re going for that, “urban feel”…Grand Central Park!….there it is!
Should have called it River Oaks Heights North
commonsense agrees with everyone else. That’s how bad this name is.
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As to their other names… Sienna Plantation – you’re selling homes based on plantation nostalgia? Really? Tuscan Lakes – are there any lakes in Tuscany? Not really what they’re known for.
To all you guys complaining about this development, I’m wondering where you people live. Is it possible that where you all live there once stood trees and vacant land. Is it possible that where you now live there once was a farm with animals and crops. Now that you all have houses you want to shut off any new development. Do you people have kids or plan to have kids. Where are your kids going to live.
@Shannon. Well played.
As long as people want to move out to the hinterlands for the shiny new homes with shiny new schools for their kids sprawl will keep happening. In the fifties, I guess my neighborhood was one of those (Oak Forest). Houston has to get serious about improving all of its schools–parks and bike trails are great–but when people have kids, they aren’t enough to keep them from moving to a bigger house in the outer burbs. I live on a block of 3/2 ranches and the couple next door are moving because they are now expecting and a couple down the block had a child age into school and pffttt–off they went. I suppose part of it is a mentality of wanting more space and more stuff, too, since a 3/2 home really is adequate for most families, especially with one or two kids.