Grand Texas—the future 610-acre sports and entertainment district in New Caney—is scheduled to break ground on the first phases of construction late this summer and open to the public in early to mid-2015.

The development will feature a 150-acre theme park, 40-acre water park, 83-acre sports complex, RV park with 144 lots, more than 240 hotel rooms and 450,000 square feet of retail and dining once completed, said Monty Galland, CEO of the Grand Texas Sports and Entertainment District. Grand Texas, which is estimated to draw 1.2 million annual visitors, will be near the intersection of Hwy. 242 and Hwy. 59, about 35 miles east of Magnolia.

"We want what we refer to as 'the district' [to be] a destination and as a destination, that means it's going to drive development," Galland said. "We have a lot to offer that you just won't find any place else."

Galland said Grand Texas will differ from other theme parks in the state since it will feature Texas history and culture elements throughout the property. The theme park will include roller coasters and other carnival attractions and is expected to span 71 acres in the first phase slated to open May 2016, Galland said. The theme park has room to expand attractions on up to 150 acres in the future.

The Big Rivers Water Park is scheduled to begin its first phase of construction on 28 acres in September 2014 and open in June 2015. Galland said the water park has space to accommodate up to 40 acres of development, with the first section spanning an area slightly smaller than SplashTown in Spring.

The sports complex will include indoor facilities and 20 sports fields with high-tech turf able to withstand up to eight inches of rain per hour without game delays, Galland said. The fields are designed to accommodate a variety of sports teams, including junior and senior baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, 7-on-7 football and rugby.

Galland said construction on the sports complex is expected to begin in August 2014 and open in March 2015. Grand Texas officials are projecting 750,000 annual visitors for the junior baseball games alone, he said.

"We are hoping to surpass Craig Ranch in McKinney [for total sports complex attendance], and they do 2 million visitors a year for all sports," Galland said. "The great thing about it is it creates hotel stays and hospitality as well as dining. We feel it's a very valuable addition to the community."

In addition, the RV park is expected to break ground by the end of July and open in February 2015. The first hotels will be completed around the same time frame, he said.

Transportation at Grand Texas will be facilitated through a 50-acre parking lot for visitors and a few separate lots for employees and coaches, Galland said. A trolley shuttle system is planned to be installed in the coming years once the park opens, he said.

Galland said there will be a higher than typical wage for entry-level positions at the park, and there will be a large number of full-time employees. Grand Texas plans to develop a multi-family housing complex for employees, but officials are still determining where it will be located, Galland said.

Grand Texas officials learned lessons about preparing for future growth from the closure of AstroWorld in 2005, Galland said.

"With AstroWorld, one of the biggest things is not the closing—it was very successful—but AstroWorld's growth potential was stunted by being boxed in," Galland said. "That's why we developed [Grand Texas] with the ability to continue to grow for 30 years."

Grand Texas officials were recently approached by a private developer looking to build a new attraction on 43 acres of the property near the RV section, altering some design plans for the overall park, Galland said. Further details for the new proposed attraction are in the works and will be announced soon, he said.