Community Impact Newspaper[/caption]Steady population growth has sparked commercial and residential development throughout Fort Bend County over the last decade, and even more developments are planned for the city of Richmond and surrounding areas.
“I see no slowdown in sight,” said Jeff Wiley, president and CEO of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council. “Our population growth continues to lead the Houston region, notwithstanding having over 750,000 people and being the second-largest populated county in the region.”
The Richmond population has grown steadily at about 4.4 percent from 2010 to 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. One of the major drivers of the growth in the county and Richmond is the increase of master-planned communities that continue to attract homebuyers to the area.
Community Impact Newspaper[/caption]“We get a lot of people from outside of the Houston region, from out of state, even out of the country that hear about Riverstone and hear about all the various cities in Fort Bend County [and move here],” said Trey Reichert, vice president and general manager for Johnson Development Riverstone and Veranda. “The county itself has done a great job of marketing and attracting people and companies and resources.”
Lifestyle communities
Reichert serves as the general manager for Veranda and Riverstone, two master-planned communities based in Richmond and Missouri City, respectively. He said developers like Johnson Development took note of the population growth that Fort Bend started to see decades ago. Fort Bend County’s population in 2005 was 457,225 and has grown to 741,237 in 2016, according to the Fort Bend EDC.
“The growth in Fort Bend County, I think, has been exciting for this area because it’s really drumming up a lot of interest and putting Fort Bend County on the map so to speak,” Reichert said.
Many of the master-planned communities sell homes quickly because of this growth, which is accelerated by the marketing strategies developers use to attract homebuyers.
“We are not just selling homes, we are selling a lifestyle,” Reichert said. “I think that’s really why when we start a brand new master-planned community, it doesn’t take us long to drum up the interest and to accelerate home sales.”
Of Johnson Development’s 17 master-planned communities, Veranda is one of the newest. According to Reichert, 121 new homes have been sold there already. This is due to the fact that many developers like Johnson Development are working to offer a lifestyle component that draws in people of all ages and demographics.
“People are moving out here, and our different housing options are keeping up with that demand,” Richmond City Manager Terri Vela said.
Two major housing developments in Richmond are Harvest Green and Del Webb Sweetgrass. Del Webb Sweetgrass is a 55-and-older community that caters to empty nesters and older residents. Harvest Green promotes sustainable living and community education with projects that include a 12 acre education center and village farm where residents can grow their own vegetables and produce and interact at a weekly farmers market.
“There are lots of opportunities for education and connection,” said Clayton Garret, lead farmer for Harvest Green.
Johnson Development communities enlist a lifestyle director to help plan events that foster community engagement. The foundation collects funds from resales of homes and uses that money to fund community art, enhancements to landscaping and other events.
“We’ve tried to brand that lifestyle component within our communities, and I think that’s what drives a lot of the growth, especially in Fort Bend County,” Reichert said.
Aside from the lifestyle component of these communities, Reichart said another factor that has driven development in Fort Bend County as a result of population growth is access to major roadways. Development companies tend to seek out areas close to major highways; Johnson Development’s Jordan Ranch, located off I-10; Harvest Green, located off the Grand Parkway; and Veranda off I-69 follow this pattern.
“Trying to find properties that have great access—that’s key,” Reichert said. “Really, the path of growth is running down the I-69 corridor.”
Vela said growth along the I-69 corridor has helped Richmond develop commercially and residentially as well.
“I think we have seen a huge increase in sales tax because of some of that,” Vela said. “And the momentum that has occurred on the Grand Parkway … I think will just trickle into Richmond.”
Pro-growth cities
Reichert said Fort Bend County and its surrounding cities have a pro-growth mentality and political climate that make it easier for developers to build out properties to accommodate the increase in population.
“Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond—all of these neighboring cities that we develop in—have really been great to work with,” Reichert said. “In Austin, if you purchased a piece of property as a developer, it could take three to five years before you get your first home built.”
The city of Richmond follows this example of how invested leadership and pro-growth cities help make development in areas faster and more profitable. Vela said she and city leadership anticipated the population growth Richmond has seen, and has worked to use annexation as a growth tool to expand the population and tax base.
“We started preparing ourselves with plans and studies in place so that really growth would not define us; we would be able to define the growth,” Vela said. “We encourage growth and we are very excited about what the future holds for Richmond.”
RETAIL FOLLOWS ROOFTOPS
Some of the newer commercial projects in Richmond are also a big contributor of development.
“As you drive through Richmond you are seeing a lot more retail, and we have an old rule in real estate that retail follows rooftops,” said Christi Borden, Houston Association of Realtors board Member and Realtor. “And I see those signs all over Richmond, so that’s nice to see that the area is readying itself to provide for the residents now and those to come.”
Vela said developers are looking into building a large multifamily complex in north Richmond near the Mamie George Community Center, and a single-family home development behind Hwy. 90A near Hennessey Drive could be another potential project. Both have yet to be approved the city.
Johnson Development bought the Fort Bend Country Club on Oct. 16 and plans to add the acreage to the Veranda Homeowners Association. Reichert confirmed final development plans are still in the works, and the golf course will be kept open for the next three years.
The development of these future projects, coupled with major corridors such as I-69 and the Grand Parkway, are catalysts to the population growth that has expanded outside of Houston into Fort Bend County. City and county leadership, and major developers like Johnson, say they will continue to prepare for the growth that is yet to come.
“All the drivers that have helped us lead the country in growth and be a perennial leader in master-planned community sales, continue today,” Wiley said. “Houston and Fort Bend County’s housing developments will continue to grow robustly.”
