“Montgomery County and the city of Conroe [are] well known for the lake ... but also the sense of security and safety,” Coon said.
The full story
Communities such as Cielo, Chapel Run, The Woodlands Hills and Two Step Farm represent a wide spectrum of affordability, with houses ranging from $250,000 to $1 million and amenities such as walking trails, developers said. Two Step Farm alone is expected to bring at least 4,000 homes over the next decade, said Tom Woliver, co-president of Oxland Group.
“Montgomery is unfolding as western Montgomery County’s emerging hub of growth,” Montgomery Mayor Sara Countryman said.
But development faces challenges. Conroe’s temporary development moratorium on the northern portion of the city, enacted last August, paused activity in some communities due to infrastructure limits, per prior reporting.
The last section in Chapel Run has been stalled because of the city’s moratorium, said Jeff Dewese, senior vice president of land development at The Signorelli Co. The Conroe portion of The Woodlands Hills is also affected by the moratorium, and in a statement, a Howard Hughes spokesperson said the company is prioritizing building out the Willis portion in the meantime.
In the eight ZIP codes that make up Community Impact’s coverage area, the population rose 23.2% from 2018-23, per the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Coon said cities must plan for future infrastructure to match the pace of development.
View the map of developments around the Conroe and Montgomery area. This map is not comprehensive.
Diving in deeper
Conroe’s growth prompted city leaders to examine infrastructure capacity more closely. On June 26, council members approved $549,500 for a study on implementing impact fees to fund infrastructure, which takes 16-18 months to complete before implementation.
Coon said the city is also looking into planning sewer upgrades and public safety expansions, including a new fire station in southeast Conroe, projected to cost $4.2 million. He said without adequate infrastructure, cities risk overextending services.
Meanwhile, Countryman said Montgomery—which is approximately 40% built-out—is designing Water Well No. 5 and Water Plant No. 4, while also coordinating with the Texas Department of Transportation and county officials to align road projects.
“We’re not just reacting—we’re proactively planning,” Countryman said.
Montgomery also adopted its Downtown Comprehensive Plan in 2020 and hasn’t stopped planning since, Countryman said.
“Our deliberate development ensures that growth complements our long-term sustainability goals,” Countryman said.
The area ZIP code with the most growth in the region is 77304, with a 37.3% population increase from 2018-23, per the U.S. Census Bureau. 77306, in which developments such as Meadow Park and Baron Village are located, followed with a 33.6% increase in its population between 2018-23.
“Demand for single-family housing in this area is about the same, maybe slightly higher than in our other submarkets, and the demand is even more consistent in this area,” Dewese said. “This is driven by the population growth.”
Outside of Montgomery County, 12 of the top 50 master-planned communities in home sales are located in the Houston metro area and contributed over 7,500 sales to the top 50 list, per real estate research firm RCLCO’s 2024 year-end report.
“The Texas market is thriving ... and we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” Woliver said.
Several communities, including Two Step Farm and The Woodlands Hills, plan to build out over the next decade. Based on a Community Impact analysis, over 51,000 homes are anticipated to be built across 27 developments in the area.
“We believe Montgomery County will continue to be an area of interest for the foreseeable future,” Dewese said.
