Plans in Parkland Village call for an extensive park and trail system, including a variety of outdoor amenities.[/caption]

1. Home construction is underway, and homes have already sold

Construction is underway on the first four sections of Parkland Village—which will include 200 homes—and work is expected to begin soon on the fifth section, according to Heath Melton, vice president of master-planned communities with the Howard Hughes Corporation. A model home park is also under construction off Bridgeland Creek Parkway. A soft opening is expected in the fall, at which point builders will begin to invite potential buyers to tour homes. A grand opening will take place next spring after all homes within the park are constructed. Officials said the launch of Parkland Village has already garnered significant momentum thanks to the opening of Houston First Baptist Church in June and the expected opening of Bridgeland High School in August, both located within the neighborhood. As a result, several homes have already been sold, and residents could be moving into the first homes as early as the end of this year. Once fully built out, Parkland Village will cover 1,200 acres of land—including 350 acres of parks, lakes and trails—and feature more than 3,100 homesites, Melton said.

2. Homes are expected to be priced along a similar range to homes in Lakeland Village

Melton said price points for homes Parkland Village have not been finalized yet, but he expects them to be in line with prices in Lakeland Village, which range from the $200,000s to over $1 million. As of the end of last week, home sales in Bridgeland are up 37 percent year-over-year Melton said.

3. 14 builders will have homes in Parkland Village, including Newmark Homes, a new addition

The following builders have been announced for Parkland Village: Lot sizes will range from 40 x 120 square feet to 100 x 160 square feet. Parkland Village will bring a selection of 40-foot lots to Bridgeland for the first time, which developers said they expect to appeal to a variety of potential buyers. "I think you're going to see [40-foot] lots start to come back," Melton said, referring to trends in the Greater Houston area. "We're being strategic in how we place them. We're looking at the Mason [Road] corridor, higher-density areas with young families who want to be closer to the school." Plans also call for eventually building estate homes in Parkland Village as well, possibly in late 2018 or early 2019, Melton said.

4. Plans include pedestrian-friendly landscaping throughout the community

The neighborhood's concept is based on the idea of living within a park, Melton said, and no home will be farther than a quarter-mile from a park. Residents will have access to a linear park and trail system along all roadways within the community, which will also include meadow-like areas, wildflowers and pockets of forestation. Walking paths will allow residents to walk to the nearby Bridgeland High School, which is opening for the 2017-18 school year, as well as the new campus for Houston First Baptist Church. Pedestrian tunnels under Bridgeland Creek Parkway will also connect trails between Parkland Village and Lakeland Village along future extensions of Westgreen Road and Creekside Bend Boulevard.

5. Work on Josey Lake and several outdoor amenities is underway. A grand opening could take place next spring.

The 140-acre Josey Lake, designed as a recreational hub between Parkland Village and Lakeland Village, is targeted for completion by the end of 2017 with a grand opening possibly occurring next spring. Amenities along the lake will include a kayak pavilion, main pavilion, event lawn and observational birding tower. Parkland Village will also include the 50-acre Village Park, which will feature a lazy river with resort-style swimming pool, fitness center, events hall, playground, tennis and basketball courts, a dog park and a kayak/canoe launch. The amenities chosen for Parkland Village and Josey Lake were determined based on research into other top master-planned communities in the Greater Houston area as well as resident feedback from Bridgeland's homeowners association, Melton said. “Our plan all along has been to create a community that offered varied yet sustainable experiences for everyone,” Melton said. “Parkland Village and Josey Lake are the next evolutionary steps in that journey.” Look for in-depth coverage of the opening of the new Bridgeland High School—located in Parkland Village along the Grand Parkway and Mason Road—in the Aug. 20 edition of Community Impact Newspaper.