Several new homes are slated for the Hockley area.[/caption]Greater Houston area growth to reach Hockley
With its close proximity to Hwy. 290 and the Grand Parkway, the rural Hockley area is beginning to encounter residential and commercial growth.
New master-planned neighborhoods, such as Dellrose and Bauer Landing, have already opened in the area in anticipation of the Greater Houston area’s expansion outward. More than 2,000 
new homes are planned for both neighborhoods, according to developers.
“We’ve been out here well before the Grand Parkway, and we had record sales and closings well before [it opened],” said Brian Batten, Houston division president for LGI Homes. “We’ve just seen the growth going outside of Houston. We pick [a] location a little further out, and then we’re ahead of the growth—which gives customers a great value for what they’re looking for.”
Daikin Industries, a manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning products, is one of the companies expected to spur growth in the area after opening a $417 million campus in nearby Waller in late May.
Greater Houston Partnership officials have estimated the annual economic impact of the facility to be $3.9 billion.
Caldwell Homes opens first model home in Towne Lake[/caption]Caldwell Homes opens first model home in Towne Lake
Caldwell Homes, a homebuilder targeting empty nesters and single adults, opened its model home in Towne Lake on June 17 at 18127 Twilight Shores Lane, Cypress.
Caldwell Companies—the developer behind Towne Lake—launched the venture in February. Officials said they plan to offer 55-foot patio homes, 65-foot homes and waterfront options from 1,900-4,000 square feet.
Sales Manager Anthony Moreno said two sales have already been made.
“We’re targeting a market we feel has been untouched and untapped,” he said. “We want to be the best out there at this market. All of our plans are single stories. All of them were developed for that targeted age, [but] it’s not age-restricted. We appeal to young families as well.”
Moreno said the homes are low maintenance with security systems and lawn maintenance included in the cost.
“It’s going to give you spray foam insulation, tankless hot water heaters [and] an eco-friendly thermostat,” he said. “It’s really state-of-the-art as far as what we’re doing with the building technology.”
New trends emerge among people building custom homes
Ted Cummins, who co-owns Morningstar Custom Homes in Cy-Fair with his wife, Yvonne, said he has noticed several different trends among people seeking to build custom homes.
Emerging trends are related both to general home design as well as the greater ability for people across a broad range of income levels to incorporate advanced technology into their homes.
- Wi-Fi
With more technology becoming Wi-Fi enabled, clients can install more gadgets that give them control over everything from locks and cameras to thermostats and music through voice command. - One-story designs
More homeowners are ditching two-story designs for one-story floor plans. If a lot is not big enough, homebuyers are opting to put as much as they can downstairs and leave the upstairs for just a few bedrooms. - Combo media/living rooms
Combination media/living rooms are replacing traditional theater rooms and media rooms. Many homebuyers also look to incorporate a stand-in back porch, where they often install air conditioning. - Removal of formal dining rooms
Formal dining rooms are going away. Many clients, after realizing how rare it was to actually eat in the dining room, are looking to create combined dining/kitchen areas to encourage more use of the dining area.
Construction begins on next residential phase, new amenities in Bridgeland
Construction is underway on the newest neighborhood in the Bridgeland master-planned community: Parkland Village.
Work has begun on the first four sections, which includes the first 200 home lots, and the builder lineup is expected to be announced in July, officials said. A model home park will open in the fall, and the grand opening for the village itself will come in spring 2018.
Parkland Village will include 3,000 homes at build-out. Homes will be available at a wide variety of price points, similar to Lakeland Village, where offerings range from the $100,000s up to more than $1 million.
Meanwhile, construction on Josey Lake is projected to be completed by the end of 2017, and a grand opening will take place next spring, according to Heath Melton, vice president of residential development for Bridgeland. The lake will include more than 140 acres of recreational space.
“It’s really starting to take shape,” Melton said. “The tower, the pavilion, the play areas [and] the boathouse have progressed very nicely.”
Meanwhile, the 1,300-seat Houston First Baptist Church in Bridgeland opened in June and had its first service June 11. Bridgeland High School, the 12th high school in Cy-Fair ISD, is set to open in August. The multischool campus where the new high school is located will be fully developed by fall 2018.
Bridgeland Creek Parkway—a new road project connecting Fry Road to the Grand Parkway—will be completed by the end of July, Melton said.
Johnson Development purchases 1,600 acres along Hwy. 290
Johnson Development Corp., a residential and commercial real estate developer headquartered in Houston, has purchased 1,619 acres of land in northwest Harris County for an undisclosed amount. The land was sold by Rockspring Capital, who announced the deal in a statement released in June.
The tract is located outside of the Grand Parkway, south of Hwy. 290 and north of the Katy Prairie Conservancy, between Katy Hockley and Warren Ranch roads.
Officials with Johnson Development confirmed the acquisition but did not provide any details on when it could be developed and what it could be turned into.
The company has developed master-planned communities throughout the Greater Houston area—including Sienna Plantation, Woodforest and Cross Creek Ranch. A master-planned community at this site would be Johnson Development’s first in northwest Harris County.
In the statement, Rockspring officials said the deal was one of the largest in the Greater Houston area since the oil slump. Officials said the property has minimal environmental challenges and very little falls within the flood plain.
“During our hold period, we solved many of the development and entitlement issues and were able to bring this property to market ready to develop,” said Michael Ross, Rockspring’s vice president of asset management and entitlements. “We evaluated several offers from master plan developers in the market and were very impressed with Johnson Development’s reputation and financial backing.”
More senior living options coming to Cy-Fair
Residential options for seniors in Cy-Fair continues to drive new development, including several communities expected to open within the next year.
From 2000-2014, the number of residents age 65 or older in Cy-Fair nearly tripled—from 9,964 to 28,058, according to the U.S. census.
Home values outpace income growth in Cy-Fair area
In Cy-Fair area ZIP codes, median household income decreased by as much as 8 percent in some areas while increasing by nearly 5 percent in others between 2011-15. Meanwhile, home prices have risen faster than income levels in many ZIP codes, including in two of Cy-Fair's most populous.
