The Woodlands Development Company last month announced details of its latest project, a 66-acre mixed-use development to be located on the eastern portion of Lake Woodlands, just north of the East Shore community. Hughes Landing will include up to eight office buildings, a boutique hotel, retail and entertainment venues, high-end specialty stores, and multi-family housing.

"Panoramic lake views and a planned boardwalk and pier will create a cosmopolitan, pedestrian-friendly setting where people will enjoy the opportunity to live, work, shop, dine and be entertained," said Paul Layne, executive vice president of master-planned communities for The Howard Hughes Corporation.

According to The Woodlands Development Company, construction on One Hughes Landing, the first office building to be located in Hughes Landing, will begin this fall, with completion planned for late 2013. The eight-story, 195,227-square-foot One Hughes Landing is planned to be LEED Silver certified and is being designed by Gensler of Houston.

"The office tenants' interior construction can start at the end of next year, and the building will be completed and ready to go in the first quarter of 2014," Layne said.

He said the construction on the remaining office buildings, all Class A facilities, will be driven by demand. The design of the project could also allow a company to own a series of buildings to create a campus environment, Layne said.

"We believe that's a perfect site for a build-to-suit for a corporation that wants its own building," he said.

The Howard Hughes Corporation is already in talks with retailers and restaurants who may be interested in opening in Hughes Landing.

"We are beginning to market the restaurants and retail now and once we get that probably 50 percent pre-leased, we would go to the board of directors to get approval to start construction [on the retail and restaurant facilities]," Layne said. "We are hoping we can start construction maybe first or second quarter of next year."

Initial plans for the development include as many as six restaurants which could be connected by a boardwalk that runs along the water, Layne said.

In addition to the office and restaurant plans, Layne said, the layout of the project would make for an ideal location for apartments overlooking Lake Woodlands and town homes in a forested or wetlands area to provide more privacy.