What we reported The Pearland Economic Development Corporation has attracted major employers and developers that are spending millions to expand their footprint in Pearland. FloWorks International, a specialty supplier of pipe, valves and fittings, broke ground on a 225,000-square-foot warehouse in September on the corner of Bailey Road and Hwy. 35. Additionally, pharmaceutical and biotech company Lonza Houston Inc. broke ground on a 150,000-square-foot facility in March and months later announced plans to add an additional 100,000 square feet to its Pearland footprint. Lonza will be housed in the 1,200-acre Lower Kirby Urban District, which has become a mixed-use and employment center for the city.

The latest A $300 million master-planned and mixed-use center called the Ivy District is expected to break ground this year in the Lower Kirby Urban District. The Ivy District is the project of American Modern Green LLC, the Houston-based subsidiary of Beijing-based Modern Land China Co. Ltd. The development will include townhomes, a retail and restaurant space, hotels, office buildings, a community center, a senior living community and green space.

What’s next Both FloWorks and Lonza expect their facilities to be completed in 2017. Build-out of the Ivy District may take up to three years.