Council members heard a presentation from DHI Communities, a subsidiary of homebuilder D.R. Horton, about the proposed development Nov. 18. Tomball Community Development Director Craig Meyers said DHI Communities presented preliminary plans Nov. 18 to seek feedback from council members before applying for a rezoning of the property from commercial use to a planned development district, which would allow the mixed-use development.
“We’re excited about being potentially in the city of Tomball,” said Eric Overton, the managing director of DHI Communities for the central region.
Overton said DHI Communities plans to formally apply for the rezoning in December. The community would be located on the north side of FM 2920 across from BJ Services, just west of the intersection of FM 2978.
According to a preliminary site plan, the 15-acre site would include 360 multifamily units spanning three stories with one-, two- and three-bedroom options. The plan proposes 187 one-bedroom units, 137 two-bedroom units, and 36 three-bedroom units.
Overton said a two-bedroom apartment would range from about 1,150 square feet to 1,250 square feet with monthly rent ranging from $1,500 to $1,800.
In DHI Communities, units feature wood cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances as well as a luxury outdoor experience, Overton said. Additionally, community amenities at other DHI Communities developments have featured a dog park, dog wash area, putting green and children’s playground as well as a pool area and community clubhouse, he said.
Whether the community will be gated is an ongoing discussion, Overton said.
Surface parking and tuck-under garages would total 666 parking spaces, according to the preliminary plan.
As such, Council Member Derek Townsend asked Overton to consider adding access off of FM 2978, as the preliminary site plan proposes access from only FM 2920.
“You have two points of access that I can see currently that will be dumping out on [FM] 2920,” Townsend said. “I have a fear that putting this large of a facility with its access directly across [from BJ Services] is going to be a nightmare. I would ask that you all look to see if there is some way you can bring something off of [FM] 2978 to relieve that potential issue. If you don’t, then I will be voting against this just to let you know.”
Overton said he hopes the new community would spur other development at FM 2978 and FM 2920.
“What we’d really like to do is through our discussions and contracting with current owners of [the nearby property] is kind of kickstart development on this corner,” Overton said. “There’s a lot of great stuff out there with BJ Services and Baker Hughes, but we’d like to see something happen on that corner. Activity breeds activity in our experience, and so if we can put bodies and people there, we think that will create demand for retail and restaurants and things like that, which we’ve included as part of our development.”
