Grand Central Park: Mixed-Use In Conroe

[Luminare]

Looked everywhere for this one. There was one mention in the Camp Strake thread. Its massive enough to have its own mega thread, but way to far out to be in "Going Up". Since we don't have a dedicated Woodlands, Spring, and Anything Further Out subforum, I'll be posting this here. Originally conceived in 2015 this one has taken awhile to get going (possibly due to Harvey), but have already started on phase 1 which is mostly low-rise residential and big box stores, which is something we don't touch on this forum. Its the "Urban Living", "Town Center" and "Business Center" that would get our attention. For info on phase 1 developments there is an article in HBJ:

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2014/08/camp-strake-property-to-include-750k-square-feet.html

 

Now for the real meat of the project.

 

Developer: Johnson Development Corp

Architect: Johnson Development Corp

 

(Johnson Development Corp originally did The Woodlands, and currently are working on Bridgeland near Cypress)

Estimated Completion: (Unknown)

This is originally land that belong to Camp Strake.

 

From JDC:

 

https://www.johnsondevelopment.com/mpc_grand_central_park

 

From Grand Central Park website:

 

https://www.grandcentralparktx.com/

 

--From 2015--

 

From HBJ:

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2015/07/full-plan-revealed-for-former-camp-strake-property.html

 

Quote

The Johnson Development Corp. has revealed its master plan for Grand Central Park, a new master-planned community on the former Camp Strake property north of Houston.

 

The Houston developer released a map and a video showcasing its plans for the 2,046-acre wooded property, located on the southwest corner of Interstate 45 North and Loop 336 in Conroe. The site is five miles north of The Woodlands and less than 10 miles north of the new Exxon Mobil Corp.(NYSE: XOM) campus, which recently finished moving 10,000 employees to the region.

 

The master plan calls for traditional single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, condominiums, offices, retail shops, hotels and conference centers, as well as Montgomery County’s first medical school. Boston-based Sasaki Associates, which designed most of The Woodlands and Bridgeland, is the architect behind the master plan for Grand Central Park.

 

Johnson Development wanted to create a “ distinct forest living experience with a decidedly urban feel” in Grand Central Park. The developer said it is taking a careful approach, developing only a third of the property and protecting more than 1,200 acres of woodlands and 100 acres of lakes.

 

Here are the details of the master plan:

 

Residential: The first phase of home construction will include luxury patio homes, townhomes and single-family homes on 350 wooded sites, which represent the first six sections of the more than 500 home sites planned for Grand Central Park. Construction on the first homes, located along Loop 336, is expected to start in early 2016.

 

Neighborhoods will feature homes with alley parking, pocket parks and miles of connected trails. Residents will be zoned to Conroe Independent School District’s Rice Elementary, Cryar Intermediate, Peet Junior High and Conroe High schools.

 

Retail: Houston-based Fidelis Realty Partners purchased 112 acres along Loop 336, near Interstate 45, to develop 336 Marketplace, a regional shopping center that will feature 750,000 square feet of retail.

 

Houston-based Boucher Design Group is the architect. The shopping center, which will feature big box stores, is expected to open in late 2016.

 

Commercial: Johnson Development plans to build a “business center” along Interstate 45, featuring a corporate campus and Class A office space.

 

Mixed-use: Johnson Development plans to build Town Center along Deer Lake. The mixed-use development will feature an urban main street with retail, bars and restaurants surrounded by townhomes overlooking Grand Lake.

 

A waterfront plaza will feature a hotel and conference facility along with a park, promenade and boat launch onto Deer Lake. A public space — perfect for farmers markets — is also planned.

 

Medical campus: Sam Houston State University plans to build an osteopathic medical school on 10 acres, between the Business Center and Town Center. The school, which would start with 150 students per class, could open as early as fall 2018.

 

Johnson Development purchased the former Camp Strake property from the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America for an undisclosed price in November 2013. Montgomery County assessed the value of the property at $27.9 million.

 

Last year, the Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a tax incentive that would repay Johnson $20 million over 10 years as it builds out its plans for Grand Central Park.

 

Johnson Development is developing 11 other master-planned communities in the Houston area: Cross Creek Ranch, Edgewater, Fall Creek, Harmony, Harvest Green, Imperial, Riverstone, Sienna Plantation, Tuscan Lakes, Willow Creek Farms and Woodforest.

 

Original Video:
 

 

Stills From Video:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images of A Proposed Lake House Amenity On Grand Lake and Overall Site Plan:

 

 

 

 

 

--From 2018--

 

In 2018 Sam Houston State University announced it would open a Medical Campus at Grand Central Park. This broke ground in November 16, 2018. The first for the campus is a College of Osteopathic Medicine.

 

Developer: Sam Houston State University

 

Architect: Page + Slam Collaborativ

 

Budget: $65,000,000

 

Estimated Completion: December 2019

 

From HBJ:

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2018/10/24/sam-houston-state-sets-groundbreaking-date-for.html

 

Quote

Sam Houston State University will break ground on its first medical school Nov. 16, according to a spokesperson. The school will be in Conroe at the former Camp Strake site.

 

The initial investment cost for the College of Osteopathic Medicine is $65 million, according to the spokesperson. The five-story, 216,000-square-foot college will be on 7.3 acres within Houston-based Johnson Development Corp.’s Grand Central Park master-planned community. Johnson Development purchased the site from the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America for an undisclosed price in November 2013. Johnson Development later gifted some of the land for the medical school to Sam Houston State, according to the spokesperson.

 

The structure will be split into two phases: The first phase calls for 108,000 square feet with surface parking, and the second phase will add 108,000 square feet and a parking garage.

 

The college will offer a doctorate in osteopathic medicine, or a D.O., instead of a medical degree, or M.D. It will be the first college offering a D.O. degree in the Houston area. There are two other osteopathic medicine schools in Texas: University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine in San Antonio and UNTHSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth.

 

Sam Houston's proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine aims to improve primary care access in rural and underserved areas and will establish residency-training programs with hospitals in rural East Texas counties. The proposed college still has to be approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

“(Eighty percent) of counties in Texas are classified as medically-underserved, largely due to a severe shortage of primary care physicians," Dana Hoyt, president of Sam Houston State, said in an Oct. 3 statement.

 

Grand Central Park is a 2,000-acre development by Johnson Development that also includes a 560,000-square-foot shopping center dubbed 336 Marketplace. The master plan for Grand Central Park calls for traditional single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, condominiums, offices, retail shops, hotels and conference centers.

 

Images from Article:

 

 

 

--From 2019 Till Now--

 

Aaaaand finally to most recent news. The City of Conroe is working on plans for a hotel/conference center for Grand Central Park.

 

Developer: City of Conroe + Garfield Public/Private LLC

 

Architect: Garfield Public/Private LLC (maybe not sure)

 

Budget: $86,000,000

 

Estimated Completion: April 2021

 

From Community Impact:

 

https://communityimpact.com/houston/conroe-montgomery/development-construction/2019/01/23/final-report-released-for-conroe-hotel-and-convention-center-project-in-grand-central-park/

 

Quote

At a Jan. 23 joint Conroe City Council workshop and Conroe Industrial Development Corp. meeting, Garfield Public/Private LP presented the final report on the Conroe hotel and convention center project that has been in the works since the CIDC entered into a predevelopment agreement with Garfield in July 2017.

According to Garfield Chief Development Operator Stephen Galbreath, who is also the head of design and construction, the hotel and convention center development is projected to cost $85.2 million including construction, equipment and soft costs. It will be located in Grand Central Park.

“One of the things hotels like this like to have are revenue-generating areas—you want to be able to rent it out for parties,” Galbreath said at the joint meeting. “It’s important when we were developing this as a team to have the right-size meeting spaces.”

The hotel, which has yet to officially contract with Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt—although it has offers—is planned to have 252 guest rooms and 31,000 square feet of ballroom and meeting space. A 370-car parking garage, lounge, bar, three-meal restaurant and pool are also in the plans, along with a 150-car surface lot.

The city of Conroe would own the property and lease it to a hotel operator. It would be funded through bonds to be paid back through city and CIDC sales tax generated from the project and through hotel occupancy tax money. After a 30-year agreement with the hotel operator, the city can sell the whole development.

“At the end of the day, the pro forma shows a return to the city after everything is paid for … I don’t want to get too committed to a number, but it’s a significant amount until 2050,” said Steve Williams, Conroe city administrator and chief financial officer. “The asset coming to the city is looking like a $100 million asset.”

The hotel and convention center plan is scheduled be brought to City Council on March 14 with a developer agreement and design-build agreement for further discussion or approval.

 

Another From "The Courier of Montgomery County":

 

https://www.yourconroenews.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/Conroe-considers-partnership-to-build-86M-hotel-13558668.php#photo-16819863

 

Images From Article:

 

 

 

 

 

...that should catch us up. @Urbannizer @Triton Do we want this in Going up? I'll let y'all decide. I'm fine leaving it here for the above reasons.

[ChannelTwoNews]

The Hotel will be a Hyatt Regency.

Conroe’s new hotel and convention center will be a Hyatt | Community Impact

Edited June 30, 2021 by ChannelTwoNews

[kennyc05]

Drove by this place recently it's really nice!

[HoustonIsHome]

Looks awesome.

Houston seems to be getting saturated in medical schools.

I think Houston has 5 of Texas's 15 

[Houston19514]

12 minutes ago, HoustonIsHome said:

Looks awesome.

Houston seems to be getting saturated in medical schools.

I think Houston has 5 of Texas's 15 

You are correct, and that's not even counting Texas A&M College of Medicine's Houston campus.

[iah77]

4 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

You are correct, and that's not even counting Texas A&M College of Medicine's Houston campus.

I would not call a D.O school an actual medical school compared to these other large institutions. They are kind of in a separate category while still good to have non the less. 

[Ross]

6 hours ago, iah77 said:

I would not call a D.O school an actual medical school compared to these other large institutions. They are kind of in a separate category while still good to have non the less. 

The D.O. schools would beg to differ with you. 

[Amlaham]

A DO school IS a medical school lol it's not an opinion, the only difference is how they approach treating patients. 

[Twinsanity02]

47 minutes ago, Amlaham said:

A DO school IS a medical school lol it's not an opinion, the only difference is how they approach treating patients. 

I agree. My question is, is it built and opened?

[samagon]

pretty sad to see it no longer Camp Strake, I spent a fair amount of time up there and have some fond memories of adventures.

with it no longer being a rural campground, I can definitely see this being a good opportunity.

[Houston19514]

2 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

I agree. My question is, is it built and opened?

Assuming you are referring to the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, yes, it is built and opened.   https://www.shsu.edu/academics/osteopathic-medicine/about/

Edited January 31, 2022 by Houston19514

[toxtethogrady]

Highrises in Conroe are going to be a jarring sight that far north on I-45. And now there are plans for a major suburban community up in New Waverly. The city just metastasizes...

[Louie]

So the TOWN CENTRE plan is scratched off the list to build? 

[ChannelTwoNews]

Photos from a January 24th Community Impact article on construction. Opening date was set for May 2 but may be adjusted.

https://communityimpact.com/houston/conroe-montgomery/development/2023/01/24/hyatt-regency-conroe-hotel-and-convention-center-to-open-in-may/

https://communityimpact.com/houston/conroe-montgomery/city-county/2023/04/14/conroe-approves-eighth-contract-revision-for-the-hyatt-regency-conroe-hotel-and-convention-center/

"Conroe approved a cost increase of $377,316 for the construction of Hyatt Regency Conroe Hotel and Convention Center during an April 13 council meeting. Director of Finance Collin Boothe said the total construction cost is up to about $108.57 million. According to previous reporting, the original budget was set at $99 million."

 

[ChannelTwoNews]

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/05/16/hyatt-regency-conroe-hotel-convention-center-opens.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_27&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s

"Hyatt Regency Conroe is now accepting reservations and will officially open on May 25, the hotel said May 15. Roberto Intriago is serving as the general manager."