AK123

I drove through on West Airport Blvd and noticed they recently changed several signs that used to say "future residential" to "future commercial." That's a lot of future commercial. Perhaps this is going to be a future town-center sort of development? Whatever it is, it's pretty big.

Also, a recent press release from their web site:

Last year, Aliana Development Company announced it would be making changes to the existing land plans for the community by mid April 2011. A newentry is being created along the Grand Parkway with a soaring light tower reminiscent of the early craftsmen style. Like a tapestry, the landscape will have small touches of stone walls that naturally merge into the scenery and plantings woven into the terrain. The landscape plans embrace a street scene that will offer gentle, rolling movement. The developer also announced it will build a new model home village, scheduled to open in the spring of 2012, which will showcase model homes offered by Aliana’s premier team of builders.

Recently, Stone and his team met with the builders to unveil Aliana’s refreshed look - which includes a new brand logo and enhanced website. The builders were given an opportunity to view an upgraded master plan for the community along with artist’s renderings of the new planned entrance off the Grand Parkway and of the model home village.

Also, if Aliana REALLY wanted to kick it up a notch, they'd attract a Costco or Trader Joe's location.

"...plans are in the works to revamp parts of Aliana, which is between the Grand Parkwayand FM 1464."

http://www.alianahou...esidential/?SID

http://www.chron.com...ss/7321801.html

From the article,

"... Travis Stone, the new president of Aliana Development Co. Stone took the job after years at the local division of Newland Communities, where he was most recently senior vice president. He oversaw development, sales and operations for the company's four Houston-area communities — including Cinco Ranch and Telfair."

I'd expect Aliana to end up a lot more similar to Cinco Ranch and Telfair in the end, with him as the head. Which should be a good thing... apparently the original plans were more geared toward Dallas area buyers and homebuilders, rather than Houston area buyers and homebuilders, whatever that meant exactly.

"In my opinion, it would be better to bulldoze the mall and start over, maybe make it an outdoor town center type place."

Yeah, like CityCentre (on the site of the old Town & Country Mall).

However, I don't know if the Sharpstown area would have the demographics to support something like that. They'd have to count on drawing in people from Bellaire, Meyerland, Sugar Land, etc. But many people from those areas dislike venturing into Sharpstown at all because of all the high-crime apartments and a feeling of being unsafe.

Believe me, there's nothing I'd like to see more than half or more of the crummy apartments in the Sharpstown and Gulfton area bulldozed, and turned into single-family home subdivisions and mixed-use. The entire southwest side of Houston would then change for the better, and middle to upper income residents who work in places like TMC and downtown would have more (and closer) housing choices.

I've driven through a few times, and have been impressed at what there is so far.

Any idea when there will be any commercial/retail? I know tons of people just waiting for that HEB to be built! People in Telfair are waiting for it too, apparently they have no plans for a grocery store and the Sienna Plantation fancy HEB is too far.

What about the polo field? When will that start hosting games?

Seems like Aliana hasn't done much advertising, I'm only just now starting to see some the last few months.

The LPGA tour championship will be literally next door this November. I wonder if Aliana and any surrounding communities might get a few people looking at the new homes just from the extra traffic... with a national event like that, hopefully Aliana and the whole FM 1464 area will put their best face forward for that. (It would be a start if someone would clean up that mess of excess signage on FM 1464 where it curves around to meet Hwy 99!)

I would think Aliana would take advantage of having a high-caliber event like that next door.

The estimated completion of construction on the 17,000 s.f. amenity center is the first part of November 2009. The center will be completed in about one year from the start of construction. This is amazing for this size building with the quality of finishes that will be included in the construction which includes the fully furnished Tuscan style clubhouse, the 300,000 gallon resort-style pool, and all site improvements.

The $6 million clubhouse will be luxuriously furnished and features a ballroom, two large party rooms, a fully furnished workout gym with state-of-the-art equipment, locker rooms for changing, interactive computer room with Wii stations, a dual furnished commercial-grade kitchen and large covered patios for outdoor parties. The $1.5 million resort-style pool will have separate lap pool lanes, slides, water-park like toys and a multilevel waterfall style design.

These exceptional amenities are available to all Aliana residents for no additional HOA dues.

Aliana Development has begun to design the extension of utilities through Westmoor for the school and FBISD has indicated they will have the elementary school ready for the 2011-2012 school year. The actual start of construction falls on the FBISD but it is expected that they will start construction in the early part of 2010.

The changes since February are amazing. The exclusive designer glass monuments will be done in the next couple of weeks. The road to the Polo Club, lake and pumping systems are complete and the sprigging of the field has started. Also, Aliana phase one landscaping is complete.

Can Sugar Land take it even though the addresses are Richmond,Tx

In the case of unincorporated areas, postal addresses really don't mean anything.

Sugar Land could take it in the future, but first there would have to be an ETJ land swap with Houston.

If this were to ever happen, it would probably be once Aliana has retail built (like the HEB and other planned retail.) This tax revenue would be attractive to any city. This is why the HEB shopping center at Riverpark was annexed. The subdivision surrounding it is next.

As to Aliana, it seems like another nice MPC but it sure is far from everything. I'm sure if this thing gets built out, retail and basic amenities will follow but it's location is terrible in regards to current amenities and employment. However, it seems (by what I've seen from the builder's presentation) to be well landscaped and planned (for a MPC), much like Telfair.

I don't think it's located any worse than any of the other new MPCs that are even further out west off the Westpark. And Aliana is closer to Sugar Land and all its amenities than any of those. In fact, word is that Sugar Land wants Aliana. But it would take an ETJ swap with Houston in order for this to happen. With the economy and building slow down, I'm not sure if Sugar Land is still as interested... but once all the retail, especially big box and HEB is built in Aliana, that tax revenue will make Aliana much more attractive.

I don't know about new territory... I hear there are a lot of car jackings and home invasions in that area.

A lot of carjackings? I don't think so.

There was recently a story about thieves targeting Asian households in New Territory believing they had lots of jewelry and cash. I think they were caught though.

Below is what a Fort Bend real estate expert and personal friend told me a few days ago about Aliana:

A few builders did pull out of Aliana not because a lack of desirability of the neighborhood, but because of the financial crisis and economic conditions. Banks are requiring builders to show a profit before they will lend for construction nowadays (which is why there is now a shortage of inventory homes on the market), but because the land is so expensive in Aliana (and the developer won't cut land prices to the builders) these few builders have made a business decision to pull out. Those lots will just go to higher-priced, higher margin builders that will charge more for the home.

And word is FBISD is to start construction for the Aliana elementary school in 2010, which will open for the 2011-2012 school year; this is what a resident of Aliana told me the school district had recently said.

I disagree. When white folks move away as soon as one or two slightly darker people move in...

One or two people? I don't think so. In that case, the entire white population of Houston would be trying to move to the middle of wherever it is all white these days (I don't know of any places like that). How would you explain places like 77079 (west Memorial) still gaining in value? And what about 77479 in Sugar Land, in which the Asian population is as large (in some areas larger) than the white population? Again, another area still gaining in value even in this economic climate (you can look this all up on HAR.com)

I don't hear of areas going into decline until there is an overbuild of apartments and low-income housing, and I don't hear of the white population really moving out until the minority population is more like 40%+. And even in that case, if the schools still rank well they may not move out in droves.

So honestly, can someone tell me why Sharpstown & Fondren SW is the complete ghetto area it is today? What exactly happened? Is it because of Houston having no zoning, or another reason?

So many things. Zoning. Cheap apartments. Fiesta Food market. Poor immigration enforcement. Age. Slum lords. You name it.

Does anyone know what will come of Madden Road once West Bellfort is complete to Harlem/99. I "heard" it may be closed.

I don't know, but I just drove down it today and didn't see any indication of it being closed anytime soon.

Its the unforeseeable nature of school zoning that makes me so weary of moving further into this area. Aliana looks good so far though. It should shape up nicely.

When we lived in First Colony, they zoned our little subdivision and the one next to us to schools on the "other side of the tracks" so to say. They tried to rezone another neighboring subdivision to those schools as well, and the parents had an uproar. First Colony, of all places! Just goes to show, you're not safe from this anywhere in FBISD. You just have to make an informed decision and take the chance.

I thought Aliana was zoned to Austin High? I would be highly surprised if they rezoned Aliana or anywhere else out of Austin High. Especially if Telfair gets its own high school (though being zoned to Kempner doesn't seem to be hurting sales) and all the New Territory kids get moved out of the Austin High zone and into the new Telfair school.

I cut through Aliana today, sort of on the way to somewhere else. I hadn't seen it in about two months. Wow! It's looking really nice. I like the street name signs with the "A" on them. A bunch of landscaping was going in. You know, at first I was skeptical about some people saying it would be like another Telfair... but now I can totally see how that will probably happen. I must admit, I was a tad envious driving through there today!

I saw the massive rec center too... I didn't realize it was going up on the east side of FM 1464. I had seen something big going up on the west side in the recent past that I thought was the rec center, but maybe it was just one of the model homes. Wow, I feel like a dork now...

She was clearly lying and not backing up any of her posts!

Thats the reason all of her posts were deleted...

She has a vendetta, and is starting the same stuff over here!

Yes, this is what happened over at city-data. We were even fussed at for not reporting her sooner for being a troll.

Long story short: It was basically found out she had some kind of personal beef with one of the homebuilders out of Florida, who happens to be one of the many builders in Aliana. That's the only connection.