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What Now The Woodlands?


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  • 3 months later...

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HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: FM 1960/Spring/Klein News

Business Briefs

Houston Chronicle

Real estate groups merge

General Growth Properties Inc. has finalized its merger with the Rouse Co. in a transaction that makes the real estate investment trust the majority owner of The Woodlands planned community and sole owner of Bridgelands, a new master planned community being developed in the Houston area.

With the merger, approved by Rouse shareholders in early November, General Growth Properties owns or manages more than 220 retail locations and four large-scale master-planned communities.

Its retail properties in Houston include The Woodlands Mall, Willowbrook Mall, Baybrook Mall, Deerbrook Mall, and First Colony Mall.

The addition of The Woodlands and Bridgelands, a 9,000-acre site under development in northwest Houston, will make General Growth Properties the largest planned-community developer in Houston.

Prior to the merger, the Rouse Company broke ground on Bridgelands in mid-2004. The project's first phase of development, a community named The Shores, will feature approximately 600 homes, a four-acre park, distinctive bridges and views of the water, with initial land sales planned for 2005.

Bridgelands ultimately will house 19,000 single family units with 60,000 residents.

When completed, the entire community, located about 25 miles northwest of downtown Houston, also will feature approximately 1,000 acres of commercial space, 3,000 acres of open space, and 900 acres of lakes, all connected by a series of bridges.

HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: FM 1960/Spring/Klein News

This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/t...14/news/2926076

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the rouse company has a development that inspired george mitchell to create the woodlands. he used the rouse development as a model for many things we enjoy in "the woods". they are sensitive to the original "vision" for the development. many residents are relieved that crescent (who was disecting, selling and overdeveloping) are out of the picture.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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New northwest subdivision will feature 900 lakes (It's called "Bridgelands"!)

By Kent Demaret, Managing Editor, HCN 12/16/2004

An enormous, upscale master-planned community is about to get underway in northwest Houston.

Much has yet to be decided, but the project is due to begin development in the coming year, with backers being a nationwide firm of great accomplishment, and this much is already known:

First, it will be very fashionable, much as one might think of The Woodlands (which is owned by the same firm).

It will eventually cover more than 10,000 acres.

It is planned to "initially" house 19,000 single-family units and many of the plush, select internal communities will be gated.

It will contain some 60,000 residents.

It will have a system of 900 lakes, all connected by a striking series of bridges.

It will contain 800 to 1,200 acres of commercial space (a large shopping center and other commercial operations).

It will have 300 acres of open, parklike spaces set aside, as well as a golf course.

It will be so large that three school districts will be involved---Cy-Fair, Katy and Waller.

It will create an estimated 40,000 jobs.

It will hold a 100,000-square-foot recreational and retail center.

It will also have an amphitheater, among other amenities (as can now be found in The Woodlands).

Now mostly raw property and riceland, it will cover an area from near Katy-Hockley on the West, to Fry Road, connecting to Highway 290 on the East. The new Grand Parkway is to bisect the development near its centerline. The North and South boundaries are often without roadways, so somewhat indefinable, though it is to be bordered by Cypress Creek at the Northern end.

Though much is still in the early stages, the full plan is expected to be completed early in 2005, with a full information center and model scheduled to be ready in September (completion of the entire project might be as long as 20 years, depending on the demand). Early sales are also expected in 2005.

The company stoutly refuses to release any estimates of their total cost on the project, but other have point out that the purchase of 10,000 acres alone, if they were fortunate enough to accumulate it at a cost of $4000 an acre, comes to $40 million. (a note to consider; this land would still be worth next to nothing unless it was going to be "bisected" by the Grand Parkway...) Add building, planting, grading, paving, utilities and the other highly expensive work to be done on such a giant project, and the investment could be in the range of billions of dollars. When finished, they say, home will go from a low of $160,000 to "up," with some costing well over a million dollars.

Said General Growth Properties chief executive officer John Bucksbaum, "We're delighted to have a chance to enter the growing planned community market in such a thriving city. We believe the combination of our retail expertise and Rouse's community building expertise will create communities that Houston area residents will appreciate for years to come."

The first segment, to be called "The Shores" (next to Cypress Creek) will have 125 Waterfront lots, 20 with a water view, a four-acre park, about 200 "greenbelt lots," and a gated community within it all, with 50 exclusive lots. It will have a total of about 600 homes. Another segment, called "First Bend" along the creek, will have a total of 400 lots, with sales beginning in 2006.

The new Grand Parkway highway belting Houston is supposed to bisect the community in 2008.

Contracts have been awarded for work, including along the Fry Road area, a new water well, water plant, and assorted utilities and a sewage treatment plant. Construction permits have been obtained, and much of the necessary permit paperwork already routed through the city and county. Ground has already been broken.

The massive development will be done by Rouse-Houston LP, an affiliate of The Rouse Company. Rouse, through numerous affiliates, operates more than 150 properties in 22 states, encompassing retails, office, research and development, residential and industrial operations. The addition of Bridgelands will make Rouse and its partners the largest planned community developer in Houston (with 80,000 acres nationally, home too more than 500,000 people).

Rouse was recently merged with General Growth Properties, Inc., which also makes the firm the majority owner of The Woodlands. Following the merger recently approved by the stockholders, the group owns and/or manages more than 220 retail locations and four large-scale planned communities. The stable of retail properties in Houston includes The Woodlands Mall, Willowbrook Mall, Baybrook Mall, Deerbrook Mall and First Colony Mall.

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