Riceland expands Mont Belvieu homes
Planned community to break ground soon in area east of Houston
Riceland, a proposed 1,500acre master-planned community in Mont Belvieu, will break ground this month on one of the largest residential developments on the east side of Houston.
The $400 million development, going up on familyowned farmland northeast of Interstate 10 and the Grand Parkway in Chambers County, aims to meet the growing demand for houses in a region with a tight supply of lots for new construction. The community, 34 miles east of downtown Houston in an area where new largescale residential developments are rare, is planned for 4,500 homes in the next 10 to 15 years. Trez Capital, a real estate investment firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, provided $25 million in financing to family-owned developer Michael S. McGrath of McGrath Real Estate Partners for the initial phase of the development.
The initial phase, planned on 150 acres on the northern portion of the tract, will deliver 417 lots to builders in the first or second quarter of 2023, according to Randy Hopper, vice president of acquisitions at McGrath Real Estate. The builders consist of Highland Homes of Plano, and David Weekley Homes, Chesmar Homes and Perry Homes, all of Houston. Pricing has not been announced.
An expanded town hall at the center of the development at FM 565 and Eagle Drive/ FM 3360 will incorporate new commercial buildings with restaurants and retail to complement City Hall and other municipal buildings, which are undergoing upgrades and redevelopment, according to Hopper. Mont Belvieu’s town center, which sat on a salt dome, an underground cavern used to store petroleum products,
relocated to its current site in the 1990s for safety reasons.
“We’re trying to recreate the original center of town as you would define a small Texas town,” Hopper said. “We’re trying to have connectivity with walking and biking to the existing city amenities and the amenities that we deliver.”
Residents of Riceland will be able to connect with the downtown city center by bike or foot, Hopper said. The community is designed with 30 miles of hiking and biking trails connecting with the town center, a fully-stocked 10-acre lake with fish camp, resortstyle pools and multiple parks.
The Riceland name is a nod to the heritage of the land, which has been used for agricultural purposes such as rice farming, cattle grazing, cotton, crawfish ponds, bees and hay production for more than a century, Hopper said. Land clearing has begun on the initial 150 acres with a focus on saving as many trees as possible to incorporate into the development.
It will be the largest project to date for McGrath Real Estate, which has acquired, developed, managed, and leased more than $2.5 billion in real estate, including apartments and other sectors, across the United States over the last 36 years.
The development positions Mont Belvieu for future growth. The population has more than doubled in the last decade to more than 8,300, according to the Census.
Riceland will offer a large scale community with lots of varying sizes in the highly regarded Barbers Hill Independent School District. Riceland will be the largest community to be developed in the Mont Belvieu, Baytown, La Porte, Deer Park and Pasadena areas in recent years, said Lawrence Dean, senior vice president of advisory—Texas at Zonda, a housing information company.
“One thing that’s exciting about Riceland, because they’ve been able to create a PUD (planned use development) with the city of Mont Belvieu, they’ll be able to have a broader diversity in the types of homes, sizes of homes and lot sizes,” Dean said.
That means the new homes will not be limited to 80-foot lots, as is common in much of Mont Belvieu, a move-up community in the region, Dean said.
“They’ll be able to have small houses and big houses and in between houses,” Dean said. “They’ll be able to satisfy a broader array of demand.”
A name from Spain for west side plain
The Brookshire prairie is getting a touch of the Spanish countryside.
Houston-based Bold Fox Development will draw on the architecture, landscape and name of La Segarra, a region northwest of Barcelona dating back to the 11th century, as inspiration for its newest community along Gassner Road and FM 362 in Brookshire.
La Segarra will incorporate ancient tones, stone blocks and other natural materials found in the old Spanish countryside throughout the 215-acre development. The theme will be apparent in places such as the entry monument, community roundabout and lakeside recreation area.
“We’ve always envisioned this community to have a pastoral feel, but wanted to veer away from Texas rustic,” said Bold Fox Managing Shareholder Alex Kamkar. “The Spanish Revival aesthetic will give La Segarra a defined identity and create something unique in the Houston residential landscape.”
La Segarra is planned for 658 homes, with initial lots available in about 18 months.
Coming to Kemah
Meritage Homes has acquired 89 acres at League City Parkway (Texas 96) and Texas 146 in Kemah for a residential development.
Kemah Crossing, located about two miles south of the Kemah Boardwalk district, is planned for 515 homes. Homes in the Patio Collection, on 38 by 66-foot lots, will have up to 2,870 square feet, while homes in the Townhome Collection, on 28 by 72-foot lots, will contain up to 2,047 square feet. Prices will start in the upper $300,000s. Sales are expected to begin in the third quarter.
Future plans for the community include twostory, single-family homes with first-floor living spaces, an amenity center, park and walking trails, according to Meritage. Clear Creek ISD schools are within about a mile of the new Galveston County community.