Northward expansion marches on
The Woodlands Hills, a 2,000-acre community going up 13 miles north of The Woodlands, will bring a new housing option to the Conroe/ Willis area in early 2018, the developer announced.
The Howard Hughes Corp. and its subsidiary, The Woodlands Development Co., announced the name of the community along with other details last week. The first single-family homes in the development, planned for 4,500 residences, will be ready in the first quarter.
“Located in close proximity to The Woodlands, The Woodlands Hills will feature gently rolling terrain for its natural amenities and acres of green space, as well as for its convenience to The Woodlands,” Tim Welbes, copresident of The Woodlands Development Co., said in an announcement.
Builders, which have not yet been named, will start model homes in the fourth quarter. The initial phase consists of 200 lots.
The Woodlands Hills will have a 17-acre Village Park and 20 neighborhood parks. It will feature 112 acres of open space, an amenity center with event space, a fitness facility, trails for hiking and biking, and areas for retail.
Heath Melton, vice president for master planned communities and residential for The Woodlands, said the development will “create an enriched sense of community through the new homes and open spaces we will develop.”
The community will be part of Willis Independent School District, with students attending Robert P. Brabham Middle School, William Lloyd Meador Elementary School and Willis High School.
Dallas-based Howard Hughes Corp. acquired the land, on FM 830 west of Interstate 45, for the new community about three years ago. The land extends north to FM 1097 and south to League Line Road.
The Woodlands Hills is the smallest of Hughes’ local developments. The Woodlands spreads across over 28,000 acres, while Bridgeland spans 11,400 acres in the Cypress area northwest of Houston.
Pricing has not yet been determined, Melton said.
The community will likely offer a more affordable alternative to The Woodlands, where recent building has been concentrated in higher price ranges as the community nears completion.
The Woodlands Hills will be similar in size to Grand Central Park, a new community by the Johnson Development Corp. on the former Camp Strake Boy Scouts site in Conroe. The communities are about 10 miles apart.