ROSENBERG, TX-With 40 subdivisions rising within a five-mile radius of its project site, Judwin Properties Inc. has jumped into construction on a "north-of-$20-million" project. The idea is to get the first phase of a 308-unit multifamily complex on the ground before school starts in August.

"In suburban neighborhoods, schools are the driving force," stresses Jerry Winograd, president of the Houston-based development firm. He tells GlobeSt.com that at least 66 units will be ready to lease in the Brazos Ranch Apartments at 7404 Town Center Blvd. before the school term starts, opening the door to a target market that includes new homeowners needing short-term housing as well as furnished units for corporate tenants.

"We'll do three-month leases while we have units available," Winograd says. The goal, though, follows the more traditional vein: fill the units with long-term residents. The 14-building Brazos Ranch Apartments, rising on 16.2 acres, will be fully completed in January 2007. He predicts lease-up will take one year.

Winograd's Judwin Properties was tapped to develop the multifamily land in the 140-acre Brazos Town Center, a mixed-use development by Houston-based NewQuest Properties. The town center is one of the largest projects rising in the Rosenberg-Sugar Land sector, south of Houston. "Everywhere you go, there's really good growth," Winograd says. NewQuest's development is platted for a 700,000-sf power center with 25 pad sites, about 600 apartments, 330 single-family homes, 251 patio homes, 152 townhouses and professional office space.

Mucasey & Associates of Houston used a Texas Hill Country design for the gated apartment complex. Chin & Associates, also from Houston, is the landscape architect. The project's centerpiece is a 10,000-sf community center with amenities like a wireless connection, 18-seat theater, business center and game room. Brazos Ranch Apartments will have studios and one- and two-bedroom units, ranging from 574 sf to 1,582 sf. Monthly rents will be $600 to $1,500.