HOUSTON-Crescent Communities has broken ground on “The Groves,” a 993-acre residential community in northeast Houston.

Construction is now under way on the master-planned community, with the first phase of single-family home sites slated to be completed in mid-2014, the Charlotte, NC-based residential development firm stated.

The Groves will feature approximately 2,200 single-family homes, a 10-acre Village Center and up to two schools. Located one mile from Lake Houston, the property is 10 miles east of the George Bush International Airport and 25 miles northeast of the central business district in Houston. “Crescent is not only committed to providing an environment that promotes social interaction, but that also enables residents to connect with the outdoors,” states Jim Zimmermann, vice president of Crescent Communities in Houston. “These concepts of connectivity and preservation have been prominent throughout planning for The Groves. We aim to create 'life in the woods,' by taking every opportunity to preserve the essence of the land and make it easy and enjoyable for all of our community members to experience a true natural environment.”

Among Crescent Communities' other major Texas projects include is the Twin Creeks County Club in Austin nd Rough Hollow on the Lake Travis waterfront. The company also developed Circle West Campus, an apartment community serving the students of the University of Texas. Last year, Crescent acquired 350 acres for a new single-family residential community, Timberlake, in Oak Point just north of Dallas. Most recently, the company purchased Belterra, a 1,600-acre master-planned community near Dripping Springs, where it plans to build 800 homes, as well as commercial and retail space.