CYPRESS, TX--The Howard Hughes Corp., Bridgeland and The Woodlands Development Co. broke ground earlier this week on Lakeland Village Center, the first commercial development in Bridgeland, a master-planned community in Cypress.

CVS/pharmacy will be the anchor retail tenant of the center, which is set on 20 acres along Fry Road. Lakeland Village Center will include 84,000 square feet of mixed-use development in Phase One, consisting of retail, restaurants, and professional and medical offices. The center will feature abundant landscaping, views of two bordering lakes and expansive sidewalks. The contractor for the project is VCC LLC. Completion of Phase One of Lakeland Village Center is slated for spring 2016.

“The groundbreaking of Lakeland Village Center and the introduction of CVS/pharmacy mark an exciting time for Bridgeland,” Peter Houghton, vice president of master planned communities for Bridgeland, told GlobeSt.com. “As the first commercial area of the community, Lakeland Village Center will provide our residents with easy access to everyday conveniences and further establish Bridgeland as the premier development to work, play and live.”

The 15,300-square-foot CVS/pharmacy will feature a drive-thru; construction is expected to begin next month, and the store is scheduled to open in early 2016.  Genesis Design Group is the architect for CVS/pharmacy.

“We are pleased that our next Cypress store will be part of Lakeland Village Center,” says Roger Francis, area vice president of CVS/pharmacy in Texas. “We are looking forward to joining this exciting development and bringing our pharmacy products and services to the Bridgeland community to help them on their path to better health.”

First Hartford Realty-Preferred Developer represented CVS/pharmacy. Rip Reynolds, director of leasing and commercial land for The Howard Hughes Corp., and the J. Beard Real Estate Co. represented Bridgeland in the lease transaction. Both Reynolds and Zak Hudnall, leasing associate for The Woodlands Development Co., handle leasing for Lakeland Village Center.