Northern Housing Push Elicits Development in Conroe

CONROE, TX—For some time now, Houston homebuyers have been willing to move incrementally further north for housing. Take The Woodlands for example.

As a result, AIRIA Development Company is now embarking on the development of Artavia, a 2,200-acre master-planned community in the Montgomery County/Conroe area. This location is north of the Grand Parkway, midway between Interstate 45 and US 59, and south of State Highway 242.

“Out where we’re at, there’s some pioneering going on. Activity has pushed farther north and in our case, toward the eastern part of Montgomery County,” Travis Stone, president of AIRIA Development, tells GlobeSt.com.

Artavia model home completion is expected by the summer. The development will ultimately bring approximately 5,200 homes to the area and plans currently include more than 120 acres of mixed-use, commercial and retail properties. The build-out value is estimated to be $2.4 billion.

“Over time, we’ve observed the northside homebuyer is willing to move continually and incrementally further out,” Lawrence Dean, regional director of the Houston market of Metrostudy, tells GlobeSt.com. “There’s always been a continual demand for new homes in a master-planned community type of environment up on the north side of Houston, whether it was Champions Forest in the ’60s and ’70s or The Woodlands, Spring and portions of Klein after that. That’s really just the next layer where land is available to develop.”

Some of the infrastructure projects that will benefit residents of Artavia include the Texas 242 road improvement that should be close to completion by the opening of the community in late 2019. A new overpass at Texas 242 at FM 1314 is less than a mile from the entrance to Artavia. Additionally, a 1.9-mile $23 million project that began in July will also include the widening of Texas 242 from two lanes to four lanes between FM 1314 and US 59.

“The timing is ideal for the opening of Artavia,” said Dean. “Its location will be even more convenient and accessible, with major infrastructure improvements on SH 242 currently underway. The price points are in the sweet spot of the Houston market as Conroe/Montgomery County is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation, with a 29% growth rate year-over-year.”

Homes in phase one are expected to range in price from the $280,000s to the $500,000s. The 13-acre community complex will overlook a 5-acre lake with paddle boats and a kayak launch area. The complex is being developed to include a clubhouse featuring a 24-hour fitness center, café and gathering spaces. Surrounding it will be a meditation rain garden, splash pad, nature exploration area, event lawn, playground and an interconnected forested trail system. Regularly scheduled events, classes and activities will be facilitated by a community lifestyle manager.

Students living in Artavia will attend the Conroe Independent School District, considered to be a district with significant growth. The community is currently planned to accommodate future Conroe school district expansion.

A recent study by Population and Survey Analysts conservatively predicted the district will add 1,350 students per year for the next 10 years, estimating that it will serve more than 76,000 students in 2028. Conroe Independent School District is also the largest employer in Montgomery County with 75,000 employees.

Artavia is the second community for AIRIA Development, the company behind Aliana, a master-planned community in Richmond, TX.