U.S. 290 Corridor Continues Momentum with Major Residential, Industrial Developments

 

The U.S. 290 Corridor continues to surge as Houston’s next major growth market with significant residential and commercial projects and transactions. Due to the business-friendly climate, strong school district, and enhanced mobility, Waller County is primed for expansion for years to come.

 

Business-Friendly Environment, Strategic Location Drive Commercial Development

With its strategic location in Houston’s northwest and connectivity to Austin and College Station, Waller County is becoming commercial hub for global manufacturing, logistics, and oil & gas service companies. The newly expanded U.S. 290 provides exceptional access to all points in Houston as well as other high growth Texas markets.

This position is yielding economic results for Waller. Vince Yokom, Executive Director of the Waller County Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP), says about 1,000 jobs have been added to Waller County over the past three years.

In 2024, several major companies chose Waller County for their next location, including:

• H-E-B broke ground on a 5,000-acre distribution campus in Hempstead.
• Grainger began construction of a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center in Hockley, set to open in 2026.
• 84 Lumber leased a 142,100-square-foot Class A facility at the Barker Cypress Distribution Center.
• Mustang Cat announced a $30 million headquarters in Hempstead.
• OYH Construction Materials broke ground on a $100 million manufacturing plant for waterproof roofing. Phase one, expected in late 2025, includes two factories and an R&D center, with additional manufacturing buildings planned for phase two.
• TMEIC Corp. Americas began production at its new 144,000-square-foot solar inverter factory in Brookshire.
• Waaree Solar commenced commercial production of photovoltaic modules at its new Brookshire facility.

And, in March 2025, Waller County approved tax abatement for a Tesla Megapack battery storage manufacturing facility in Brookshire at the Empire West Industrial Park. The project is expected to bring approximately 1,500 advanced manufacturing jobs to the area.

 

Waaree Solar Americas’ 1.6 GW solar fab in Texas. Image: Waaree

 

With 3.4 million square feet under construction in Q4 2024, Houston’s Northwest Far submarket led the metro in industrial development. Expansion continues in Waller County and along the 290 Corridor, including:

• Kingsland Ranch Logistics Center (Falcon Development) will complete a 500,000-square-foot addition in summer 2025.
• Prologis Legacy Point (Cypress) announced that it will start construction of a 5 million-square-foot facility starting in late March, expected to create 2,000–3,000 jobs.
• Northwest 99 Business Park (Clay Development) began construction of a 2.3 million square foot business park in November 2024.
• Brookhollow West (Alliance Industrial) broke ground on a 185,000 square foot distribution center in January 2025 with expected delivery in 2026.
• Cypress Business Park (Trammell Crow) broke ground on its final phase in February 2025 with completion expected by October.

 

Brookhollow West will provide distribution facilities catering to smaller users. Image: Seeberger Architecture.

 

Waller County’s Growth Fuels Housing Boom

Waller County saw the third-largest population increase among Houston-area counties from 2020 to 2024, growing 13.4% according to the Texas State Demographer. Over the past decade, its population has surged nearly 40% to more than 66,000 and is projected to reach 120,000 by 2040, per the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

Home sales reflect this rapid growth. In 2024, area towns Brookshire, Waller, and Hockley ranked among the top 10 Houston-area communities for sales increases—rising 144.7%, 49.3%, and 43.2%, respectively.

Developers are responding with major residential projects, including Howard Hughes with Bridgeland in Cypress, Johnson Development with Jubilee in Hockley, and Starwood Land with Wildrye, a 1,400-home community in Waller.

 

Housing boom continues along the US 290 Corridor, with approximately 50,000 homes planned or in various stages of construction, including a 270-acre residential subdivision in Wolff Companies’ Beacon Hill developed by Long Lake. Image: Wolff Companies.

 

Recently announced communities include:

• Bold Fox Development started home sales at its 1,200-home Attwater community in Waller. The company is also developing the 215-acre La Segarra community in Pattison, near Brookshire.
• Johnson Development announced its second master-planned community in Hockley, in addition to the 4,300-home Jubilee, which had its first move-ins in July 2024. The yet-to-be-named community will feature 1,000 homes. Home sales are expected to start in 2026.
• In October 2024, Century Communities purchased 300 acres north of Brookshire near the intersection of FM 529 and FM 362, with plans to build between 700 and 1,000 homes. An additional 240 acres along both roads is under contract with another homebuilder. And a few miles north on FM 362, Gamal is planning an 838-home community with 22 acres of commercial development.
• Another Brookshire community, Bluestem, started home sales in June 2024 and will add 1,300 homes to the area.
• The Grange, a 1,130-acre community by Johnson Development in south Waller County, launched home sales in 2024.
• Azalea, a 270-acre single-family community by Maple Development, broke ground in November 2024.
• Starwood Land expects to deliver the first lots in Sunterra Lakes in summer 2025. The 1,463-acre development will bring 4,000 new homes to Waller County west of Katy.

 

The 470-acre Attwater is located along Owens Road, behind Wolff Companies’ freeway-fronting Beacon Hill. More than a dozen master planned communities are planned or currently underway along the 290 Corridor, providing diverse housing options with a variety of sizes, styles, price points and amenities to suit all demographics. Image: Bold Fox.

 

Education

Waller ISD enrollment rose 7.4% YOY between February 2024 and 2025, with projections for the total enrollment to triple in the next 10 years. The district currently serves 10,025 students across 10 campuses, including Lowe and McReavy Elementary schools which opened in August 2024 in Bridgeland and Dellrose. Recent developments include:

• Land purchase for a multi-school site in Jubilee (Hockley), with plans for an elementary, junior high and high school.
• Future schools planned in The Grand Prairie (Hockley) and a Wildrye, an upcoming Starwood Land community in Waller.
• Voter-approved Proposition A (Nov. 2024), funding school construction and land acquisition for future district facilities.

 

McReavy Elementary opened in Bridgeland in August 2024. Image: Bridgeland.

 

Higher education opportunities along the 290 Corridor are also growing:

• Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) launched a solar lab for electrical and computer engineering research as part of its Tier 1 (R1) research university goal.
• The Blinn College District acquired 100 acres for a new campus in Waller in October 2024.

 

Population Growth Propels Healthcare Expansion

Nearby healthcare providers are scaling up to meet area population growth:

• Kelsey-Seybold is expanding its Cypress Clinic, soon to be Northwest Campus, with a new 120,000-square-foot building and renovations to the existing facility.
• HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest is investing $100 million in a new patient tower, adding 53 beds and expanding critical care. Completion: Spring 2026.
• Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital announced a $277.5 million expansion (July 2024), adding 58 beds and 347,000 square feet of space, including a six-story North Tower with rehab and dialysis facilities. Completion: 2027.
• Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital opened March 17, 2025, with 100 beds and comprehensive specialty care. Once fully operational, it will add 2,900 jobs to the area.

 

The new Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital will open on March 17, 2025. In a staggered launch, the hospital opened its cancer center, breast care center, infusion center and outpatient lab services, as well as orthopedics, sports medicine, physical therapy and rehabilitation clinics in spring 2024. Image: Houston Methodist

 

 Infrastructure Improvements

The US 290 expansion and Grand Parkway Segment E (I-10 to US 290) have reduced commute times and spurred residential, industrial, and distribution growth. To support continued expansion, Segment E will be widened from four to six lanes starting in 2026.

According to the most recent TxDOT traffic counts, U.S. 290 at Beacon Hill saw more than 58,400 vehicles daily in 2023, a 35 percent increase from 2021. Wolff Companies and the Texas Department of Transportation are nearing completion on significant access improvements to U.S. 290, including:

• An off-ramp for a new 290 interchange, named Beacon Hill Boulevard, located west of FM 362;
• A mile-long frontage road, connecting Beacon Hill Boulevard to James R. Muse Parkway;
• An auxiliary lane from the entrance ramp from FM 362 to the Beacon Hill exit; and
• A U-turn under U.S. 290 at James R. Muse Parkway to aid traffic flow from Beacon Hill toward Houston.

The interchange project is funded through a public-private partnership between Wolff Companies, TXDOT, Waller County, and the Beacon Hill Municipal Utility District (Waller County MUD #33), with Wolff Companies providing much of the capital as well as the right-of-way for the project.

 

Beacon Hill: Wolff Companies’ Vision for Emerging Corridor

 Since 2006, Wolff Companies has made investments in Waller County, starting with Liendo Park, now the site of the Prairie View Cricket Complex, and more recently, our 587-acre mixed-use community, Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill exemplifies Wolff Companies’ legacy of developing mixed-use projects along emerging freeway corridors, following strict development, architectural, and landscaping guidelines, as well as deed restrictions to maintain long-term quality and value.

Nestled directly along the recently reconstructed U.S. 290 and just minutes away from the Grand Parkway, Prairie View A&M University, and Daikin Technology Park, Beacon Hill boasts unparalleled visibility and accessibility to Houston, Brenham, College Station, and Austin, placing the master-planned development squarely in the path of growth – appealing to companies looking for high-opportunity locations and families seeking new homes.

 

Beacon Hill offers shovel-ready sites with all utilities already in place, representing an investment in the property approaching $20 million and growing. Image: Wolff Companies.

 

Spanning 587 acres along U.S. 290 between FM 362 and James R. Muse Parkway, and with nearly 8,200 feet of prime freeway frontage, Beacon Hill will feature a 323-acre business park abutting the freeway, accommodating a range of uses from light industrial and office to retail, multifamily, and hospitality.

With the completion of Beacon Hill Boulevard—linking U.S. 290 to Owens Road—key infrastructure investments have reached $29 million, making the property shovel-ready.

The growing interest in Waller County by many developers demonstrates Beacon Hill represents a strategic investment as the transformation of the 290 Corridor is well underway.

*The article was updated to reflect Hines selling Wildrye, the planned master-planned community in Waller, to Starwood Land.