Wolff Cos. Expands Beacon Hill Master-Planned Community Northwest of Houston

 

By JEFF JEFFREY

HOUSTON – Houston-based Wolff Cos. has added 43 acres to its 521-acre Beacon Hill master-planned community underway in the Waller area.

Together, the two properties total 564 acres and will allow for the construction of hundreds of homes, as well as a commercial center that Wolff Cos. said will be a major economic driver in the greater Waller area.

Beacon Hill is on the north side of U.S. Highway 290, between FM 362 and James R. Muse Parkway. The additional 43 acres are also along U.S. 290 at James R. Muse Parkway but are not adjacent to the original 521 acres.

With almost 4,200 feet of frontage on U.S. 290, the development will feature a business park on the 251 acres abutting the freeway. The business park will accommodate tenants ranging from light industrial and distribution to office, multifamily and retail, all supported by utilities and services from the city of Waller.

Wolff Cos. said the property is shovel-ready, with storm water detention and drainage, trunk water lines, trunk sanitary sewer and a lift station as well as electrical lines and residential streets already in place, representing an $8 million investment in the property to date.

Wolff Cos. purchased the original property in 2018 from the Schild family for between $15 million and $20 million. The company did not disclose how much it paid for the additional 43 acres.

Regarding the 43-acre addition to the project, Wolff Cos. President and Chairman David Wolff said: “The excellent location at the four-way interchange on U.S. 290 and James R. Muse Parkway, as well as proximity to Beacon Hill and the resulting easy access to utilities make the property very attractive and allow for a variety of potential uses, including retail, light industrial and flex space. We see the property as a natural extension of our Beacon Hill project.”

Wolff Cos. has already sold 270 acres of the original property to Houston-based Long Lake Ltd., a single-family home developer that plans to build around 870 homes on the land. Homes are expected to cost between $190,000 and $280,000. Model homes, which are now under construction, are expected to be open in June 2021. The first residential deliveries are also anticipated for summer 2021.

To make way for the master-planned community, Wolff Cos. had to receive approval from the Texas Department of Transportation to build a new exit off U.S. 290, as well as other improvements to the highway, to provide direct access to the company’s planned Beacon Hill community. That approval was granted in October.

Under the agreement with TxDOT, the new access point will include:

• an off-ramp for a new 290 interchange, named Beacon Hill Boulevard, located west of FM 362;

• a mile-long U.S. 290 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 new access point for Beacon Hill will be funded through a public-private partnership between Wolff Cos., TxDOT and the Beacon Hill Municipal Utility District (Waller County MUD #33), with Wolff Cos. providing the majority of the capital as well as the right-of-way for the project.

Beacon Hill Boulevard is expected to be completed in September 2021, while construction on the interchange is expected to start in spring 2022 and be completed in 2023.

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