Woodforest Welcomes Realtors, Gears Up for Spring Grand Opening

(Montgomery, TX – February 2009)                    
Now is a good time for Realtors to start learning more about Woodforest, a vibrant new project by The Johnson Development Corp., as the community is in pre-grand opening mode ,gearing up for a public opening this spring.

Development staff is now officing in the community’s Welcome Lodge, the one-stop source for information on the many housing choices and amenities available in Woodforest. Plus, sales representatives from both Newmark and Southern Mark are pre-selling homes from the Welcome Lodge as model-home construction continues. While the Lodge is now open to Realtors, it will officially open to the public in late March or early April.

Model homes also will open this spring, as will the expanded Fish Creek Thoroughfare and new Lake Creek Bridge. Much of the expansion work is finished, with four lanes of roadway promising smooth driving through Woodforest.

Also open is Woodforest Golf Club, which features 27 holes contoured with towering pine trees and old-growth oaks common to the Northwest Houston landscape. The Steve Elkington-designed course opened in 2001 and quickly gained accolades. It was named best new course in the 2002 Houston Chronicle Golf Guide, voted a “must play” course in Golf magazine’s May 2002 issue and nominated as one of the state’s top 10 golf courses for 2008 by Golf Digest. Many homesites in the 3,000-acre community will border the golf club — as well as lakes and nature preserves — giving residents a front-row seat to the great action on the course, which accommodated an amazing 48,000 rounds of golf in 2008.

“Woodforest’s public opening is just around the corner and we’re going to be ready for the spring buying season,” said Woodforest marketing director Kristi Steward. “Our Phase 1 homesites are ready, amenities are under way and builders are preparing to welcome buyers into their new model homes. It’s a very exciting time and a great opportunity for Realtors to learn all about Woodforest before the big rush.”

Builders in Woodforest, where home prices will range from the upper $200,000s to more than $1 million, include custom craftsmen Jeff Paul Custom Homes, Tommy Bailey Homes, George Weaver, Inc., Meadowlark Custom Homes, Legendary Homes and J.M. Wendell, Inc.

Production builders within Woodforest include Southern Mark Homes, Plantation Homes, Pulte Homes and Newmark Homes. They will offer designs from the $200,000s on 55- and 65-foot homesites in the Overland Trace neighborhood and from the $450,000s on 70- and 80-foot homesites in Monarch Park. Work also is under way on several parks to be included in Phase 1 development.

Woodforest’s master plan calls for 5,500 homes as well as retail and commercial properties, places of worship and on-site schools. Approximately 700 acres will be dedicated to parks, open spaces and recreation areas, as well as various sports fields. Miles of hike-and-bike trails will meander through forested reserves, connecting neighborhoods and major amenities within the community. Also planned is a resort-style aquatics center boasting an expansive swimming area with water slides and water play equipment, a toddler pool and a separate competition pool. Opening for the 2011 swim season, the recreation complex also will offer lighted tennis courts, including a tournament court with spectator seating.

Woodforest students will be served by schools in the Conroe and Montgomery school districts. Conroe district officials have already purchased more than 16 acres of land within the development for an elementary school slated to open in 2012. The district has an option to purchase another 15 acres for an intermediate school. Plus, discussions are under way with the Montgomery Independent School District to start construction of an on-site elementary in 2010.

Just four miles north of The Woodlands and six miles south of Conroe, Woodforest is convenient to the wealth of shopping and entertainment options that define southern Montgomery County. Convenient access just seven miles west of Interstate 45 will be provided by Fish Creek Thoroughfare, the first new major north/south thoroughfare built in Montgomery County.

For more information, visit www.woodforestdev.com or the Welcome Lodge at 101 Elk Trace Parkway, or call 936.447.2800.