Developers John Fetzer and Mike Wampold are nearing completion on the infrastructure work in part 3A of The Preserve at Harveston, their sprawling mixed-use development straddling the Bluebonnet Boulevard extension near Nicholson Drive. Lots in the new section should be ready for home construction sometime in May.
Meanwhile, work continues in the first two sections of the development, which saw strong sales in 2016. Currently, The Preserve at Harveston consists of 142 occupied households. An additional 20 home sites have been sold and are either under construction or are in the planning stage.
“Last year we sort of hit our stride,” Fetzer says. “We closed 58 homes in the community in 2016, and I think we will see just as many in 2017.”
The development’s “sweet spot” appears to be homes in the mid-$400,000 price range, he says.
Infrastructure work at Harveston began in 2013, with home site construction getting underway in 2014. In the three years since, the development has kept pace with projections, Fetzer says.
Later this year, work crews will expand the Harveston trail system, connecting the walking trail that winds around the development to the 15-acre Preservation Park, which contains a large lake lined by live oak trees.
“We wanted to expand the trail last year,” Fetzer says. “But 2016 was such a wet year we couldn’t get enough dry weather to get that done.”
Also new this year, the developers are constructing 50 raised garden boxes that residents can lease. The beds will measure 30-square feet and will enable residents to cultivate their own vegetable gardens.
“We’re sensing a lot of demand,” Fetzer says. “So far, 30 residents have signed up for them.”
While residential construction is continuing at a healthy pace, there aren’t any plans yet for commercial development at Harveston. Fetzer says the developers might have a land use plan for a portion of the retail development by the end of this year, but it’s still too early to say for sure.
—Stephanie Riegel
