Century Communities expects to have residents in their newest master-planned community, Polo Ranch, in Fulshear by August of this year, said Dana Osborne, Century Communities director of sales and marketing for the Houston area.
The new development is one of the first approved by the city of Fulshear using a strategy of partnering with developers to reduce taxpayer burdens related to infrastructure development, said Brant Gary, Fulshear assistant city manager. Under the new practice, the developer receives a discount on their capitol recovery fees that the city assesses during the approval process for the development, he said.
“The city’s objective was to expand and diversify its tax base while managing its growth in a responsible manner and maintaining the qualities that have made Fulshear such a great place to call home for so many years,” said Chris Chew, Houston division president for Century Communities.
Growth in Fulshear has been challenging for the city because existing agreements with developers limit the city’s ability to issue bonds to handle infrastructure, Gary said. That infrastructure is needed to keep up with the city’s incredible growth rate, he said. U.S. Census Bureau estimates show a population increase in Fulshear of about 663 percent from 2010 to 2017.
Polo Ranch, located on the north side of FM 1093 west of City Hall, is expected to have 780 home sites and will offer homes from 1,200 to 3,400 square feet, said Osborne. Amenities for the community will include a pool, pavilion, playground, walking trails and other small recreation areas, Osborne said. Homes will sell from $169,000 to more than $300,000, she said.
“While Polo Ranch is our first community in Fulshear, Century Communities expects to be active in the Fulshear community for many years to come so we are very excited about our partnership with the city and anxious to start selling and building homes this spring,” Chew said.
A unique challenge in the development plan was the presence of a historic cemetery on the property the development will be constructed on, Chew said. The city, state, county and developer, who will also be the only homebuilder at the site, developed a plan to preserve the site out of respect and to assist the community, he added.
“Once those improvements are completed, Century Communities will convey ownership of the cemetery to Fort Bend Municipal Utility District No. 174,” Chew said. “The district is a public entity governed by the state of Texas that will budget for and manage the ongoing maintenance of the cemetery.”
-R. Hans Miller of Community Impact Newspaper