Houston-based Live Lone Star Communities unveiled the first of several prefab communities planned across Texas that aim to provide affordable housing in a setting that incorporates elements found in upscale master plan communities.
The developer Tuesday provided a preview of The Landing at Pearland, a 55-acre gated community at 17730 County Road 127, near Pearland Regional Airport. The $34 million project includes plans for 420 residential sites and is scheduled to open in April.
“The goal is to bring well-made homes with amenities to markets where homes are so expensive that it discourages people from owning in those markets,” said Sean Mickler, partner at Live Loan Star.
Dwayne Teeter, President of Oak Creek Homes, shows features of a home at The Landing at Pearland, a development by Live Loan Star communities at 17730 County Road 127 in Pearland.
Katherine Feser / Houston Chronicle
The developments aim to “remove the stigma that prefab homes mean trailer parks,” Mickler said.
While the community attracts residents from all walks of life, Live Lone Star is running the project as a younger demographic is increasingly buying prefabricated homes.
According to a new study by the Manufactured Housing Institute, an estimated 46 percent of manufactured home residents are under the age of 40, while 37 percent have children. Residents have an average income of $66,700.
RELATED: Houston home prices fell in February for the first time in nearly three years after pandemic highs
Shipments from new production homes in the US have more than doubled over the past 10 years to nearly 113,000 units in 2012, according to the Census Bureau. In Texas, shipments increased 25 percent to nearly 20,000 in 2022 from about 16,000 in 2019.
Live Loan Star Communities announced the opening of The Landing at Pearland, a prefab community with resort-style amenities at 17730 County Road 127 in Pearland.
Katherine Feser / Houston Chronicle
“During the pandemic, consumers appreciated the many benefits of manufactured homes, which are often larger than apartments, don’t share walls with neighbors, and offer outdoor space,” said Lesli Gooch, CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute. “Additionally, residents of prefab communities enjoy professionally managed neighborhoods with an array of amenities such as swimming pools, clubhouses, and playgrounds.”
Amenities at The Landing at Pearland include a pool, clubhouse, game room, weight room/gym, indoor BBQ area, basketball court and dog park. The cobbled streets have LED lighting and each house has space for parking in front.
The homes have two to five bedrooms, range from 850 to 2,200 square feet, and sell for between $80,000 and $170,000, according to Live Lone Star. Residents pay monthly fees of approximately $675, which covers property rent, use of amenities, and maintenance of common areas.
The average home price in Houston was $320,000 in February, up more than 30 percent since the pandemic began, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.
Live Loan Star Communities announced the opening of The Landing at Pearland, a prefab community with resort-style amenities at 17730 County Road 127 in Pearland.
Katherine Feser / Houston Chronicle
Live Loan Star has seven communities under development totaling 3,000 properties, including one under construction in San Antonio and another soon to break ground in Hockley. At Pearland, property tenants can buy from developers such as Jessup Housing, Oak Creek Homes, Cavco and Champion Homes. So far 20 mobile homes have been sold.
Dwayne Teeter, president and chief operating officer of Oak Creek Homes, said prefab homes are not unlike site-built homes in many ways. One of the company’s 18 x 70 foot homes has a porch overlooking the clubhouse. Built in a Fort Worth factory before making its way to Pearland, the three bedroom, two bath home includes vaulted ceilings, an open plan living area and kitchen, farmhouse sink and quality appliances.
“So many people have been pushed out of the locally built market in the pandemic,” Teeter said. “This is the best way to build locally built quality while still remaining affordable. We’re just waiting for the rest of the country to get it.”
Follow the roofs
Elyson, a Brookfield Properties Development community with at least 2,000 homes in the Katy area, will soon have more shopping.
Excel Commercial Real Estate has begun construction on The Square at Elyson, a 12-acre project planned for 75,000 square feet on the northwest corner of FM 529 and Elyson Exchange Boulevard. The site was acquired by Brookfield.
The development is directly west of the Grand Parkway near a recently opened shopping center anchored by Target and Burlington. HEB owns land along FM 529 for a future grocery store.
Excel Commercial Real Estate is developing The Square in the Elyson retail centre.
Excel commercial real estate
EOS Fitness, a Phoenix-based fitness center, will anchor the development with a 40,000-square-foot space for its Houston entrance. The developer is negotiating with a pet supplies retailer for 7,500 square feet, said Clay McDaniel, executive director of Excel. Other signed tenants include Salata, Heartland Dental, and American Family Care. Taco Bell and McDonald’s have leased lots for developments along FM 529. Completion is expected for late summer 2024.
The 3,642-acre Elyson community is expected to have 6,000 homes.
Landsea anchors in Dallas
Texas lands the headquarters of another California company.
Landsea Homes Corp., a publicly traded homebuilder based in Newport Beach, announced plans to move its headquarters to Dallas. The company builds homes and communities in California, Arizona, Florida and Texas.
“In addition to our overall coast-to-coast growth strategy, we are very focused on expanding our residential construction footprint in Texas, and this move demonstrates our strong commitment to the state,” CEO John Ho said in a statement. He also cited the lower cost of living and access to a highly skilled workforce.
Landsea moves to Texas with companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise, CBRE and Oracle. The company, which reported 2022 sales of $1.4 billion and shipped 2,370 homes, does not currently operate in Houston.
