31 Oct 2006 10:28 pm
I took a brief tour around Towne Lakes recently. I realize it is difficult to picture the grand vision of a subdivision when it is in its infancy, but I am always perplexed when fledgling subdivisions make it more difficult for themselves than they have to.
In the case of Towne Lakes, I would have thought they would start in a location that was more visible from Barker Cypress. The entrance is hidden behind Cy-Fair College down West Road. If I wasn’t specifically looking for it, I definitely would not have known it was there.
I am not sure on the exact borders of the subdivision, but my understanding is that it is essentially bordered by Hwy 290 on the north, West on the south, Barker Cypress on the east, and Fry on the West. You would have thought they would start a little closer to Hwy 290 with an entrance somewhere off of Barker Cypress to get maximum visibility. Of course that may not have been an option if the subdivision does not own land that is directly on Barker.
The other issue with the location is the large set of power lines going through the middle of the first section. Even if power lines have no effect on health, they are still unsightly and definitely have a negative effect on real estate values.
This reminds me of the first section of Stone Gate when they first opened in 1999. That section had three whammies going against it. (1) It bordered the 290 railroad track; (2) It had power lines going through the middle of it; (3) It surrounded a concrete plant that bordered the northern part of the subdivision.
Even with those flaws, Stone Gate has become a very nice and successful neighborhood.
And with a very large real estate firm with deep pockets like Caldwell Watson developing Towne Lakes, I’m sure it will become very successful also. It will just take a little bit of time.
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