Hillwood Communities was honored with 10 McSAM Awards during a ceremony hosted by the Dallas Builders Association on July 24 at the Westin Galleria Dallas. Among the list of awards received are several honors recognizing Hillwood Communities Pecan Square development in Northlake, Texas, including Master-Planned Community of the Year, People’s Choice Community of the Year, Best Welcome Center, Best Community Amenity, and Lifestyle Program of the Year. It is also the third consecutive year Hillwood Communities has earned the Lifestyle Director of the Year award.
The annual McSAM Awards recognize builders, developers and associates in the Dallas area who have made significant contributions in the industry through specific achievements in product design and architecture, and sales and marketing categories.
“It is always a tremendous honor to be recognized with McSAM Awards,” said Fred Balda, president of Hillwood Communities. “These awards continue to underscore our commitment to excellence and the tireless work of our team in creating communities that last for generations.”
Pecan Square by Hillwood was named Master-Planned Community of the Year for its outstanding product diversity, unique amenities, robust technology offerings, planned on-site schools, and year-round lifestyle program that connects neighbors and the surrounding area to create a true sense of community.
Pecan Square was also voted People’s Choice Community of the Year. This award is based on a consumer survey of the community’s most recent buyers asking for feedback on everything from home design, sales experience, customer service community lifestyle and overall satisfaction. They were also asked to rate the community of a scale from zero to 10 on how likely they would be to recommend it to a friend or family member.
“Our vision for the future of master-planned communities really resonated with homebuyers at Pecan Square,” said Andrew Pieper, Hillwood Communities Vice President. “We are so thrilled to be recognized by our residents with this award.”
Hillwood Communities is a leading residential developer with a reputation for creating sustaining value for communities, homeowners, and other stakeholders. Their master-planned communities set a precedent for quality, innovation, and lifestyle. The developer purposefully designs each residential development around the needs and desires of today’s homebuyers.
“Now, more than ever, designing neighborhoods that create a sense of community is so important,” said Balda. “Incorporating state-of-the-art amenities, outdoor spaces, natural features and a lifestyle calendar full of events and gatherings creates opportunities for interaction and connection among neighbors. That connection forms the foundation for family and friends to enjoy life to its fullest.”
Hillwood Communities won Gold and Silver Awards for stellar lifestyle programs within master-planned residential communities in 2020 by the prestigious National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB).
Hillwood Communities and FirstService Residential work together to create a dynamic lifestyle for the residents at five communities across Texas. This is the second consecutive year both companies were recognized by NAHB for excellence in Resident Lifestyle.
Dee Davidson, the lifestyle manager at Union Park by Hillwood, brought home the Silver Award for her lifestyle program at the Dallas-Fort Worth community. Farther south, the lifestyle manager at Pomona by Hillwood in Houston, Lori Evans, received the Silver Award for her hard work as the lifestyle director while her lifestyle program won the Gold Award for best in the category.
“It's exciting to be recognized for our collective expertise in Resident Lifestyle,” says Tanya Mendenhall, vice president of developer relations for FirstService Residential. “Dee and Lori pride themselves on offering great service, and we couldn't be more proud of, or inspired by, their dedication and creativity.”
“The lifestyle program helps a community thrive!” says Davidson. “Residents feel a sense of belonging. It goes beyond events and activities. The heart of the program focuses on helping neighbors connect to build lifelong relationships.”
Diana Carroll, DFW marketing manager for Hillwood Communities, shared similar thoughts.
“Our residents chose Hillwood Communities because of the lifestyle these programs give them and their families. We are so pleased that the sense of community these award-winning programs and managers create give our homeowners a true connection to their neighbors that build lasting friendships.”
About Hillwood
Hillwood, a Perot company, is a premier commercial and residential real estate developer, investor and advisor of properties throughout North America and Europe. With a diverse portfolio of properties and home to many of the world's leading companies, Hillwood is committed to bringing long-term value to our customers, partners and the communities we serve.
Through its Communities division, Hillwood has delivered more than 30,000 single-family lots in 90 master-planned communities across 13 states and Costa Rica. These communities continue to raise the bar in terms of quality, innovation, and the unmistakable sense of community that sets each property apart. Before laying the physical groundwork for any new residential development, Hillwood Communities takes the time to focus on the ideals that draw people together — and the everyday interactions that strengthen those bonds. By purposefully designing its walkways, gathering spaces, and structural amenities to spark spontaneous encounters and foster shared interests, Hillwood Communities creates community in every sense. For more information, please visit http://www.hillwoodcommunities.com.
About FirstService Residential
FirstService Residential is North America's largest residential community manager and the preferred partner of HOAs, community associations and strata corporations in the U.S. and Canada. FirstService Residential's managed communities include low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives, single-family homes, master-planned, multifamily, lifestyle and active adult communities, and rental and commercial properties.
With an unmatched combination of deep industry experience, Texas-market expertise and personalized attention, FirstService Residential delivers proven solutions and exceptional services that add value, enhance lifestyles and make a difference, every day, for every resident and community it manages. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a North American leader in the property services sector. For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com.
December 18, 2020 [Austin, Texas] – Wolf Ranch, a holistically designed Live Smart? community by Hillwood Communities in the Georgetown-area, in partnership with Building Homes for Heroes and Perry Homes, welcomed U.S. Army Veteran Sergeant Kristopher Biggs and his family to their new, mortgage-free home Thursday.
Sergeant Biggs served in the U.S. Army for seven years, including two deployments in Iraq. During his second tour, he was injured in an explosion that resulted in traumatic brain injuries and a shattered leg. His leg was eventually amputated after several years of unsuccessful rehabilitation. For his bravery, dedication and service, he received the Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, National Defense Service Medal, South West Asia Service Medal, USA/USAF Presidential Unit Citation and the Combat Action Badge.
Sergeant Biggs’ new home is located in Hillwood Communities’ Wolf Ranch, which offers residents specialized amenities such as lush green spaces, family parks, picturesque trails, a state-of-the-art amenity center and a comprehensive lifestyle program. The new home was constructed by Perry Homes to specifically to meet the needs of Sgt. Biggs and his family. It includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a home office and an extended backyard patio. Many structural modifications were made, including custom kitchen cabinetry, broader hallways, an adapted primary bathroom shower and several other safety features, to make it a comfortable home for the Biggs family. Unbeknownst to Sgt. Biggs, and as an additional point of appreciation, Building Homes for Heroes, Hillwood and Perry Homes joined together to furnish this new home to make his welcome home even more special.
“Hillwood and our partner, Wolf Legacy, LP, are excited to welcome Sergeant Biggs and his family to Wolf Ranch and are eager to share with them everything our community has to offer,” said Duke Kerrigan, Hillwood Communities Austin General Manager. “A new, mortgage-free home is just one way we can thank Sgt. Biggs and his family for all that they have sacrificed for our nation. More importantly, we believe that Sgt. Biggs will find a comforting sense of community in Wolf Ranch as his family embarks on the next chapter of their lives.”
Building Homes for Heroes was founded in 2011 with a single home donation to one veteran. Since then, the organization will have gifted and modified more than 250 homes by the end of 2020 to injured veterans across the nation, and will reach its milestone 300th home early in 2022. This is the second partnership this year between Building Homes for Heroes and Hillwood Communities. Hillwood Communities and Building Homes for Hero have joined together to provide another mortgage-free home donation in Hillwood’s Union Park, a master-planned community located in Little Elm, TX.
“We are thrilled to partner with such patriotic companies like Hillwood Communities and its partner Wolf Legacy, LP, and Perry Homes to provide a home to Sergeant Biggs,” said Andy Pujol, CEO & President, Building Homes for Heroes. “It is our honor to support the heroic men and women who have sacrificed so much for all of us. Together, we are truly making our communities and country a better place.”
Perry Homes, a leading Texas homebuilder for over 50 years, is proud to partner with Building Homes for Heroes for the first time to build this specialized new home for Sgt. Biggs. To date, Perry Homes has built and donated twelve homes to well-deserving military families through charitable organizations who provide homes for veterans.
“Veterans face a number of challenges when they return home from deployment including living in homes that no longer meet their lifestyle,” said Chris Little, Perry Homes City President, Austin/San Antonio. “We are proud to be able to provide homes that are adapted for their new needs and challenges.”
Sgt. Biggs and his family have been through many hardships, and the Building Homes for Heroes organization and Hillwood Communities, along with its partner Wolf Legacy, LP, and Perry Homes hope that this specially modified, mortgage-free home will help ease some of their financial burdens. In addition, Building Homes for Heroes offers multiple other programs to help home recipients with their future planning such as emergency support, financial planning services and family funding.
About Hillwood Communities
Hillwood, a Perot company, is a premier commercial and residential real estate developer, investor and advisor of properties throughout North America and Europe. With a diverse portfolio of properties and home to many of the world’s leading companies, Hillwood is committed to bringing long-term value to our customers, partners and the communities we serve.
Through its Communities division, Hillwood has delivered more than 30,000 single-family lots in 90 master-planned communities across 13 states and Costa Rica. These communities continue to raise the bar in terms of quality, innovation and the unmistakable sense of community that sets each property apart. Before laying the physical groundwork for any new residential development, Hillwood Communities takes the time to focus on the ideals that draw people together — and the everyday interactions that strengthen those bonds. By purposefully designing its walkways, gathering spaces, and structural amenities to spark spontaneous encounters and foster shared interests, Hillwood Communities creates community in every sense. For more information, please visit?www.hillwoodcommunities.com.
About Building Homes for Heroes
Counting fourteen consecutive years of record-setting growth, Building Homes for Heroes® builds and gifts mortgage-free homes, and completes home modifications, for veterans and their families, and provides further services along their road to recovery to help them live a promising and fulfilling life ahead. The organization is strongly committed to rebuilding lives and supporting the brave men and women who were injured while serving the country after September 11, 2001, during the time of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. The organization has received a perfect 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for four straight years, including a 100% in transparency and accountability. It’s our honor to support the men and women who have loyally and courageously served our country. To learn more about the organization, visit www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.
About Perry Homes
Perry Homes, a Texas homebuilder for over 50 years, is committed to providing exceptional value, quality and customer service. Family-owned and operated, Perry Homes has spent over 50 years building a sterling reputation as one of the largest and most trusted homebuilders in Texas. Perry Homes offers a variety of new home designs in over 80 communities throughout Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Perry Homes is dedicated to providing first-class customer service before, during and after the sale. The company’s continuing loyalty to customers, combined with their distinguished reputation, creates an unrivaled demand for Perry Homes. For more information, please visit www.perryhomes.com.
DALLAS (August 28, 2020) – Hillwood Communities, the award-winning master-planned community developer based in Dallas, won ten McSAM Awards Thursday during a virtual ceremony hosted by the Dallas Builders Association. The prestigious recognition included Developer of the Year as well Lifestyle Director of the Year and Best Overall Advertising Program for the developer’s Union Park community in Little Elm, Texas.
In addition to this year’s 10 awards, Hillwood Communities has received numerous McSAM Awards throughout its 32-year history across their entire portfolio in a number of categories as well as multiple awards for Developer of the Year. The McSAM Awards are given annually to builders, developers and associates who have made a significant and creative contribution in residential marketing through specific achievements in a given year.
“Being recognized with these McSAM Awards is a tremendous honor,” said Fred Balda, president of Hillwood Communities. “A substantial collective effort is what makes us successful. We are constantly evolving, using our expertise to plan and develop our communities based on the details and amenities our residents want and need. I’m so proud of our Hillwood Communities team.”
Lifestyle director Dee Davidson received the Lifestyle Director of the Year for her outstanding efforts creating an exceptional experience for Union Park community. As the Live Smart community’s onsite lifestyle director, Dee facilitates more than 300 events each year for residents, fostering relationships among residents, schools and local businesses and bringing a true sense of community to Union Park.
“I’m honored to have been recognized with a McSAM Award,” said Dee Davidson, Union Park’s lifestyle manager. Creating a quality lifestyle is at the heart of everything we do at Union Park. Providing opportunities for regular, safe, quality interaction that builds relationships is essential to making this happen.”
Hillwood Communities continue to raise the bar in terms of quality, innovation, and the unmistakable sense of community. The company purposefully designs each residential develop around the needs of the home buyers, planning walkways, gathering spaces and structural amenities to accommodate them.
“We have always planned our communities with the resident in mind, looking ahead to anticipate their needs and wants, and designing them around that,” said Elaine Ford, senior vice president of Hillwood Communities. “I think that, along with our drive to create a sense of community, is the key to our success.”
In addition to the Best Overall Advertising Program Award, Union Park received awards for Best Graphic Continuity, Best Brochure, Best Print Ad, Best Radio Ad, Best Signage and Best Website. Hillwood Communities’ Pecan Square in Northlake, Texas, Pecan Square was awarded Best Digital Media Campaign.
Residential on the rise: The current and future state of real estate in North Texas
Dallas Business Journal
June 26, 2020
Expect a wave of moves to the suburbs and continued relocations as COVID-19 redirects, rather than deters, the DFW residential real estate market.
Those were some of the key takeaways from a recent virtual panel discussion hosted by the Dallas Business Journal on the current state and the future of residential real estate in North Texas.
“History is the best predictor of the future, in my mind, and I feel like we’ve weathered some really great storms in the past 10 years since the last recession,” said Janet Allen, a senior vice president and leader of Republic Title’s team of Business Development representatives for the company’s 13 residential branches. “I honestly believe we’re going to be fine. I do believe that there’s going to be a big wave out to the suburbs. I’m seeing a little piece of that right now”
In addition to Allen, panelists included Fred Balda, president of Dallas-based residential development company Hillwood Communities; Rogers Healy, founder, owner and CEO of The Rogers Healy Cos. based in Dallas; and Brian Palmer, president of McKinney-based mortgage brokerage Pinnacle Funding Group Inc.
Below, panelists discuss the pandemic’s impact on the workforce, opportunities ahead in the residential space and more.
How has COVID-19 impacted your workforce or customers?
Fred Balda: Our two objectives were making sure the team was safe and able to work from home remotely, of course, and so I give a lot of credit to our IT group. They really got us up and running pretty quickly.
Second, the main objective was to keep the machine rolling. We needed to to continue to do business in a different manner – and I will say we fared very well. We are starting to bring our people back into the office now. I’m in the office right now and probably 20 percent of our people stayed in the office [since March]. We probably have 50 percent of our people back here working.
We are requiring testing, so before anybody comes back to the office, they must get tested. We’ve gone through two rounds of testing with our employees and it’s worked quite well. We have a pretty strict protocol. When I come to the office, I’m greeted by a nurse. I’ve got my mask on. She takes my temperature. And then she takes my oxygen level through a pulse oximeter. Only then and I able to enter the building.
I wear my mask all the way to my office. Whether I’m going to the cafeteria or to the restroom, or going to see anybody, I put the mask back on. It’s a deliberate protocol that we have instituted.
Rogers Healy: My approach is probably different than most real estate people. I’m a cautious guy and my grandma is almost 100 years old lives and in an assisted living facility and my fiancée has chronic asthma, so those two things are always going to trump bringing in revenue. I just lead with my head differently and with my heart.
We’ve adjusted well, and something that we’ve learned is in the world of real estate, especially residential, we become very routine, right?
Which means it’s hard for an older dog to learn new tricks, but we just really became attached to the word agile. And I think, being agile, you learn how to be proactive versus reactive.
The first thing I had to change was the way that I thought, because I’ve been in real estate for a long time and part of my assumption was I can’t be productive and mounted an office.
But it’s been a great surprise that our numbers have still increased year-over-year with everything going on, even with people working from home. I’m probably the most extreme business owner in terms of being cautious.
For example, our office is shut down. I can’t get into my own office. I haven’t heard of any owner locking themselves out, so it may seem extreme, but we all need to be taking precautions.
Brian Palmer: It really hasn’t been much different for me. I feel fortunate more than anything, because started to move to an electronic closing process a couple of years ago. I feel like the mortgage industry in its entirety is probably going to be forced to move into that electronic world, probably a lot faster because of the circumstances I’ve always balanced working from home, the office or wherever.
Most of our stuff is all done electronically through e-mail, phone calls and text messages until we get to the closing table, so nothing really changed for us in that regard.
Janet Allen: We have more than 400 employees spread across DFW. We did our very best to execute a plan quickly and actually had about 70 percent of our workforce working from home starting in March. Our residential people really stuck it out. They have done an incredible job and taking care of our customers, buyers, sellers, realtors, lenders and developers.
We’ve talked about the challenges of COVID-19. What are some of the opportunities it presents?
Janet Allen: Last year, we started moving more into the digital space. I am so glad we did because it allowed us to get ahead of things, rather than fall behind when we had to move to a remote work environment.
The other thing is learning that we might be able to have people work from home a lot more often than in the past. Maybe they can actually do the job better.
This could result in more of a work-from-home situation for our employees in the future.
Fred Balda: I’m in the master-planned community business, building in the suburbs, and so the demographics are playing to our favor. You have a variety of demographics that are hitting us right now. There’s a millennial that obviously is creating families right now, and has basically located in the urban sectors, and there’s a big desire right now to move out of the urban area.
I think urban will survive, of course. But we are seeing this demand coming in, the urban sectors into suburban areas, more so than we’ve seen in the past.
The relocation activity has always been good here, so we’ve always been attracted new companies. It just seems to be accelerating more now.
I think our business in the long run, even short-term, is going to take off again. We were all expecting a bit of a drop off in 2020, maybe a hiccup. Obviously due to coronavirus, it was more than that – it went pretty deep. Nobody expected this kind of hit, so the opportunities I see are in the future. At least in our master-planned communities, we about why you’re moving out and why you are reconsidering your shelter.
You may need a bigger house, you need a better designed home, you need a cleaner home, you need to a better technology package for your home. New homes are able to really address that quite well. Our master plans right now are very appealing, because of all the normal amenities that we normally do, and you’re able to do it a little bit further out. All of our parks, and trails, and playgrounds, and those sorts of things are really a premium right now for folks coming in and want to see that sort of lifestyle. I think that’s a big focus.
But the rental side is really another opportunity now, too. We build lots of multifamily ourselves. The single-family rental right now is another focus of ours that I hope we can roll out, at least a pilot program, in the next six months or so. I think will go quite well. That’s another line of business that we’ve observed that really makes sense.
I think affordability is always going to be an issue here. We’d need to really address that interest rates have healthy affordability right now, that’s going to creep back up. How do you design homes that are semi-affordable right now in these in these places that people want to be?
Brian Palmer: I feel like it’s a great opportunity, just because there are going to be people that change their direction a little bit. For us, it’s just going to be full force ahead, to continue to try to serve the clients even better than what we already did.
We’re making sure that we can get to a full digital world. There are some things that Gov. Abbott has done in the interim that make it easier, like how notaries don’t necessarily have to be in front of anybody.
There are going to be some people that are going to be cautious and don’t want to go out, whereas others will and we want to serve those people, too.
If Covid-19 becomes worse in coming months, do you think that it would it be a positive or negative impact on rental market? Do the obvious effects — prospective buyers putting purchases on hold; increase in unemployment numbers — balloon into something worse, or can North Texas weather it?
Rogers Healy: I think real estate is going to change to a hybrid of affordability and space.
We’re going to see that the days of the $30,000 millionaire are probably going to be over, because I think people would rather live somewhere in a rental home community. Which I think is going to be a trend we’re going to see in the next few years: people literally developing communities for that sole purpose, which we’ve never really seen happen.
Living on the penthouse right now is not as good as living on the first floor, for example, in a lot of these buildings, too. So we have seen a pretty big shift in trends and the amount of people that we’ve worked with on the first-time homebuyer front that normally would live within the loop or moving north … instead, they’re moving east and west, too.
We’re going to see pockets like Mansfield and Richardson get people in certain demographics who historically wouldn’t have purchased there. So, you know, it’s interesting to see what’s happening.
And DFW still has people moving here, too. You have to provide housing, but I think that it’s going to shift to where people are going to start renting and if they have to, they’re going to rent single-family detached homes, if they have the option to do so.
Fred Balda: I think we’ll be more prepared at this time. Chapter One was pre-coronavirus, which was stellar. It was just very robust, and people were moving in and it was going to be another banner year. Everything was looking really positive.
And then corona hits and we probably had about a six-week slowdown. In our business, it really probably dropped to a 50 percent level, from the prior 10 weeks or so. But there was still activity, which was interesting, to see that we still had that activity, even if it was 50 percent. And then, the last six weeks or so, we’re starting to come to work again and people are getting out. It’s been incredible.
I believe the next few weeks will be robust.
I think we are more prepared because now we can work remotely a little bit better. But let’s hope we find a solution to coronavirus right now, because it’s not fun. Let’s hope it’s not the new normal. We’ll get past this, but I appreciate being an essential business. I appreciate having the opportunity to sell homes and building new communities.
How is DFW’s inventory right now — and how do you think it will look over the next year?
Rogers Healy: Surprisingly, inventory, up until about a month ago, was awful.
The last three weeks, especially in the larger home market above $3 million, it’s been gangbusters.
And in terms of a recession, it’s important how you interpret or communicate it. My favorite class in school was recess. Got me a break from the classes that were kind of work. And so I think that we have an opportunity to lead. Our industry said, “Hey, it’s OK to take a little bit of a break, right?” Because work is not going to define you. And we all work so hard.
It’s OK to just take a step back and relax. Because you know, it’s always going to be there, right?
I don’t know anything about the stock market, but I’ve watched it the last three months and it literally makes me nauseous.
One tweet can go and change the world and then the next day, another tweet changes the world the other way. That means I have people that may have to have to sell pretty quickly, right?
And on top of that, the thing that we’ve seen that’s been crazy is secondary homes are flying off the shelves as well. Historically, you don’t see lake houses farms and ranches so in the late spring and the summer. Because people already want them.
And we’ve seen that, and also the short-term rental market has been insane as far as inventories are concerned, too, like Airbnb-type places. I’m talking like 3-to 6-month places, where you don’t have to obviously have an appraisal. You can ask for whatever you want, and we’ve seen those things go crazy as well, because people want to get the heck out of town.
So inventory is starting to get a little bit healthier. But again, North Texas is the unicorn of real estate, versus some cities like New York, where you can’t even show properties at this time. And DFW has a shortage?
I don’t think we really had a recession. I think we’re at a time out.
Who knows what, the immediate future holds, but it’s a good time still to be in real estate, you know, four months into a pandemic. And that’s absolutely crazy.
DALLAS (May 12, 2020) – Hillwood Communities, the award-winning master-planned community developer based in Dallas, plans a unified neighborhood salute to celebrate all those who work in health care during National Hospital Week.
Hillwood Communities’ nine neighborhoods in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Austin will take part next week, with a custom banner at each community entrance and 5,000 white ribbons distributed to homeowners and their families. A united show of support is scheduled at 6 p.m. CT Thursday, May 14, when residents are encouraged to stand outside their homes, clapping and cheering for everyone on the front lines in health care.
“This is a simple, yet heartfelt way we can show our appreciation for those on the frontlines, especially during these challenging times,” said Fred Balda, president of Hillwood Communities. “With the inability of people to personally thank our health care heroes, including those who live in our own communities, this is a small way to demonstrate our gratitude.”
Besides tying bows on trees, the same-time front-lawn gathering is a campaign highlight for the nine communities. Residents are encouraged to share photos and videos on social media with official National Hospital Week hashtags #MyHospital and #HospitalWeek.
Hillwood Communities purposefully designs its residential developments to promote a true sense of community for its residents. Each development is planned to include walkways, gathering spaces and structural amenities to spark spontaneous encounters and foster shared interests. In addition, many of the residential communities offer planned programs and activities for both small groups and all homeowners and their families. Organized events such as this celebration for National Hospital Week is an example of this.
“We believe in providing Hillwood Communities residents with more than a house and a neighborhood, but also a place that feels like home,” Balda said. “It is important we promote a sense of belonging, a place where families can connect to neighbors and their surrounding communities.”
Communities participating in the celebration for National Hospital Week are:
• Union Park (Little Elm)
• Harvest (Argyle/Northlake)
• Pecan Square (Northlake)
• Bluewood (Celina)
• Lilyana (Celina)
• Liberty (Melissa)
• Brockdale (Lucas)
• Wolf Ranch (Georgetown)
• Pomona (Manvel)
MANVEL, Texas [July 22, 2019] – Pomona, a Hillwood Communities development located in the Highway 288 corridor in Manvel, announces the addition of Toll Brothers, one of Texas’ largest homebuilders, to its list of builders. Toll Brothers has broken ground on its two new model homes in Pomona, which opened on July 20.
Toll Brothers is showcasing two unique collections with its new model homes, including the Loralai High Plains from its Select Collection and the Fairholm Traditional from its Executive Collection, with a variety of floor plans ranging from about 2,500 square feet to 5,000 square feet and priced from the high $300s to $600s.
The Select Collection will be offered on 60 foot homesites with lakeview options in the first gated section within Pomona called The Reserve at Plum Creek, with pricing starting from the high $300s. The Select Collection will offer home designs ranging from 2,780–3,498 square feet, with 4-5 bedrooms and 3-4 bathrooms. The Executive Collection will offer 70 foot and 80 foot homesites in a new section of Pomona called The Estates at Plum Creek, with pricing starting in the high $400s. The Executive Collection will offer eight home designs offering layout options ranging from 3,222-4,965 square feet, with 4-6 bedrooms and 3-4.5 bathrooms.
“We are creating an additional luxury option for buyers at Pomona with the addition of Toll Brothers to our builder line-up. These new buyers will take create many new memories through our superior lifestyle that Pomona has become known for,” said Russ Bynum, general manager at Hillwood Communities. “Our residents enjoy our boutique-style community that combines the convenience of urban living with the breathing room of a rural setting.”
Toll Brothers will join a quality lineup of builders including Coventry Homes, Homes, Highland Homes, Perry Homes, and Plantation Homes. All builders offer a wide selection of floor plans with top-of-the-line amenities. Toll Brothers home buyers will also gain access to the community’s two resort-style pools, a 6,000-square-foot recreation center with a catering kitchen, playground area, a fishing pond and fitness center. Residents also enjoy a robust year-round social calendar carefully curated by an on-site lifestyle director.
Just minutes from the Texas Medical Center, Pomona is a 1,000-acre master-planned community with 2,000 single family homes planned at build out. Centered on the Mustang Bayou and preserves hundreds of acres of greenbelts and marshlands, the community provides a beautiful, natural space for residents to come together.
For more on Manvel’s newest place in the making, please visit https://www.pomonabyhillwood.com/.
GEORGETOWN, Texas, July 8, 2019 – Hillwood Communities and the Georgetown Independent School district recently celebrated the official groundbreaking of Wolf Ranch Elementary School. The ceremony was held at the location of the new school – 1201 Jay Wolf Drive, Georgetown, Texas, 78628 – and featured speakers from the district as well as remarks from Superintendent Dr. Fred Brent and GISD Board President Scott Stribling.
“This is an exciting time in Georgetown ISD’s history as our city – and school district – continue to grow at a record pace,” said Superintendent Dr. Fred Brent. “Wolf Ranch Elementary School will allow us to accommodate increasing enrollment and provide students with a learning environment designed to inspire innovation and collaboration in learning.”
Wolf Ranch Elementary is the product of a $150.5 million bond that voters approved in the Fall of 2018. The measure was set to alleviate overcrowding at local elementary schools while adding capacity to the Pickett zone. The new campus will replace Dell Pickett Elementary Campus and will be able to accommodate approximately 850 students, double Pickett’s capacity.
Commended for its education and workplace development, Georgetown ISD recently won the Workforce Excellence Award for providing students with career skills, training, workforce education and job placements. Georgetown can now continue to focus on inspiring and empowering every student to lead, grow and serve.
“Parents in Wolf Ranch now have the peace-of-mind knowing their child can experience the best educational environment,” said Duke Kerrigan, Austin general manager of Hillwood Communities. “Prior to acquiring the Wolf Ranch property and to this day, Hillwood continues to believe that strong working relationship with the GISD to have a new elementary campus within Wolf Ranch will provide unique opportunities for both the District and residents of Wolf Ranch. We look forward to continuing our engagement with the district and in the Georgetown community.”
As a holistically designed Live Smart? community, every aspect of Wolf Ranch is designed to address five key principles that nurture community values while delivering personal value — connection, well-being, enrichment, stewardship and convenience. At full build out, the premier community will be home to about 2,600 single family homes, up to 1,700 apartment units, first-class amenities, an on-site elementary school as well as a vast number of trails, parks and open spaces.
Wolf Ranch builders include Coventry Homes, David Weekley Homes, Drees Custom Homes, Perry Homes and Wilshire. Highland Homes will be begin delivering new homes in 2019 when Hillwood’s next residential phase opens. More recently, Lennar Homes acquired a parcel of land with Wolf Ranch and will be delivering homes to prospective buyers in mid 2020.
New homes in Wolf Ranch start in low $300s. For more on Hillwood’s Wolf Ranch, please visit WolfRanchByHillwood.com.
NORTHLAKE, Texas – Pecan Square, a new 3,100 home, single-family master-planned development being constructed by Hillwood Communities in Northlake, Texas, will feature Frontier Communications’ 500/500 Megabits per second FiOS broadband service in each household.
Broadband service included in each residence will be included in homeowner association assessments. Homeowners will also have the option to upgrade to symmetrical 1 Gigabit service* for an additional cost per month. FiOS TV and phone service can also be added for an additional monthly fee. Costs will be dependent upon TV packages and other add-on services selected at the time the order is placed.
“We are honored that Hillwood Communities chose our FiOS internet service to fulfill their objective of creating a smart and connected community,” said Rachel McGallian, Frontier’s senior vice president, National Strategy and Sales. “Speed and reliability are hallmarks of FiOS broadband service. Two-way speeds over our all-fiber network make web searches faster and more efficient, regardless of the time of day, while also enabling the many connected devices and streaming services in the home to work simultaneously and smoothly. It’s a superior product.”
Hillwood Communities celebrated its topping out of amenity facilities for Pecan Square on May 21. Pre-selling of new homes will start this summer. (For more on Pecan Square and its 10 builders, please visit PecanSquareByHillwood.com.)
“Pecan Square will feature top-of-the-line amenities for our homeowners, and that includes Frontier’s 100 percent, all-fiber network broadband service of 500 Mbps in every household,” said Andrew Pieper, vice president at Hillwood Communities. “This new Hillwood community sets a new standard for efficiency and connectivity, and offering top-notch broadband services from Frontier bolsters our brand promise.”
Frontier’s FiOS Internet service features the same speeds whether downloading or uploading, making it the most efficient broadband service in markets Frontier serves and the only true 100 percent symmetrical speed service available in those markets.
Pecan Square customers can anticipate ample household speeds to power multiple devices, streaming and other typical Internet tasks. (Please see attached Speed Chart to view examples associated with various Internet speeds.)
Frontier Community Connections markets telecommunications services over advanced networks such as FiOS and Vantage by Frontier in select regions, serving multifamily communities (MDUs) and single-family developments. Frontier Community Connections supports MDUs through marketing and bulk agreements that offer outstanding high-definition TV, parallel internet speeds and crystal-clear voice over IP services, as well as Frontier Secure, a full suite of digital protection for residents. To learn more, visit frontier.com/community-connect.
*Up to 940 Mbps/880 Mbps, matching industry standards for 1 Gigabit service.
ARGYLE, Texas, April 19, 2019 – Harvest, a Hillwood Communities master-planned development located in Argyle, took home five of the developer’s six awards from the 40th annual McSAM Awards held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel last Saturday. Outstanding individual winners included Angie Mastrocola, Developer Project Manager of the Year, and Page Austin, the Lifestyle Director of the Year. Other recognition for Harvest included Master Planned Community of the Year 600+ acres, Best Lifestyle Annual Program and Best Print Ad.
“It’s such an honor to win Lifestyle Director of the Year,” said Page Austin. “I couldn’t do what I do without the support from Hillwood and FirstService Residential, whose partnership allows me to be both a dreamer and creator. Our work goes so much deeper than events; it’s about reaching people and building lives.”
Hillwood Communities has received multiple best-in-class awards for the quality of its homes, which are surrounded by purposefully designed walkways, gathering spaces, and structural amenities to spark spontaneous encounters and foster shared interests. Additional amenties at Harvest include a commercial organic farm, coffee shop and farmhouse.
In 2018, Residential Strategies (RSI) named Harvest DFW’s #1 master-planned community. Harvest also closed another sensational year of sales, with the community ranking #33 in the Top 50 Master-Planned Communities rankings from John Burns Real Estate Consulting.
“From the moment I saw it, I could see that Harvest was a special community based on a very unique idea,” said David Jarvis, senior vice president of consulting for John Burns Real Estate Consulting. “We know from consumer research that getting outside tops the list of priorities for homebuyers. Harvest gives homeowners tangible opportunities to spend time outdoors without giving up on any of the traditional master-planned amenities.”
“I am beyond proud of our amazing team, whose talent and energy have transformed a stellar residential development into a bona fide community,” said Fred Balda. “The creativity and vitality they put into their programming is reflected in the deep engagement and enjoyment of our residents.”
In addition to the 2019 McSAM wins for Harvest, Bluewood was also recognized for Best Community Entry Feature.
For more on Harvest by Hillwood, please visit http://www.harvestbyhillwood.com/.
