Move It on Over: Five New Developments in Bryan College Station

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By Rachel Knight

While some people are hitting the road Jack (to Bryan College Station), others are simply moving on up within the twin cities. No matter what our movers and town-shakers are looking for, odds are there’s a housing development just right for them in B/CS. Here’s a look at five housing developments going up in B/CS to help drifters find their new homes.

Brewster Pointe City College Station Schools Spring Creek Elementary, Wellborn Middle School, Pecan Trail Intermediate, and College Station High School Amenities Gated villa, pool, parks, and sidewalks

Adjacent to Castlegate, one of the fastest-growing subdivisions in south College Station, Brewster Pointe offers a more rural feel with easy accessibility to major roads, medical care, Texas A&M University, shopping centers, grocery stores, and Houston, according to Trent Thomas, a Brewster Pointe developer.

Brewster Pointe is a family effort. “Our company is based on history and family lineage,” Trent explains. “My uncle, Charles Thomas, was a builder. [My dad] has been a builder forever. The name of our development company, which is Rountree Development, comes from family in Georgia.”

As part of a family that has built homes in the area since 1978, Trent says the semi-custom homes at Brewster Pointe are set apart from other developments by their open feel. “It’s not your suburbia subdivision,” Trent shares. “It’s kind of got a rural feel to it. You’re not going to be on top of your neighbors. You’ve got some green spaces that will have many options.”

In addition to green space, Brewster Pointe will have a community pool, parks, a villa, a gated area, and sidewalks throughout the neighborhood that connect to the City of College Station’s infrastructure.

The Thomas family says they plan to support the local economy by using local builders and developers at Brewster Pointe. “We’ve got some of the best builders in Brazos County that have chosen to purchase lots here,” says Glenn Thomas, Trent’s dad and co-developer.

“We are creating a genuine and peaceful place for people to live built upon integrity and truth,” Trent says.

Greens Prairie Reserve City College Station Schools Forest Ridge Elementary, Pecan Trail Intermediate, Wellborn Middle School, and A&M Consolidated High School Amenities Parks, lakes and ponds, walking trails, community space, and coordinated community events

Tucked away in south College Station just minutes from Tower Point, Greens Prairie Reserve is a first-of-its-kind development, according to Jennifer Dunkin, an Oldham Goodwin associate.

Greens Prairie marries the convenience of city living with the nature and privacy of living in the country. Winding trails rather than city blocks, natural buffers between neighbors, and natural lakes and ponds maintained by the HOA provide opportunities for Greens Prairie residents to interact with the land without the hassle of maintaining it. “A lot of times, in order to get that nature and green space and privacy you have to drive out of town,” Dunkin explains. “Greens Prairie Reserve is in the city limits, moments away from everything.”

The main amenity feature at Greens Prairie Reserve is thirteen miles of crushed granite walking trails. “It’s something for all ages,” Dunkin says. “We’re trying to bring a community feel to a neighborhood rather than just having huge amenities that only a couple people use.” In addition to walking trails, Greens Prairie Reserve will have a lifestyle coordinator in charge of planning events for residents at their community center. Dunkin says these events could include Food Truck Fridays, community yoga on Saturday mornings, farmers’ markets, and more. The goal is for Greens Prairie residents to become a community, similar to the ones found in small Texas towns.

Millican Reserve City College Station Schools Forest Ridge Elementary, College Station Middle School, College Station High School, John C. Webb Elementary, Navasota Junior High, Navasota High School Amenities Private lakes for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing; community farm; 20 miles of trails for biking, hiking, walking, equestrian, etc.; event space; planned community events; and farm-to-table dinners

On about 3,000 acres of land situated between Wellborn Road and U.S. Highway 6, Bryan College Station’s first conservation development founded on four pillars — wildlife conservation, agriculture, recreation, and art — is popping up under the name, “Millican Reserve.”

Building the community around the land even before there were rooftops on the property makes Millican Reserve unique, according to Jack McFarlane, Millican’s founder. “Millican Reserve really starts with the land,” he says. “We’re building community around the landscape.” Community events hosted at Millican Reserve provide an opportunity for people to connect with Brazos Valley’s rich agricultural heritage and connect with Millican’s spacious landscape. These events include races; Camp Millican, a summer day camp for kids; kayaking and canoeing; biking on Millican’s trails; and farmers’ markets on The Green hosted every third Sunday of the month featuring food grown at The Farm at Millican and by other local farmers.

The Millican Reserve community is rooted in Texas heritage. The architecture at Millican Reserve resembles old Texas houses and invites the outdoors in, McFarlane explains. Lots in the first development stages of Millican Reserve range from 1 acre to 10-plus acres and are designed to connect the community with the land. “Even if you have a 1-acre lot, you wake up and you walk outside and you feel like you have a thousand acres,” McFarlane says. “You don’t feel confined. You feel like you’re part of the landscape.”

Mission Ranch City College Station Schools Greens Prairie Elementary, Pecan Trail Intermediate, A&M Consolidated Middle School, and A&M Consolidated High School Amenities Resort-style pool, fitness center, planned community events, meeting spaces, pocket parks, trails and paths, and green spaces

With College Station’s newest elementary school located in its southeastern corner, Mission Ranch is a planned community built with a little something for everyone, according to Clint Cooper, senior vice president of Caldwell Companies.

“We’ve got four different product types in this community with a fifth that’s in the planning stages right now, so depending on what your budget is, we’ve got something that we can offer you,” Cooper explains. In addition to varying home and lot sizes, Mission Ranch features a Texas Hill Country theme. The rolling hills in the development give the community character that is accentuated by Spanish Hill Country-inspired architecture and landscaping.

The design of Mission Ranch is intended to be both beautiful and functional. “It’s designed to bring people together, and we do that through a number of different ways,” Cooper says. Neighborhood parks, walking trails, a large lake, and an amenities center featuring a resort-style swimming pool, workout facility, meeting spaces, and more add opportunities for Mission Ranch residents to connect with one another.

“We’re going to provide a programing in our communities that really tries to get people out of their house and create a community that is a place you want to be,” Cooper says.

Oakmont Development City Bryan Schools Houston Elementary, Sam Rayburn Intermediate, Stephen F. Austin Middle School, and Bryan High Amenities Paved trails, parks, amphitheater, sports fields, pool, splash pad, work out facility, and butterfly garden

Oakmont Development is an Adam Development Properties project. Similar to their other projects, including Miramont Country Club and Momentum Plaza, Oakmont features high-level landscaping, historic street lights, and high-end elements that create a unique atmosphere and community feel, according to Andrew Ball, director of real estate for Adam Development Properties.

Though the community is new, it is built to feel like a historic district. “We’ve picked an antique brick that is very complementary of Bryan Main Street,” Ball says. “The idea is kind of feeding off the farm-to-table idea where everything is local, so we’re using what would have been local materials if the community were being built in the historic time that Bryan was founded.”

Oakmont was designed with a wide range of family age groups in mind and appeals to young families and retirees alike. A lower cost of living in east Bryan and a built-in sense of community are two of the development’s appeals to all age groups.

Oakmont’s amenities are spread throughout the development, but The Porch, an 8,000-square-foot amenity center, is strategically located at the heart of the development to bring neighbors together. Planned community events will include decorating Christmas tree ornaments to place on a giant oak tree at the center of the development, family movie nights at the amphitheater, butterfly releases at the butterfly garden, and more. “We’re hoping that we can build a community that has everything anyone would ever want — and the price point is really attractive,” Ball says. “We think we’re going to have a really high-quality community.”