New Texas 288 Community Unveils Plans for First Community Dedicated to Education for All Ages
MANVEL/IOWA COLONY, TX (October 7, 2015) – The development team of Meridiana has unveiled its plans for Houston’s first master-planned community with outdoor learning labs, created in collaboration with local educators, where students of all ages can study the earth’s movement, the solar system, principles of gravity and velocity, wildlife habitats and more amidst an unprecedented community of new homes. Located at Texas 288 and the future Meridiana Parkway (now County Road 56) south of the Texas Medical Center, the new 2,700-acre master-planned community will be unrivaled in its commitment to education for all stages of life, according to Dan Naef, president of Rise Communities, developer of Meridiana. “When we studied the local market, what stood out most was the enormous opportunity for an education-based community, particularly one close to the Texas Medical Center,” notes Naef. Working closely with faculty of the Alvin Independent School District, the development team will create engaging learning and discovery experiences, each with dedicated websites, as part of Meridiana’s first phase. Each of the experiences will be designed to fit into the District’s curriculum for students from kindergarten through high school. In Galileo’s Lab, fixed outdoor features will allow students to study weather, water quality, the solar system, gravity and velocity. The setting with shaded, outdoor classroom space also will feature birdhouses, butterfly gardens and fauna at the water’s edge. Two other learning labs in Meridiana’s Amenity Village, a sky map and the community’s signature 60-foot Meridian Tower, will demonstrate the sun’s movement in relation to the earth. The sky map’s Solstice and Equinox lines will track the sun’s movement while the Meridian Tower will operate similar to a sun tower by casting a spot of sunlight on the ground that moves as the Earth rotates. The Meridiana conservatory will serve as a greenhouse where teachers can present curriculum on photosynthesis and plant identification. “Meridiana provides Alvin ISD teachers with another educational tool that ties into their curriculum at every age level,” says Naef who adds other learning labs will be added in the community’s second phase. Besides its commitment to creating a one-of-a-kind, education-based community, Meridiana will be home to 5,500 new, single-family homes by David Weekley Homes, Highland Homes, Perry Homes, Plantation Homes, Ryland Homes, Shea Homes, Taylor Morrison Homes and Trendmaker Homes. Meridiana’s homesites will range from 50-100 feet in width, including 80 and 100-foot homesites in several gated sections. Plus, Meridiana’s homesites will be five feet deeper than those in other master-planned communities. Meridiana’s Amenity Village will feature a Welcome Center, fitness center with children’s play area, family pool with cabanas, splash pad, poolside café and a shady, hillside amphitheater for movie nights. Amenities will include catch-and-release fishing, kayaking and a trail system connecting Meridian Elementary School, opening for the 2016-17 academic school year. “Hands down, we will have the best amenity package of any community in the Texas 288 submarket,” says Naef. Meridiana also will be home to Soliel (French for sun), a trained Golden Retriever who will serve as the community’s office ambassador. Besides appearing at community events, Soliel will periodically invite residents to spend the night in his swanky, 40-foot Ambassador’s Yacht, part of Meridiana’s Amenity Village. Meridiana’s impressive entry will feature a two-story LED-paneled artist wall showcasing various images behind a curtain of flowing water. A temporary on-site Welcome Center and homebuilder sales offices will open Saturday, October 17 while construction of Meridiana’s first model homes is expected to begin in November. Individuals can go to www.MeridianaTexas.com to sign up for e-mail updates on the latest news and information as the community is developed. Also, follow Meridiana atwww.Facebook.com/MeridianaTexas and...
Read MoreConstruction Starts at Meridiana Elementary School In New Master-Planned Community of Meridiana
MANVEL/IOWA COLONY, TX – Construction of Meridiana Elementary School, the new on-site school in the Meridiana master-planned community and the first in the Alvin Independent School District south of Highway 6 and east of Texas 288, is now well underway. Meridiana Elementary School will feature a 21st century, two-story design where a majority of classrooms will include exterior windows for ample natural light and exterior views. The school’s signature feature will be a centrally located library spanning the full height of the building with soaring, clerestory windows to create additional natural light. Rise Communities, developer of Meridiana, funded the acquisition of the land for the campus. “Our new on-site elementary school is at the core of Meridiana’s commitment to education,” notes Dan Naef, president of Rise Communities, who adds the master-planned community will feature learning and discovery experiences for all stages in life, from young children to active adults. Families in Meridiana will attend the new Meridiana Elementary School when it opens for the 2016-17 school year. Meridiana, the premier master-planned community on Texas 288 minutes south of the Texas Medical Center, is located near the interchange of Texas 288 and Highway 6, where more than 5,500 new, single-family homes are planned. The 2,700-acre master-planned community will be accessible by the new Meridiana Parkway (now County Road 56) interchange at Highway 288, which upon opening in 2016 will provide easy access into the community. Individuals can go to www.MeridianaTexas.com to sign up for e-mail updates on the latest news and information as the community is developed. Also, “like” Meridiana at www.Facebook.com/MeridianaTexas and follow on Twitter and on Instagram....
Read MoreOfficials Break Ground at Meridiana; Development Begins on Premier Master-Planned Community South of Texas Medical Center
MANVEL/IOWA COLONY, TX (May 4, 2015) – No sooner had the dirt settled from the groundbreaking ceremony at Meridiana, work crews and heavy equipment moved in to begin the first phase of development at the premier master-planned community on Texas 288 minutes south of the Texas Medical Center. “Let’s get started,” cheered Dan Naef, president of Rise Communities after planting his shovel in the ground along with officials from Manvel and Iowa Colony. Work has already commenced on the new Meridiana Parkway (now County Road 56), which upon completion will connect Texas 288 to Highway 6 while serving as the signature thoroughfare through the community. A new Meridiana Parkway interchange at Texas 288, scheduled to open in 2016, will create easy accessibility into the 2,700-acre community. Officials with Rise Communities, developer of Meridiana, also expect roadways to be completed in the next three months to serve the community’s first 435 homesites. Ultimately, Meridiana will offer 5,500 new homes, creating an additional $1.5 billion in assessed value. Work also has started to prepare land for Meridiana’s model homes where construction is expected to begin in August. The community’s unique features and its collection of homebuilders will be announced in June. “We’re planning a first-class community with educational amenities and discovery experiences unlike any other in the Houston area,” Naef adds. With its Texas 288 location, Meridiana is expected to attract workers from the Texas Medical Center as well as those at large, nearby employers in Freeport including Dow Chemical, BASF and others. Families in Meridiana will attend schools in the Alvin Independent School District, including the new, on-site Meridiana Elementary School scheduled to open for the 2106-17 school year. Individuals can go to www.MeridianaTexas.com to sign up for e-mail updates on the latest news and information on the community. Also for the latest updates, follow Meridiana at www.Facebook.com/MeridianaTexas, on Twitter @MeridianaTexas and on Instagram @MeridianaTexas. # # # Shovels Up! Attending the groundbreaking of Meridiana are (l. to r.) Kim Keen, Alvin/Manvel Area Chamber of Commerce, Manvel Mayor-Pro Tem Melody Hanson, Manvel City Councilmember Adrian Gaspar, Matt Lawson and Dan Naef of Rise Communities, Iowa Colony Mayor Robert Wall, Iowa Colony City Councilmember Susan Cottrell and Iowa Colony City Manager Ron Cox....
Read MoreNew Master-Planned Community, Meridiana, to Add More Than 5,500 New Homes Minutes South of the Texas Medical Center
MANVEL/IOWA COLONY, TX – Rise Communities has announced it will embark on the development of Meridiana, the premier master-planned community on Texas 288 minutes south of the Texas Medical Center in Manvel and Iowa Colony. Located near the interchange of Texas 288 and Highway 6, Meridiana also is close to several large-scale employers in Freeport including new projects planned by Dow Chemical and BASF. The 2,700-acre master-planned community will be accessible by the new Meridiana Parkway interchange at Highway 288 (now County Road 56), which upon opening in 2016, will provide easy access into the community. More than 5,500 new, single-family homes are planned for Meridiana, according to Dan Naef, president of Rise Communities. “Meridiana will be an exceptional, family-oriented master-planned community with outstanding home builders and unprecedented, educational-oriented amenities,” says Naef. “With Meridiana, we are making a bold commitment to education with learning and discovery experiences for all stages in life, from young children to active adults.” Individuals can go to www.MeridianaTexas.com to sign up for e-mail updates on the latest news and information as the community is developed. Families in Meridiana will attend schools in the Alvin Independent School District, including the new, on-site Meridiana Elementary School scheduled to open for the 2016-2017 academic school year. Meridiana is located minutes from the more than 75 shops and restaurants in Pearland Town Center. It also is close to Baylor St. Luke’s Emergency Center – Pearland, Houston Methodist Pearland Emergency Care Center and the all-new, acute care Pearland Medical Center. Rise Communities is led by an executive team which is developing the Katy master-planned community of Cane Island where on-site builder sales offices have opened and pre-sales are well underway. The company’s track record includes the development and construction of several award-winning communities totaling over 14,000 acres and now home to over 100,000 residents....
Read More