By N. BRADFORD
Reporter News Staff
A Houston builder is proposing “a multi-family development “with a single-family feel” just south of Pearland Town Center.
LightHaven at Pearland Town Center would be located on just under 14 acres that is part of the 288 Gateway, a mix of office, retail and medical campuses located along Highway 288. Designed to match the look of Town Center, the 124-unit complex would add what is known as the “missing middle,” a range of housing that falls between individually owned, single-family homes and rental apartment buildings.
“This project in particular can help fill a need at Pearland Town Center,” said Derek Darnell, president of Pelican Builders. “There is existing multifamily to the north of this, this would be a slightly different product with a different look and feel.”
City Council and Planning and Zoning discussed the proposal during a July 10 joint workshop.
“The question is what do we want to see there?” Mayor Kevin Cole said, “and the options are fairly limited. I don’t think the Town Center feels additional retail needs to be there — but something that complements their retail. There have been several runs at entertainment.”
When it comes to the missing middle, however, some members of Planning and Zoning preferred ownership vs. rentals.
“My definition of the missing middle for Pearland is ownership diversity housing,” Planning and Zoning Commissioner Ashlee Boswell said, “not necessarily another rental option.”
P&Z Commissioner Henry Fuertes, who lives in Shadow Creek, described the site as a “dead zone,” because it has been vacant for so long.
“I don’t think it’s a bad product,” he said.
Pelican’s plan calls for a dog park, gated entry, and connections to the city’s existing trail system. The units are a mixture of townhouses and detached homes.
When asked by the mayor what the units would cost if sold separately vs. being leased, the developers gave a ballpark estimate between $600,000 to $700,000.
“If you want a for-sale product on the back of this, you’re not looking at the missing middle,” Cole pointed out. “The biggest threat to home ownership is affordability. And that is before interest rates went up.”
