Big homes boost for small Texas town

The future looks promising for both Cleveland, Texas, and the McKinley Development Co Inc at the beginning of 2018.

McKinley, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dalian Yihai Group Company of China, is developing a master-planned community, Grand Oak Reserve, as well as Cleveland West Industrial Park in the city that lies just over 60 kilometers northeast of Houston.

Last week, the Cleveland City Council and Cleveland Economic Development Corporation gathered to look over the progress of the McKinley projects, which were announced last August.

"The city of Cleveland will have the first of its kind of development to put us on the map. This has been the talk of the town in the community. People are asking: What's going on out there? We have never seen this type of development before. They have been very excited about it," said Kelly McDonald, city manager of Cleveland.

According to the McKinley team, 90 percent of the land for the Grand Oak Reserve is already cleared. Model homes are expected to be built in early summer, with pre-sales starting in autumn. There is already a waiting list for homes.

Grand Oak Reserve is Cleveland's first master-planned neighborhood. It will include 30-plus acres of retail, professional and service establishments, thousands of units of single-family homes, condos and apartments, two golf courses, parks, a 16-hectare man-made lake surrounded by walking trails, a waterfall, gazebo and tennis and basketball courts.

The industrial warehouse complex is also well under way with several units near completion. A corner was already sold for a large convenience store, and a Huddle House restaurant has signed on. The company is getting calls daily about commercial space.

McDonald said that the city had held several international conferences on shopping centers.

"We were amazed how many retailers have Cleveland in their sights," she said. "This is the first time in Cleveland that something like this is happening. We can't express enough appreciation for McKinley choosing us for this development. Let's get it built, let's get people here."

Amanda De Rosario, vice-president of McKinley Homebuilders, said that she has seen the transformation of the western and southern outskirts of Houston in the past couple of decades.

"I worked from Katy to League City," Rosario said. "Lands that used to be considered cow land are now full of homes. I think Cleveland will be one of those great communities with a great commute, lush trees and that great Texas feel. It will be a healthy market in a few years."

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com