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Already better than The Woodlands? Springwoods Village to compete with ecotrails

An artist’s rendering looking south at the Holzwarth Road bridge across SpringCreek that connects the Springwoods Village community with The Woodlands inMontgomery County. The Springwoods Village Nature Preserve is to be located tothe right.
The plan features a nature center building, out of the floodplain, and a seriesof hard and soft trails through the 150 acres of forest habitat, wetlands and apond.
The planned community structure at Springwoods Village
Located 30 miles north of Houston, Springwoods Village is the last remainingmajor undeveloped piece of land along Interstate 45 and comprises about 1,800acres.

Life on the cul-de-sac has never been so eco-friendly: Just when you thought that The Woodlands represented the last frontier in far-flung New Urbanism, Coventry Development Corp. has in the works an 1,800-acre master-planned development south of The Woodlands, to be known as Springwoods Village.

The name of the game is "sustainability" for the suburb, which will straddle I-45 and a proposed future extension of the Grand Parkway — a ring road that has come under criticism for destroying wildlife habitat.

Springwoods Village's developers anticipate a walkable community with "smart, sustainable elements." We can expect a hip mix of luxury rentals, "urban-style" compact housing and single-family dwellings with yards.

A highlight green feature of the $10 billion community is a peripheral mile-long natural open space that is slated to become part of a regional greenway system, allowing for 33 miles of trails, recreation and natural ecosystems for the Springwoods community. Coventry — the development company behind Springwoods — elaborates on its website:

"The mixed-use community will unfold carefully and methodically to balance nature, urbanism and diversity. The existing forest and Spring Creek ecosystems will be protected and preserved utilizing the best practices in sustainable design and infrastructure. Springwoods Village will be user friendly, earth friendly, connected and current."

One thoughtful aspect of the design is the attention to wind aeration. The community is positioned to take advantage of prevailing winds from the southeast, which Coventry promises are consistent in frequency, duration and speed. The developers have also identified areas of "wind catchment" or wind chimneys — architectural devices that enable the wind from above to be brought down to the ground, providing further comfort for pedestrians in key areas of the community.

The community's construction is bound to devastate a portion of local wildlife habitat, but Coventry promises to "reconstruct savannah wetland ponds and create open green spaces," including a water feature that "looks like it was etched by water over the millennia."

Poetic sounding, no? Surely the up to 5,000 homes, 8.5 million square feet of commercial development and more than one million square feet of retail space will have little impact upon the native state of Springwoods Village.

There's speculation that Springwoods will be a home-base for employees of a future consolidated Exxon Mobil campus. Coventry begins two years of infrastructure work during the second quarter of 2011, at which point it will sell land tracts to outside developers who will construct office buildings, hotels, retail centers and residences.

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HAUTE PROPERTIES

Mrs. Baird's family's Hill Country ranch hits market for $10.9 million

Photo courtesy of West and Swope Ranches

Longhorns roam the grounds.

A famous Hill Country ranch is back on the market, but it’s going to cost its future owner a lot of bread. Baird Ranch, the former home of the family behind Mrs. Baird’s Bakery, has been relisted for $10.955 million, down from its more than $12 million price in 2024.

The 760-acre ranch is located near Johnson City, about 69 miles away from San Antonio. Listing agent West and Swope Ranches says the property is well-suited for both residential and operational use.

Photo courtesy of West and Swope Ranches

Longhorns roam the grounds.

Longtime Texans are no doubt familiar with the family brand. Fort Worth founder Ninia "Ninnie" Baird started cooking breads and sweets in 1908 to make income when her husband, William Baird, suffered ill health. Since then, it has become a literal household name in the state and the base of countless peanut butter sandwiches.

There's plenty of fishing on Baird Ranch.Photo courtesy of West and Swope Ranches

The dough dynasty bought the ranch in 1951 and used the land for recreation and raising cattle. The property, located along Miller Creek, hosts deer, turkeys, doves, and quail, making it ideal for hunting. Fishing, swimming, hiking, gardening, and trail riding are available for those who don’t like to shoot.

Baird Ranch includes a foreman’s cabin, guest quarters, barns, storage buildings, and various outbuildings that support day-to-day ranching, but the centerpiece is a ‘50s-era ranch house with Saltillo tile floors. Assumably, there’s at least one oven tucked away in a kitchen.

“Baird Ranch is one of those rare properties that still feels untouched by time,” West and Swopes owner Louie Swope said in a statement. “The live water, incredible elevation, and a location this close to Austin is almost impossible to find at this price point. It’s a true legacy ranch in every sense of the word.”

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