Fulshear's future

23-acre walkable mixed-use development planned for Houston suburb

The walkable city trend is getting another new development in the Greater Houston area. Kirksey Architecture, a Texas-based firm with 38 million square feet of LEED projects in its portfolio, broke ground on a 23-acre housing development located in Fulshear on July 25 in a ceremony that included Don McCoy, Mayor of the City of Fulshear.

“We are beyond excited for this incredible development in the City of Fulshear and can’t wait for our residents to enjoy all that’s to come,” said McCoy. “It has been a joy working with both Janapriya Upscale and Kirksey Architecture.”

The new development is located between F.M. 1093 and McKinnon Road, and will be managed by Janapriya Upscale, a real estate firm based in India. It is slated for completion by Alpha Bravo Construction in early 2026. Fulshear was recently named one of the fastest growing wealthy suburbs in America.

Walkable or "15-minute" cities have become a new buzzword and trend in development. The idea is to reduce the isolation and cost of modern life by making it easier for residents to walk to necessary businesses instead of being beholden to cars for all travel. The concept has been slow to catch on in Texas, though at least one walkable neighborhood has opened in Houston's East End. Despite the name, all walkable neighborhoods remain accessible to automobiles.

The design of the new neighborhood involves one-story retail spaces along F.M. 1093 and another set of one- and two-story commercial/office condominium spaces arranged around a central town square with coffee shops and ice cream shops anchoring the corners. Residents will also have access to a lake for strolls, hopefully encouraging chance meetings and a greater sense of community.

“We’re proud to be part of the exciting momentum taking shape in Fulshear,” said Paul Newsoroff, Commercial Practice Director of Kirksey. “The goal of this mixed-use development is to give Fulshear residents a functional lifestyle center in their growing community, and we are thrilled to see it come to fruition.”

A quad full of people on a nice day in a housing development.

Courtesy of Kirksey Architecture

The proposed walkable housing development in Fulshear.

construction fulshear mixed-use development

Royal Flip

Chip and Joanna Gaines finally sell $2.7M Fixer Upper castle in Waco

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot Waco castle at nearly $2.7 million.

Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are done lording over their 136-year-old castle in Waco. The stars of TV’s Fixer Upper have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, Mansion Global reported. The sale is pending.

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot castle, in Waco's historic and affluent Castle Heights neighborhood, at nearly $2.7 million. They bought the property in 2019, when it carried a $425,000 price tag.

The castle, with a sandstone and limestone facade, is modeled after a German castle along the Rhine River.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines are preparing to hand over the keys to their castle. Facebook Magnolia Network

The duo spent several years restoring the castle to revive its original character. That work became the foundation for their six-part 2022 series Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They opened it to the public for guided tours and introduced Magnolia brand tie-ins, like a “Colors of the Castle” paint collection.

“People love things that are nostalgic. They love things that are antique-looking, and I want this place to feel like it did in 1915,” Joanna said during an episode of Fixer Upper. “Whether you walked into the space in 1915 or today, it has that same feeling of history and love and beauty and castle-ship.”

A year after the series aired, the castle failed to sell at auction, according to Mansion Global. It went on the market in June. Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, the real estate brokerage founded by the Gaineses, has the listing.

The three-story castle offers “a seamless blend of historic grandeur and modern functionality,” according to the listing.

That grandeur includes millwork, antique tile floors, diamond-paned windows and seven ornate fireplaces. The four-bedroom property features three-and-a-half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a great room, a card room, a library and a conservatory.

All furnishings, accessories and decor “have been thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design,” the listing says, and are included in the sale.

The castle has a rocky modern history.

Jack Schwan bought the property in 1969 for $50,000, according to the Waco Welcome Center.

Over the years, the Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. The family tried to sell the castle in 1982; they thought it was worth close to $1.25 million following the overhaul. In 1991, the property sold only after a drastic price cut.

“Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home,” according to the Waco Welcome Center.

The castle sold again in 2014, and a group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink tackled renovation work. The Gaineses bought it five years later, after it had been neglected and abandoned.

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