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some Bay Area
Variety
Beacon
Island Builders Make Plans to Break Ground
Custom home builders Murphy Yates and Dan Wallrath report they have received
the first reservations on Beacon Island estate home sites and are hard at
work on plans for home buyer review and approval. They both expect to begin
construction this summer with occupancy expected next year.
Beacon Island has piqued the interest of luxury home buyers in Bay Area
Houston as well as Inner-Loop Houstonians and out-of-state buyers say the
two builders. “Never in my 28 years of building have I seen so much interest
in a residential development before the roads were even built,” said Dan
Wallrath. “We are seeing a flight to quality among home buyers and home
builders alike and Beacon Island represents the epitome of that flight to
quality,” Murphy Yates said.
Current customers of the two Clear Lake area builders have secured
reservations for the first two Beacon Island estate lots with construction
planned for summer 2008 and completion targeted for spring or summer 2009.
When the land bridge is removed this summer and the more than $1 million
arching bridge project is complete, it will be literally an island and the
developers' vision will begin to become a reality. “It’s been a long haul
since December 2006 when we purchased this property, along with 26 acres of
additional shoreline northeast of the Southshore Harbour Marina,” said Bob
Stratton, a principal with The Verandah Companies. With vertical
construction planned for single family residences blended with mid-rise and
high-rise residences, the entire island needed to be secured with a new
perimeter bulkhead. “Considerable fill dirt was required to raise and sculpt
the grade and all this had to be done with respect for the hundreds of
native trees on the island in order to maintain the Old South charm we have
planned,” said Stratton.
Beacon Island is envisioned as a “Southern Coastal Village” in the style of
Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, capitalizing on Old South
romance and charm with lush landscaping, gas lamp light fixtures, deep
porches, tall pillars, balconies and decorative iron accents. To enhance the
southern ambiance of Beacon Island as a quaint coastal village, as many as
60 of it existing mature trees are being relocated. When complete, Beacon
Island will feature at least nine shaded parks, tree-lined boulevards, an
interior lake, and more than 2.5 miles of walking paths, meandering trails
and a night-lit perimeter boardwalk promenade.
The Verandah Companies reports that the underground infrastructure is
complete, which means that street paving can now be done and the bridge
project can begin. Both are expected to be complete this summer. Extensive
landscaping will also begin this year, along with construction of the Entry
Court , the front gate Pilot’s House and the Commander’s Club. “We want
future homeowners to see our southern coastal vision spring to life at the
same time home construction begins,” said Nancy Pointer, a principal with
The Verandah Companies. “Luxury amenities such as boat slips on Beacon
Island , water taxi service and immediate access to the Southshore Harbour
Marina will help define the coastal character of this island,” said Pointer.
“As people begin to come visit Beacon Island later this year, we want them
to experience what Beacon Island will become as they begin to consider
purchasing a home here.”
Lighthouse Park To Be Focal Point
The Lighthouse on Beacon Island , which resembles the Cape Canaveral
Lighthouse in Florida , will remain in its stately position at the north
point of the island and will be surrounded by a tiered, landscaped
Lighthouse Park .
The black and white-banded lighthouse became a symbol for the South Shore
Harbour master planned community 25 years ago primarily through the
influence of astronaut Alan Shepard, who remembered seeing the Cape
Canaveral Lighthouse as the last site on earth when he made history as the
first American astronaut in space in 1961.
Participants and bystanders at the Clear Lake Christmas Boat Lane Parade
were treated to a stunning lighthouse light show last December, courtesy of
The Verandah Companies and with state-of-the-art technical magic provided by
LightPartners of Seabrook. The Verandah Companies is planning special
effects light shows featuring the Lighthouse on Beacon Island for future
Fourth of July and Christmas season festivities.
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