Grand Parkway draws potential residents further southwest – Your Houston News: News

Since being built in the mid-1990s, the Grand Parkway’s impacton the Sugar Land and greater Fort Bend area have been widely feltby residents, commercial businesses and even the school system.

According to local Realtors, the Grand Parkway has opened up apart of Sugar Land to potential home buyers that was not asattractive in the past.

Susan Friedman, who is in charge of residential service for theFort Bend Real Estate Corporation, said that Highway 99 has openedup many areas that were not as accessible in the past.

“As far as how it’s impacted growth, it’s opened up a lot of newareas. All of the new subdivisions and developments along the GrandParkway have been made accessible to the Sugar Land aream” Friedmansaid. “What I’ve noticed is that more and more people being willingto move out of the ‘heart’ of Sugar Land so to speak.”

As an alternative to popular Sugar Land neighborhoods such asFirst Colony, the Grand Parkway has made the areas further southalong 59 and west of the freeway more popular. the new Territorymaster-planned community and, farther north, areas such as PecanGrove and the future Aliana communities all run along or near theGrand Parkway and have been granted easier access to the freewaythanks to the Grand Parkway.

“It’s given us, as Realtors, many more options to show ourclients,” Friedman said. “It’s been better for those who want tomove to the Sugar Land and Richmond areas.”

As residents are drawn away from the “heart” of Sugar Land, soare many businesses and even schools. the large Travis High Schoolwas opened in the 2006-2007 school year to accommodate growth inthe area, and many business and stores have opened up near the NewTerritory section of the parkway.

“Businesses have absolutely grown in the area,” Friedman said.“The Grand Parkway has opened up the area.”