Celebrating Evergreen™: An Interview with Our Community Planners

April 13th marked the official opening of Evergreen™, Shea Homes® Houston’s newest master-planned community. From April 15th to April 30th, 2023, model home visitors can enter for a chance to win a $5,000 prize.* Bring your family on Saturday, April 22nd or 29th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for refreshments, crafts, and children’s activities!

Behind this hotly anticipated, 2,000-home community is a team of professionals who have worked for years to bring Shea Homes’® vision to life. This team would like to share some of their experiences with you. Their responses have been lightly edited for flow.
 

What is your role at Shea Homes®?

KEITH LUECHTEFELD: Division President
JIM ZIMMERMANN: VP Land Acquisition & Development
ROBERT SANTINI: Director of Land Development & Entitlements
PETE GARCIA: Development Construction Manager
DAVID LOUIS: Senior Sales Consultant for Shea Homes® 40' and 50' homesites.
ALAN SNEAD: Senior Sales Consultant for Shea Homes® 60' and 70' homesites.
 

What role have you played in the development of Evergreen™?

JIM: I led the acquisition, visioning and design of the initial development phase.
PETE: I am the onsite construction manager for the Shea Homes® Land Development team. I oversee all construction activities for the infrastructure, as well as homebuilder construction.
 

What were the most important factors in deciding Evergreen™’s location, layout, and high concept?

JIM: I’ve long felt that the Highway 242 corridor east of The Woodlands was an ideal location for a new master planned community. Our vision was to create life in the woods. To be good stewards of the environment. Preserve the trees! We saw the woods as a connection to nature. Land planning was driven by a desire to make it easy for the community to enjoy the natural environment. The community is designed to have each neighborhood connected by trails through a series of parks, ponds, and open spaces.
PETE: The community is strategically located on the State Highway 242 corridor between I-45 and FM 1314, minutes away from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and the Woodlands Mall, close enough to both Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston. The concept is to have a master-planned community in a forested, nature-friendly environment allowing kids and adults alike the opportunity to enjoy mother nature at its best.
KEITH: As with any community, we look at the location to determine its proximity to transportation corridors and employment centers. We also evaluate the quality of the schools and the area around the community. If those are positives, we then assess our ability to cost effectively develop the land into a community that supports and promotes the Shea Homes® brand. In the case of Evergreen™, all those factors were very positive.

What has been your favorite experience in the process of developing Evergreen™?

JIM: Imagining the future! Working with the team to “imagine” the community in the future and create our vision. I love to let the dreamers dream. My job, and where I take my pleasure, is turning those dreams into reality. Being able to drive through a community later and say, “What you see is what we dreamed.”
PETE: Saving and protecting trees and natural habitats.
 

What is something you are looking forward to?

ROBERT: Evergreen™ will boast a recreation center with many different offerings including a pool, splash pad, community lounge, meeting room, HOA office, expansive multi-age playground, and many outdoor opportunities. Construction of the Rec Center is planned to start this summer.
PETE: The coming to fruition of the amenity packages, landscaping, and the look on a kid’s face as they experience nature in their own backyard.
ALAN: Lots of trees!
 

What do you expect for future residents of Evergreen™?

ROBERT: Evergreen™ will offer residents a full community package of lifestyle events coordinated through the HOA, miles of community trails, many parks and common area spaces, and connected walkability throughout.
JIM: Seeing the crowds at the farmers market on Saturdays; the walkers and joggers on the trails; the families watching movies on the great lawn on Friday nights; the friends that met on the trail and are visiting on the park bench.
PETE: Life in a wooded community that embraces nature, giving the impression that you are far from the hustle and bustle of city life, where you can relax and enjoy brisk walks on nature trails, the amenity creek, and family outings.
DAVID: A lifestyle that is designed to promote purpose, healthy living, and so much more. I’m looking forward to the Thoughtfully Designed landscape and architecture that this community will have to offer.
ALAN: Living close to nature, and close to shopping and restaurants.
KEITH: We look forward to seeing residents calling Evergreen™ “home.”

What is something that makes Evergreen™ special?

JIM: I spent much of my career turning big rectangles into little rectangles. But now, it is so much more joyful to create a true community that betters people’s lives, where families are raised in a natural, authentic environment with a chance to really escape from the “real world,” where you can live like you’ve always imagined, and lifetime memories are created.
ROBERT: Evergreen™ will have its own dedicated utility system, not dependent on or beholden to any other community, and building out these facilities has been a large part of delivering Phase I. There is also a major drainage channel that runs through the middle of Evergreen™ that requires a significant bridge crossing as part of Phase I. The bridge is underway now, and has been planned as an amenity focal point, not just a utility for access.
PETE: Shea Homes®’s commitment to building not only a community that homeowners will be proud to call home, but also providing a natural environment.
DAVID: As a Shea Homes® Master-Planned Community, Evergreen™ will be about more than just finding the right home, it will be about offering a lifestyle that families want and deserve.
ALAN: The feeling of being away from everything and surrounded by trees, creeks, and wildlife.
 

How does Shea Homes® fit into Evergreen™?

PETE: Shea Homes® is a family-owned business, rich in history, with a heart for giving back to the community. Evergreen™ will offer a lifestyle program that is all inclusive for all ages.
DAVID: The success of Evergreen™ will reflect the Shea Homes® legacy we’ve all come to know.
KEITH: The Shea brand is many things, but I think one of the great things about Shea is that it just says “family” to me. We think Evergreen™ will speak strongly to family, in all its forms.
 

Learn more about Shea Homes® floorplans available in this community, and find directions to the Shea Homes® Evergreen™ models, at sheahomes.com/evergreen.

This is not an offer of real estate for sale, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, to residents of any state or province in which registration and other legal requirements have not been fulfilled. Pricing does not include options, elevation, or lot premiums, effective date of publication and subject to change without notice. Features and plans subject to change without notice. All square footages and measurements are approximate and subject to change without notice. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Equal Housing Opportunity. Models are not an indication of racial preference. School enrollment and boundaries subject to change. Community development plans may change at any time without notice.

*No purchase is necessary. Promotion Period begins April 15, 2023 at 12:00 a.m. Central Time and ends on April 30, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Participants must be 18 years of age or older, legal residents and must reside in Greater Houston, Texas. Making a referral will not increase your chance of winning. Odds depend on the number eligible entries. Additional terms and restrictions apply. Please see https://evergreen-texas.com/grandopeningdisc for a complete set of the Official Rules.