PEOPLE Steve Sams Senior vice president, master-planned communities residential, The Howard Hughes Corp. Steve Sams joined The Howard Hughes Corp., which develops Bridgeland, in April, replacing Heath Melton as senior vice president of residential develop- ment for master-planned communities. Sams has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pitts- burgh and previously worked as the general manager for Johnson Development Corp. in Fulshear. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
COMPILED BY VANESSA HOLT
"WE CREATE THESE COMMUNITIES TO ATTRACT A DIVERSE MIX OF RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES." STEVE SAMS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, THE HOWARD HUGHES CORP.
THE MASTER PLAN Bridgeland is the largest master-planned community in Cypress with more than 60,000 residents across four villages and a town center anticipated at buildout.
CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND? I’ve been in residential land development in Houston for a little over 20 years, first as a civil engineer and then in land development, most recently ... working as a general manager for the Johnson Develop- ment Corp. on their master-planned communities. What attracted me to Howard Hughes, … I was really attracted to their reputation as a developer and impressed with the communities they already developed in The Woodlands and the more … ongoing active communities in Bridgeland and Woodlands Hills in terms of residential development. WHAT IS THE DEVELOPER’S CONTINUING ROLE IN MASTER- PLANNED COMMUNITIES? Unlike other developers, I think Howard Hughes remains an active and collaborative partner in the communities. We live and work here, which helps us to understand their needs. WHAT IS A UNIQUE FEATURE OF DEVELOPING BRIDGELAND? Bridgeland is really appealing to new homebuyers with all of the
amenities [it offers]. … We have encompassed nature and a diverse collection of these new home prod- ucts that we’re providing. It’s the No. 1 [master-planned community] in Greater Houston and continues to attract residents with amenities and outdoor spaces. The main challenge we have … is keeping up with housing demand, which really is a problem nationwide. HOW IS THE COMPANY DIVERSIFYING OFFERINGS? Many people choose a lock-and- leave lifestyle by moving to multi- family properties. In Bridgeland, we are well known for introducing new products to the Houston market. Parkland Square was one of the first locations where we had a traditional neighborhood development, led by David Weekley Homes. That went so well that we have a new neighborhood called Parkland Row with Weekley Homes, the same type of smaller sections of homes built in and around open space, community gathering spots and parks. We have just recently opened Prairieland Village in Bridgeland. This will add about 7,000 home
10,780 residents projected
5,800 residents projected
CREEKLAND VILLAGE
10,880 residents projected
LAKELAND VILLAGE
BRIDGELAND CENTRAL
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PRAIRIELAND VILLAGE
PARKLAND VILLAGE
24,640 residents projected
11,300 residents projected
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SOURCE: THE HOWARD HUGHES CORP./COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
sites that will have that diverse mix of housing products, and very soon we’re going to be starting on our fourth village in Bridgeland— Creekland Village. That’s the last one out of four. [Build-to-rent communities] have come up on the radar; we’re aware of the trend and looking into it in the future. WHY ARE PEOPLE BUYING IN MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNI- TIES IN THE HOUSTON AREA? Well, I think at Howard Hughes we create these communities to
attract a diverse mix of residents and businesses, and one of the ways we do that is develop with the idea of an urban core—office, shopping, dining and entertainment. Also with some residential and a walkable environ- ment, those open spaces are going to ... allow residents to connect with nature. ... These benefits are principles we use as blueprints for communities that promote creativ- ity, collaboration and culture. You can see that in The Wood- lands, and then we are planning that type of community in Bridgeland as well.
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