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Photo ID: Troy Powell, The Colony City Manager; Kristian Teleki, Senior Vice President with Matthews Southwest; Gordon Scruggs, Director of Engineering with The Colony; The Colony Mayor Joe McCourry and Jack Matthews, President of Matthews Southwest.

The Colony unveiled its $2.4 million elevated water storage tank with an unlikely celebration – a friendly water fight between developer executives and city administrators.

“Being out here beneath this new tower with our friends from Matthews Southwest is just a perfect example of how The Colony continues to enjoy success with all of our recent growth, both in the residential and commercial sectors.” said The Colony Mayor Joe McCourry.

“This tower was part of our 2010 water plan to accommodate expansion in the area,” continued McCourry. “It was built on property that the city owns, which was donated by the developer Matthews Southwest, and lessens the demand on the city’s other three water towers.”

Funds from The Tribute Tax Increment Financing District, which the city council approved in 2013, paid for the cost of constructing the tower and did not impact property taxes. Matthews Southwest, the developer of The Tribute, a master-planned community located in The Colony’s Wynnwood Peninsula, financed the cost of construction of the tower on behalf of the city to speed up the construction timeline.

“Our unique partnership and long-standing relationship with the City of The Colony truly demonstrates what can be accomplished when there’s full trust and cooperation between public and private groups trying to do the right thing,” said Jack Matthews, president of Matthews Southwest.

The city also worked closely with Matthews Southwest on selecting the type and aesthetic design of the new tank.

“We hope the tower serves not only as a source of vital resources for residents, but also a picturesque landmark indicative of the pride we all have in our community,” said Gordon Scruggs, Director of Engineering for The Colony.

Construction of the one million gallon storage tank, located at the Wynnwood Pump Station on Lebanon Road, took 12 months and became fully operational in July 2015. The steel tower is 164 feet tall, spherical in shape, and features The Colony logo facing west and The Tribute logo facing east.

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Drees Custom Homes hosted the McKinney Chamber of Commerce for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to grand open their new model home in the Enclave at Hidden Creek in McKinney.

Ambassador Chris Nickell of the McKinney Chamber of Commerce led the ceremony that included the presentation of an official plaque from the Chamber and certificate being presented by Denise Voss on behalf of Senator Van Taylor to officially open the new community.  Chamber business leaders attended the event along with Drees Division President Greg Dawson, community Market Manager Missy Trees, Drees Marketing Director Jamie Ovalle and Realtor Relations Director Sherry Scott.

“We are very proud of our new model in Enclave of Hidden Creek and we are already experiencing great sales from Collin County area residents and relocation buyers who appreciate the great McKinney lifestyle, good schools and convenient location offered here,” said Greg Dawson, Drees Division President.

With 10 stunning designs priced from the mid $300s to upper $400s, families and empty nesters are finding Enclave at Hidden Creek to be the perfect fit.  Drees new home designs range from 2,064 to 3,638 square feet and offer the customization and luxurious amenities buyers want in their new home. 

Enclave at Hidden Creek also has wonderful amenities including beautiful creek-side home sites in a serene setting that is ideal for outdoor living.  Wooded walking trails, a pool, playground, sports court and volleyball court support an active, healthy lifestyle as well as provide a great place to meet your neighbors.

Visit Drees Custom Homes’ new, fully furnished Brendan model home at 3816 King’s Hollow Lane in McKinney to tour these beautiful new homes. Directions: From 75 North, turn left on W. Eldorado Parkway. Turn right on Orchid Lane and the entrance is on the right in approximately one mile. Turn right on King’s Hollow Lane. Model is open Mon-Fri 10-7p, Sat 10-6p, Sun 10-7p. For more information go to www.dreeshomes.com

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Windsong Ranch announced today it will host Wings Over Windsong, the largest radio controlled aircraft event ever seen in the Dallas-Fort Worth area the weekend before Veterans Day.  With proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project, the AMA Sanctioned event is a joint effort by the Richardson, North Dallas and Rowlett Radio Control Clubs.  The three clubs have memberships totaling over 500 members and the event will feature model aviation planes ranging from WWII, WWI, sport, 3D, pattern, electric aircraft as well as helicopters, some which will be as large at 60 percent of full scale and a real helicopter landing at Noon.

“This will be a spectacular event where all of North Texas will come together to honor our veterans and fly for a cause,” said Craig Martin, Developer of Windsong Ranch.  “All proceeds from the day’s events will go to support the Wounded Warrior Project.  It will truly be a historic event with many memories and what we hope will be an annual gathering that grows larger each year.”

Pilot registration and spectator fees are free.  Industry experts are predicting this event could eventually challenge Joe Nall, an air show in South Carolina which is currently the largest gathering of RC pilots at one event any where in the world.

“Personally, I have attended Joe Nall six consecutive years,” said Ed Kranz, Vice President of Richardson Radio Control Club. “Having this as a comparison, I believe that Wings Over Windsong could eventually challenge it as another world famous RC event."

World-renowned 3D pilot Quique Somenzini has committed to attending the event.  His name is one of the most recognized in the RC community.  Somenzini will demonstrate some of his new aircrafts, meet the public and perform some amazing 3D demos during the day.

The Wings Over Windsong event is from 9 am-3 pm, Saturday, November 7 at Windsong Ranch, 1001 Windsong Parkway, Prosper, TX 75078.  Admission is free for spectators but donations are encouraged at the entry for the Wounded Warrior Project.  More information can be found at WindsongRanchLiving.com/wings.

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Longtime Northeast Tarrant County-based residential developers Paul Spain and Bobby Harrell of Terra Land and Bret Pedigo of Dallas-based Manna Land have merged their companies to create Terra Manna LLC, a new residential development company that will allow them to broaden their development footprint in the Dallas/Fort Worth market.

“Terra needed a third partner that could help us find, analyze and secure more deals in the DFW area, after limiting ourselves to developing custom home communities in Southlake, Trophy Club, Colleyville and Westlake for the last 20 years,” said Bobby Harrell, Partner of Terra Manna.  “Merging with Terra provides Bret with a larger platform to increase deal flow with less focus on his consulting services.”

Each company brings years of experience developing highly successful, master-planned and custom neighborhoods including developments as diverse as Devonshire, a master-planned community in Forney, Texas with homes starting in the mid $200s to luxury communities like Shady Oaks in Southlake and Terra Bella in Westlake with homes priced from the $900s to $3 million plus.

“Each company has different perspectives, strengths and experience in residential development but have the same business philosophy and company culture,” said Bret Pedigo, Partner of Terra Manna.  “As civil engineers, Paul Spain and I focus on the land acquisition and entitlements and Bobby, a custom home builder for many years, brings the builder perspective and the financing expertise to work closely with investors to maintain successful, profitable communities.”

While Terra Land focused more on niche custom home communities with a stable of top custom builders or niche communities with a single semi- custom volume builder in recent years, the Manna team focused on larger, master-planned communities and bring a wealth of established volume builder relationships to the new company.

“By combining our companies we have expanded our expertise, builder relationships, staff, investor base and industry network that will allow us to broaden the size, scope and variety of residential communities we develop in the future,” said Paul Spain, Partner of Terra Manna.

After meeting in 2011, the two companies’ principals began sharing office space and eventually helped each other find and secure new land deals with area landowners.  In 2013, new land acquisitions included property for communities in Southlake, Trophy Club and Colleyville.  Through this process, Terra Land and Manna Land decided to merge because the association had invigorated both companies, and expanded their capabilities. In 2015, the partners set their sights on properties that would provide residential and commercial development in Haslet, Argyle and Keller while continuing to develop in Southlake, Colleyville and Westlake.

“It’s rare in business to find another company that so closely aligns with your business philosophy and family values.  As developers, we are dedicated to being good neighbors to our cities and surrounding homeowners while creating well-planned, first-class communities in all price ranges.  We are all excited about the potential for this new company,” Spain added.

Since forming The Terra Companies in 1984, Paul Spain and Bobby Harrell have developed, managed and marketed new home communities in Northeast Tarrant County, specializing in custom home communities in Southlake, Colleyville, Westlake, Trophy Club and Keller.  Terra Land has developed thousands of lots in dozens of communities and has been the single most active developer in Southlake the last 15 years. Terra Land has earned a reputation for exceptional design and quality execution and was chosen to host the prestigious Kaleidoscope of Homes luxury home show in three different luxury communities.

Since 2009, when Manna Land was established, the company has provided consulting and advisory services to banks, hedge funds, and developers.  Services included entitlement, disposition, and construction management for projects such as Windsong Ranch in Prosper, Inspiration near Lake Lavon, Village Parks in McKinney.  As the local development partner for Wheelock Street Capital, Manna Land focused on the development of Canyon Falls in Denton County and Devonshire in Kaufman County. 

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Keller-based Christ’s Haven, a transitional home for abused, neglected and abandoned children, recently broke ground on a new home for its campus.  The land and construction costs for the $300,000 home were donated by Hanover Property Company and local builders First Texas Homes, Rendition Homes, Bloomfield Homes and Gehan Homes.

"For 61 years, Christ's Haven has been rescuing at-risk, neglected and displaced children,” said Christ’s Haven Executive Director, Dwight Robarts.  “The gift of this house not only provides permanent on-campus living quarters for the Director of Children's Service as required by our license, but allows us to renovate the house the Director currently lives in so that we might better serve our kids and take care of more children in the future."

The 2,400 square foot house will have four bedrooms and two baths.

“Christ Haven has worked with over 5,000 kids in at-risk households,” said Dick LeBlanc, President of Hanover Property Company.  “They are investing time and energy into the lives of these vulnerable children and we are delighted to participate and walk alongside them in this way.”

Christ's Haven currently has six cottages, a Community Enrichment Center, a Life Path house, a gymnasium, and a chapel on its campus.  The organization cares for 48 children on campus as well as children in foster care in off-campus homes in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The children receive medical and dental care, counseling and tutoring as needed in a warm and loving home under the care and guidance of full-time house parents with the goal of reunifying them with their families.  More information can be found at: christhaven.publishpath.com.

Founded in 1984, Hanover Property Company (hanoverproperty.com) is a Dallas-based real estate development firm which focuses on master planned residential communities, commercial/retail and multifamily developments throughout DFW.

First Texas Homes (firsttexashomes.com) has been building on the cornerstones of exceptional quality, superior design, absolute value, and unsurpassed customer service for over a quarter-century.  As a recognized leader in the industry, First Texas Homes has established a proven track record of putting the needs of customers first and takes great pride in ensuring total customer satisfaction by involving buyers in every step of the building process.

Rendition Homes (renditionhomes.com) is one of the top homebuilders in the DFW area for move-up and new homebuyers.  Family owned and operated, Rendition Homes has become one of the most-trusted names in home building. Currently under fourth-generation leadership, Rendition Homes remains as dedicated to the local community as when founder O.N. Mitchell began his company in 1949.

Bloomfield Homes (bloomfieldhomes.net) is one of the largest new homebuilders focused exclusively on the DFW area.  Bloomfield provides custom builder designs and quality with production builder efficiencies and value.  Currently the 5th largest homebuilder in DFW, (Residential Strategies, 2015) Bloomfield was also named the Fastest Growing Private Builder in America by Builder Magazine.

Gehan Homes, Ltd. is a Texas homebuilder with a 25-year history of building high-quality production homes in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and surrounding communities.  A Top-30 homebuilder, Gehan and has been awarded the Texas Association of Builders top award for Volume Builder in the State of Texas.  This prestigious award is given annually to volume builders in Texas who build 50+ homes per year.

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Windsong Ranch is gearing up for its annual Wine & Music Festival in Prosper from Noon to 4 pm on Saturday, October 17.  Seven North Texas Wineries will be pouring a variety of wines and talented local musicians will also be on tap throughout the day.

“The Windsong Wine & Music Festival keeps growing each year,” said Craig Martin, Founding Partner of Terra Verde Group, the developer of Windsong Ranch.  “This is now an annual Fall tradition in North Texas where some of the best wine, music and food will be on display.”

Admission to the event is free and open to the public.  Signature wine glasses will be given out at the door.  Wine tasting tickets will be available for purchase at the wine tents.  Tickets are $1 per taste and $5 per glass.  Restaurants and local boutiques will be set up on the event lawn under white tents. 

Vineyards participating in the festival include Lone Star Wine Cellars, Caudalie Crest, Grayson Hills Winery, Eden Hill Winery, Dionisio Winery, Kissing Tree Vineyards and Sloan & Williams Winery.  Entertainment will be provided by Texas Gypsies, Moving Colors Band and Briefcase Blues Band.  More information can be found at http://www.windsongwinefestival.com.

The Windsong Wine & Music Festival is just one example of the ongoing lifestyle programming residents at Windsong Ranch can enjoy all year long, including cooking demonstrations, 5K runs, holiday events, Lego Kids Camp and much more planned by a full time lifestyle director.

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Ron Davis Custom Homes has selected Tella Firma Solid Earth Foundations (www.tellafirma.com) to provide the foundation for one of its clients in the exclusive Hills of Kingwood neighborhood located in Frisco, Texas.

“The terrain in this part of Frisco required an elevated foundation to minimize the risk associated with soil volatility,” said Jim Fontaine, CEO of Tella Firma. “We’ve worked with Ron on about 15 custom homes in the last two years and each one has unique circumstances where our foundation was a good solution for active soils. We are thrilled that Ron chose us to give his client peace of mind.”

By using a field-tested, patented process of elevating a slab-on-grade foundation, Tella Firma creates a protective void between the ground and the home itself. This application isolates the slab and guards it from damaging soil swells, contractions and unexpected movement caused by light earthquakes. Most foundation damage results from soil movement that can be caused by expansion and contraction of clay soils due to moisture change or by seismic activity.

“The foundation is so important when building a home,” Ron Davis said. “Each of our sites has a soil report to determine how active the soils are, and then solutions are evaluated to see what would be appropriate. Tella Firma is our go-to foundation for situations like this. 

The Tella Firma foundation system is based on commercial engineering principles in practice for over 50 years. The system provides the strength and protection of a pier-and-beam foundation yet is much more affordable and takes less time to install when compared to most traditional, suspended foundations. Tella Firma foundations also utilize a green installation process to avoid the need for any type of chemical or water injection into the soil under the home. 

Ron Davis Custom Homes (rondaviscustomhomes.com) is a family-owned luxury home builder serving clients in the $1 to $3 million price range. Owners Ron and Shirley Davis have one-of-a-kind home designs and a reputation of quality finish-out and transparency in the home building process.

The Hills of Kingswood is nestled in the heart of Frisco, within 10 minutes of Legacy Business Park. A place of extraordinary beauty tucked away amid the wooded greenbelt that borders Lake Lewisville, the exclusive gated community offers premier homesites for exceptional luxury homes.

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Windsong Ranch has announced the date for its annual Wine & Music Festival in Prosper from Noon to 4 pm on Saturday, October 17. Seven North Texas Wineries will be pouring a variety of wines and talented local musicians will also be performing throughout the day.

“The Windsong Wine & Music Festival is growing each year,” said Craig Martin, Founding Partner of Terra Verde Group, the developer of Windsong Ranch. “This is now an annual Fall tradition in North Texas where some of the best local wine, music and food will be on display.”

Admission to the event is free and open to the public. Signature wine glasses will be given out at the door. Wine tasting tickets will be available for purchase at the wine tents. Tickets are $1 per taste and $5-$7 per glass. Artisan food vendors and local boutiques will be set up on the event lawn under white tents.

Vineyards participating in the festival include Lone Star Wine Cellars, Caudalie Crest, Grayson Hills Winery, Eden Hill Winery, Dionisio Winery, Kissing Tree Vineyards and Sloan & Williams Winery. Entertainment will be provided by Texas Gypsies, Moving Colors Band and Briefcase Blues Band who will play on Windsong’s recently completed floating stage while guests listen from the surrounding amphitheater and event lawn. More information can be found at http://www.windsongwinefestival.com.

The Windsong Wine & Music Festival is just one example of the ongoing lifestyle programming residents at Windsong Ranch can enjoy all year long, including fitness classes, 5K runs, holiday events, Lego Kids Camp and much more planned by a full time lifestyle director. All public event information can be found on the Windsong Ranch Website.

Named 2015 Community of the Year for DFW, Windsong Ranch is located 2.5 miles west of the Dallas North Tollway and north of Highway 380. For more information on Windsong Ranch, please visit http://www.windsongranchliving.com.

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Sachse Economic Development Corporation announced today that a 37,000 square foot LA Fitness is under construction at the corner of Highway 78 and Woodbridge Parkway.  The location will be the first prototype for a new, more modern design for the health club chain.

“We are thrilled that LA Fitness chose Sachse to be the first city to showcase this new prototype,” said Leslyn Blake, CEO of the Sachse Economic Development Corporation.  “Sachse continues to bring new and unique retailers to our central business district and we are strongly focused on attracting commercial retailers who want to be part of the explosive growth of our city.”

 Construction commenced May 2015 on the location, with a projected opening for the first quarter of 2016.  As part of the new design, LA Fitness deleted its traditional rotunda entryway for a more "low profile" façade made of brick, stone and stucco with a painted concrete tilt wall and prefinished metal wall panels. 

“LA Fitness chose Sachse for its newest location because it is a growing community that was underserved and possessed the leadership to incentivize the best health club in the industry to open a state of the art facility,” said David Watson, Managing Principal at Direct Development, the broker developer for the project.

The recent expansion of the George Bush Turnpike/SH 190 to Sachse has spurred increased economic development in the city.  The high average household income and low crime rate make the city an attractive target for big name restaurants and retailers, and Sachse is primed for continued development along SH 190 and Highway 78. 

In addition to increased retail development, Sachse attracts affluent residents to its many master-planned residential communities. From 2000 to 2010, the population of Sachse almost doubled growing from 10,763 to 19,703 and currently stands at 22,411. 

Sachse is minutes from North Dallas, Richardson, Plano, I-30, I-635 and downtown Dallas. The Sachse Economic Development Corporation is actively recruiting businesses to develop along SH 190 and Highway 78, transforming the area into a regional destination.

LA Fitness, founded in 1984, is one of the fastest growing health club chains in the U.S. and presently has more than 650 locations in 29 states and Canada. Its mission is to help as many people as possible achieve the benefits of a healthy lifestyle by creating a nationwide network of health clubs, offering its members the widest range of amenities and the friendliest service at an affordable price. To learn more about LA Fitness, visit www.lafitness.com or download the mobile app--search on iTunes or Google Play for LA Fitness. To find a club nearest you, call (800) LA FITNESS.

The Sachse Economic Development Corporation acts on behalf of the City of Sachse in promoting and developing authorized projects, while supporting economic development activities to retain, expand and attract businesses for the purpose of diversifying the tax base and improving the quality of life of the citizens of Sachse.  For more information, go to www.sachseedc.com.

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Officials in Prosper turned dirt to symbolically begin construction of the Town’s second fire station this week.  Located on the west side of Prosper, the full-service fire station will sit on land donated to the Town by Terra Verde Group (TVG), the developers of Prosper’s Windsong Ranch.  
 
“Safety is always our number one concern for our residents,” said Craig Martin, founding partner of TVG.  “With this public service facility in our community, it will enhance a sense of security and also greatly reduce response times for residents of Windsong Ranch and the entire west Prosper area.”
 
The fire station, the second for the Prosper Fire Department, will include a full complement of fire-fighting equipment, emergency medical service personnel and equipment, a police substation and the required amenities necessary for 24-hour operation. 

According to Fire Chief Ronnie Tucker, another important benefit of the new fire station is that insurance rates are also expected to drop dramatically, saving Windsong residents and other area homeowners on their homeowners insurance.

Pogue Construction is building the station, which will be fully operation in 12 months.