Houston's First Agri-hood, Harvest Green, To Feature On-Site Farm, Ready-To-Grow Backyard Gardens

Families in a new Fort Bend master-planned community will soon find it much easier to get kids to eat their greens.

            Harvest Green, Houston’s first “Agri-hood,” will offer residents the opportunity to enjoy fresh produce grown from the master-planned community’s on-site farm. Plus, each new home in Harvest Green will come with a ready-to-grow backyard garden.

            Located on the Grand Parkway at West Airport Boulevard, Harvest Green is a 1,300-acre master-planned community by The Johnson Development Corp., now celebrating its 40^th year as one of the nation’s preeminent land developers.

A community-supported agriculture (CSA) development, Harvest Green will give residents the opportunity to join an on-site farm co-op and receive fresh produce each week. Residents also will be able to pick berries, herbs and other produce from several designated gardens throughout the community while an event barn will host chef-instructed culinary classes, farm-to-table dinners and various social gatherings.

While CSA’s have existed for nearly 30 years, the concept has gained significant momentum in recent years as Farmers Markets and organic, “Farm-to-Table” cuisine have grown in popularity, according to Daron Joffe, a CSA consultant to The Johnson Development Corp. who has created similar projects across the country.
            Better known as “Farmer D,” Joffe is an eco-entrepreneur from South Africa who has designed several sustainable properties including Longleaf Preserve, an organic community surrounded by a 48,000-acre preserve in Florida. He also created an organic farm and farm-to-table experience at an exclusive New Jersey spa owned by billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.

            “The Harvest Green property is ideal for a community farm,” says Joffe. “Agriculture and farming is part of its heritage. Plus, the area’s long growing season will allow for more varieties of produce, herbs and flowers.”

            Joffe adds community farms can lower the cost of resident shares in exchange for volunteering at the farm or by offering their home as a neighborhood pick-up location.

            “Beyond the health benefits of fresh, organic food, the farm becomes the social heartbeat of a community,” he says. “CSA’s such as Harvest Green are helping raise America’s next generation of farmers.”

            A search is underway for a full-time farmer to operate the community farm, farm stand, event barn, nursery and greenhouses.

            Harvest Green General Manager Shay Shafie expects the community will appeal to the growing number of those who flock to weekly farmers markets and specialty stores for locally grown produce. Plus, studies show children engaged in garden-based learning are more likely to embrace fruits and vegetables at an earlier age.

            “We’re also looking at ways to present residents with educational programming tied to farming and gardening,” he adds.

            Harvest Green will offer up to 2,000 new homes, with the first phase coming available to builders in the second quarter of 2015.  The community’s collection of builders will be announced later this year with model homes opening in the fall. Another 87 acres of highly visible commercial property within Harvest Green is located along the Grand Parkway.

            An eco-friendly community with impressive natural features, Harvest Green will include 230 acres of lakes and waterways, another 280 acres of greenbelts and open space, and 50 acres of parkland. Oyster Creek also winds through the center of the community and will be enhanced with native landscaping and pathways while a trail system and central roundabout will create connectivity between neighborhoods.

            The community offers convenient accessibility to Houston’s Energy Corridor, Sugar Land and the Fort Bend County area via the recently completed Grand Parkway. Harvest Green includes two existing Fort Bend ISD schools, Travis High School and James Bowie Middle School.  Another site within the community has been reserved for a new Fort Bend ISD elementary school.

            Harvest Green represents The Johnson Development Corp’s 13^th master-planned community in the greater Houston area with Riverstone, Cross Creek Ranch, Sienna Plantation, Imperial Sugar Land and Willow Creek Farms among the company’s other Fort Bend master-planned communities.

            For updates and more information, go to www.HarvestGreenTexas.com.

About Johnson Development

The Johnson Development Corp. is a Houston-based, award-winning residential and commercial land development company.  For 40 years, the company has set the standard for successful master-planned communities in Houston, Atlanta and other markets around the country.  Its impressive collection of Houston-area communities includes Riverstone, Sienna Plantation, Cross Creek Ranch, Woodforest, Fall Creek, Tuscan Lakes, Edgewater, Harmony, Willow Creek Farms, Silverlake and Imperial Sugar Land. The company also is developing Grand Central Park in Montgomery County. Johnson Development communities in Atlanta include Towne Lake, BridgeMill and Lake Arrowhead. The company also provides outsourced development services for property owners, homebuilders and other parties on a fee basis to help realize the potential of their land positions.  For more information on Johnson Development, visit www.johnsondevelopment.com.