Photo Credit: The Grand PrairieNews
Harris County and EMBER Celebrate Completion of Lake Ember at The Grand Prairie
This week, EMBER, alongside Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, elected officials, and community leaders, celebrated the completion of Lake Ember at The Grand Prairie, an EMBER master-planned community in Hockley, Texas. The celebration marked the culmination of a landmark public-private partnership designed to strengthen regional flood resilience while creating a signature public amenity for residents and visitors.
Lake Ember, a 70-acre stormwater retention and detention lake, provides critical drainage infrastructure for The Grand Prairie and surrounding areas while enhancing quality of life through recreation and open space.
“As northwest Harris County continues to grow, communities need innovative solutions that address infrastructure demands while creating places where people want to live, gather and connect,” said Harry Masterson, managing principal of EMBER. “Lake Ember demonstrates what is possible when the public and private sectors work together toward a shared vision. We’re grateful to Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, and all of the partners whose collaborations and commitment helped bring this project to life.”
Following Hurricane Harvey, Harris County and the Harris County Flood Control District engaged the development community to explore opportunities to accelerate stormwater management projects through public-private partnerships. EMBER embraced the opportunity, resulting in a collaboration that combined public funding with private-sector engineering, land planning and development expertise to create a centralized stormwater solution with expanded capacity and enhanced public benefits.
The completed project includes the 70-acre lake capable of storing approximately 420 acre-feet of water, more than 137 million gallons, from The Grand Prairie and surrounding drainage areas. The increased storage helps manage stormwater throughout the Cypress Creek watershed during major rainfall events. Rather than construct traditional detention basins hidden within the development, Lake Ember was designed as a multi-purpose community destination. The public park that surrounds the lake features walking trails, open green space and is anchored by The Overlook Hill, a 40-foot elevated spiral trail built using soil excavated during construction of the lake. The Overlook offers panoramic views of the water, surrounding prairie landscape and the overall community.
“Lake Ember is an example of the bold ideas we can deliver when we collaborate,” said Commissioner Lesley Briones, Harris County Precinct 4. “We don’t have to choose between development and preserving our environment; we can do both. Through our public-private partnership, we are meeting the housing demand, delivering an 80-acre public park, and reducing flood risk for the Hockley community. This is the real progress and protection that our families deserve.”
Located within The Grand Prairie, Lake Ember is open to the public and serves as a destination for outdoor recreation and community gathering. Already ranked among the nation’s top-selling master-planned communities for two consecutive years by RCLCO Real Estate Consulting and John Burns Research and Consulting, The Grand Prairie reflects homebuyers’ growing demand for access to nature and a sense of belonging alongside location and price.
The Grand Prairie is home to approximately 1,400 families and growing. Located off the beaten path, yet minutes to a variety of conveniences, the community is just six miles west of the Grand Parkway and one mile south of US 290. Located within the highly respected Waller Independent School District, homes are priced from the mid-$200,000s to the $700,000s and offered by six well-known builders: David Weekley Homes, Lennar, Perry Homes, Shea Homes, Village Builders and Westin Homes. When completed, The Grand Prairie will include approximately 6,000 homes across 1,730 acres.
To learn more, visit thegrandprairietx.com.
Source: The Grand Prairie
