insideyournwa.com

I know its not the most appropriate title, but it could have been much worse. I moved here in mid 2004, and it was about that time that it was announced The Orchards, a master planned community on over 1000 acres in highfill, would be developed and eventually be home to almost 15,000 people.

And in 2004, we believed anything….However, I remember thinking how incredible it must be to live in an area where I would get to watch a town literally be built. The city of Highfill has acquired land that adjoins that of the land owned by Stonehill PRM, the Dallas firm that intends to develop The Orchards, to be built as the “downtown”.

How often do you get to live in an area where a town is birthed? Well, this has taken a lot more than 9 months. Almost two years and it appears that the Orchards have dried up….but no. Apparently, each year the developers have submitted updated plans to the city, a sign of diligence. The problem continues to be sewer…or lack thereof.

The biggest key in development is sewer. Our human waste and what to do with it is the most critical aspect of the success of a development. The better the system, the less land we need, the less capacity, the more land we need. Pretty gross when you really think of it. I don’t believe the sewer issue is getting any closer to being resolved, so the developers are looking into a STEP system, or a self contained sewer system.

Here’s a guess, sit back, let our market correct itself, and in that time, a sewer solution will be resolved. Then build your town…and I’ll be there to see it.