Riverstone Development
Fort Bend County, Texas
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Riverstone is a 3,700-acre master-planned community ranking #4 among the nation’s top-selling communities. Costello has served as the engineer for this prestigious community since its inception and serves as District Engineer for Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District Nos. 15 and 19 and Fort Bend County MUD Nos. 115, 128, 129, and 149. Together, these six districts provide the necessary infrastructure system(s) to develop this master-planned community.
Costello has been involved with the project since its inception in 1998. Beginning with the preparation of boundary surveys for the project, Costello developed the legal descriptions and maps creating the Districts’ boundaries. We worked with the Developer and other consultants to negotiate utility agreements for water and sewer service with the Cities where the Districts lie within their Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). Costello prepared creation reports to establish the economic feasibility of the Districts and establish the amount of bonding authority required to develop the property appropriately. Costello has prepared Bond Application Reports in accordance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rules to reimburse the developers for projects/funds expended on behalf of the Districts. To date, the Riverstone Districts have sold 40 bond issues totaling nearly $342M.
Costello provided the design of all water, sewer, and drainage improvements to serve this community, as well as the levees, detention ponds, drainage channels, stormwater pump stations, lift stations, water plants, paving, and signal improvements within these Districts.
Relevant Project Services
- Residential Development
- Special Purpose Districts Creation
- Bond Application Report Preparation
- Levee and Detention Systems Design
- Stormwater Pump Station Design
- Water Plant Design
- Lift Station Design
- Water, Sewer Drainage and Paving Design
- Traffic Engineering
- Surveying
- Construction Phase Services
Project Size and Cost
- 3,700 acres
- Estimated construction cost over $500M
Unique Project Attributes
- The developed property was reclaimed from a former oil production field and the Brazos River floodplain.
- The development represents nearly $3B in value to the Fort Bend County tax base.
Challenges Faced
- The property was a former oil production field. Locating and avoiding hydrocarbon distribution and collection lines and wells within the development.
- Much of the property was located within the Brazos River floodplain before development.
- There were nearly 25 acres of wetlands located on the tract before development.
Resolutions & Results
- The planning for the development avoided the existing oil production facilities where possible.
- The development process included designing a levee, drainage and detention facilities, and stormwater pump stations. The construction of these facilities allowed submission of a Letter of Map Revision(s) to remove the developable property from the 100-year Brazos River floodplain.
- The development included the construction of 25-acres of wetlands within its lake systems as well as a wetlands educational center within the community.