For years, a 12-acre piece of city-owned land on Stella Link Road has been waiting for a plan that would work. Now Houston has one.
On Oct. 7, Houston City Council voted to turn the property at 10301 Stella Link Road into Braes Park, a new neighborhood of single-family homes. KPRC 2 reported that the vote was unanimous.
What council approved
The ordinance authorizes two agreements, according to KPRC. One is a purchase and sale agreement between the city and developer Willowbend Link LP. The other is a forgivable loan to help finance the developer's purchase of the 12.22-acre property. The loan will be forgiven when a land use restriction agreement, designed to keep the homes affordable over time, expires.
ABC13 reported that council agreed to sell the property for more than $13 million and also approved a construction loan agreement to help finance the development.
Of the 144 homes planned, about 89 will be sold as affordable homes, priced from $210,000 to $300,000. The rest will be market-rate. KPRC reported the neighborhood will include two-, three- and four-bedroom detached single-family homes, built out over seven or eight phases.
The affordable homes are aimed at households earning up to 120% of the area median income. ABC13 reported that works out to about $125,000 or less for a family of four. That's a group that often earns too much for deeply subsidized housing but still struggles to buy in Houston.
Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum, who represents District K, led the effort. She kept coming back to the location, about a five-minute drive from the Texas Medical Center.
"This gives access to people that are working in the medical center," Castex-Tatum told ABC13. "The location is just absolutely perfect."
She told ABC13 the affordable homes would sit "next to some market-rate townhomes built by the exact same builder." KPRC described all of the homes as detached single-family houses, so the final mix of market-rate product is one detail to watch as plans firm up.
A site with a long history
The land has taken a winding path. According to KPRC, the city bought the property in March 2022 for $13,839,150 using federal disaster recovery money tied to Hurricane Harvey. That plan ran into trouble because it couldn't meet the Texas General Land Office's timelines for development and home sales. The property was later re-acquired using Uptown TIRZ Series 2021 affordable homes funds.
"It took us a while to find the right person to develop this," Castex-Tatum said. She also told KPRC she is looking forward to "this 12 acres becoming part of our affordable housing."
Houston's Housing and Community Development Department recommended approval. It runs the city's Affordable Home Development Program, which aims to expand single-family homeownership in desirable neighborhoods. The city's Housing and Affordability Committee reviewed the proposal on Sept. 15 before it went to the full council.
Council Member Willie Davis, who holds At-Large Position 2, called the project "a win" and "a way to bring people back to the city."
The need is clear. ABC13, citing the Kinder Institute's 2026 State of Housing report, said Houston home prices have risen 21% since 2020. It also cited the Houston Association of Realtors, which puts the area median home price at about $345,000.
ABC13 reported that the city has not yet said when construction will start or how buyers can sign up.
Why it matters for Contractors
Braes Park is a sizable single-family job on infill land inside the city, minutes from one of Houston's biggest job centers. With 144 homes planned in seven or eight phases, the work could stretch over several years. That means a long run of site work, foundations, framing and finish trades.
The price targets are worth noticing. Neither station named a home builder beyond the developer, Willowbend Link. Building detached homes that sell for $210,000 to $300,000 near the Texas Medical Center takes tight cost control. Public money and a long-term affordability agreement are helping make the numbers work.
For builders and subcontractors who want to break into affordable for-sale housing, projects like this are a way in. Watch for details on the schedule and builder partners as the city and Willowbend Link move the project forward.