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Developer begins phase one of 4,700-acre regionally transformative master-planned town in Fort Bend County that will meet the needs of one of the nation's fastest-growing, most diverse counties

THE WOODLANDS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 21, 2023 / The Signorelli Company, one of Texas' largest and most innovative real estate developers, today announced the start of phase one of Austin Point, a regionally transformative 4,700-acre master-planned town in Fort Bend County, TX., that will evolve to fulfill the residential and lifestyle needs of people in one of America's fastest-growing, most diverse counties.

On track to be the largest master-planned development in Fort Bend County announced in 40 years, The Signorelli Company envisions Austin Point as a series of flexible, interconnected districts that create a vibrant and complementary mix of uses supporting the residential, commercial, healthcare, educational, entertainment, and civic needs of town residents and surrounding communities.

With the population of Fort Bend County projected to double by 2040, Austin Point will be a focal point for future growth. Planned extensions of the Fort Bend Parkway and the Grand Parkway will provide convenient connection of 25 to 30 minutes to Texas Medical Center, The Galleria and Downtown Houston. The short commute will allow Austin Point to be the epicenter of opportunity.

"In honoring the rich history and extraordinary assets of the Austin Point land and location, our vision goes well beyond a master-planned community," said Danny Signorelli, president and CEO of The Signorelli Company. "Our vision is to create the next great town in Texas."

Upon completion, the town of Austin Point will encompass more than 14,000 residences and a planned 15 million square feet of muti-family, office, medical, retail and hospitality space. The town will be an economic growth engine, attracting innovative, knowledge-based businesses and providing healthy solutions for the burgeoning demand for all types of housing. Austin Point will be home to more than 50,000 residents, making it larger than the nearby city of Rosenberg.

With Austin Point's first phase of development now underway, the projected start of home sales is Spring, 2025. For more information and to follow the progress of Austin Point, visit

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With Amazon offering discounts and other specials Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the company's annual "Prime Day" for members of its subscription service, online shoppers in the Houston area could receive more home deliveries than usual during the coming days. That means there likely will be more opportunities for "porch pirates" who steal dropped-off packages before they reach their intended recipients.

In a neighborhood southwest of the city, it might be difficult for residents to recognize the difference between a delivery driver and a delivery swiper.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is investigating a string of package thefts last week in the Pecan Grove subdivision in Richmond, according to department spokesperson Michelle Domengoni. She said surveillance video of one of the thefts shows a man stealing packages while dressed as a delivery driver for Amazon, the popular e-commerce company.

"We don't know if they're connected," Domengoni said Tuesday. "We don't know if it's the same person going to each residence. We don't know if it's a team of people. It's still an ongoing investigation we're trying to get to the bottom of."

There were a total of three front-porch package thefts in Pecan Grove last Thursday and Friday, according to Domengoni, who said no injuries or other damage were reported by impacted residents. As of Tuesday, investigators with the sheriff's office had obtained and reviewed surveillance footage from only one of the residences, she said.

The video showed one man "disguised in a delivery driver uniform," specifically an Amazon uniform, Domengoni said. Carriers for the company typically where uniforms with color schemes that include light blue and dark blue or black with gray or white trim.

"We are working with local law enforcement to assist with their investigation and help identify the individual(s) involved,” said Montana MacLachlan, a spokesperson for Amazon. “We encourage customers to contact Amazon's customer service with any matters related to their package delivery."

Domengoni said she did not know the value of the packages stolen from homes in Pecan Grove.

She also said the sheriff's office did not know how many people were involved in the thefts beyond the one man in the surveillance video. The man's age and ethnicity are unclear based on the quality of the video, she said.

"We have received reports in that area to hopefully capture whoever's doing it," Domengoni said.

Nestled in Houston's historic River Oaks neighborhood just east of Memorial Park, Houston's Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens houses one of the world's finest showcases of American furnishings, silver, ceramics and decor. It's surrounded by 14 acres of lush, organically maintained gardens that add to the idyllic setting.

To reach this enchanting destination, savor the stroll across the swinging footbridge over Buffalo Bayou. Be glad for the preamble ramble: It transitions you to a charming and civilized house museum where you can glide from one beautiful setting to the next, beholding incredible works of art from ages past.

If you haven't visited Bayou Bend before or it's been a while, here's why it's time to treat yourself to a visit.

Who created this wonderful escape of an estate?

Civic leader and philanthropist Ima Hogg (1882-1975) spent her life enhancing Houston's cultural and educational institutions. As a child, she lived in the Governor's Mansion in Austin when her father, James Hogg, served as governor from 1891 to 1895. In the early 1920s, her brothers established Houston's tree-filled River Oaks neighborhood, where she had Bayou Bend built for $217,000 between 1926 and 1928.

Designed by Houston architects John F. Staub and Birdsall P. Briscoe, the estate combines 18th-century Georgian architecture with Southern and Spanish Creole elements. The mansion's tile block construction is clad in pink stucco and topped with a raised-seam copper roof.

Additionally, as an accomplished pianist, Ima Hogg founded the Houston Symphony in 1913. She donated her Steinway grand piano to the symphony, but left her exquisite Gibson & Davis Square Piano in Bayou Bend's Music Room, an expansive chamber wrapped with a French reproduction of exotic 1806 Hindustan scenic wallpaper.

How a home became a museum

In 1957, Hogg donated her home and collections of American furnishings dating from 1620 to 1870 to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). Hogg continued living in her home until 1965, overseeing its transformation into a public museum that opened in 1966. Staub helped Hogg reconfigure rooms to display the objects. To keep visitors from disturbing neighbors near the original Lazy Lane entrance, Hogg built a pedestrian suspension bridge over the bayou on the property's secluded west side.

Bayou Bend quickly earned fame as a Houston cultural gem, received a Texas Historical Commission marker in 1973 and entered the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Bayou Bend's upkeep is a team effort. Community organizations help MFAH maintain the house and gardens, believed to be the nation's largest public garden that's exclusively organic. The Bayou Bend Docent Organization's 200 volunteers lead tours; several have earned 50-year pins. The Kitty King Powell Library and Study Center, located in the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center at Bayou Bend, houses over 9,000 volumes on 17th- to 19th-century American decorative arts.

How to best explore Bayou Bend

Start at the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center, Bayou Bend's gateway that opened in 2010. Here you can watch videos and request a docent-guided tour or cell phone audio tour. Next, stroll through a bird sanctuary and across the swinging Buffalo Bayou footbridge to Buffalo Bayou's gardens and hilltop estate. Meet your guide and store any belongings in lockers in the gift shop.

Upon entering the magnificent home, say hello to Ima Hogg's portrait in the central hall. Gracefully coiffed hair, a demure dress and chunky jewelry encircle a face radiating thoughtful resolve. Her keen appreciation of period objects resonates throughout the home's 28 rooms.

What you'll find inside Bayou Bend

Nearly 2,600 furnishings, paintings, silver, ceramics, glass and musical instruments showcase the evolution of American taste.

Here, you'll time-travel from the Colonial through the Victorian eras, starting with treasures from the Late Renaissance (1620-1690) and Early Baroque (1690-1730) periods. The vast Drawing Room displays furniture designed in the Rococo style (1755-1790) and portraits painted by iconic early American artists including John Singleton Copley and Charles Willson Peale. The hand-painted peonies on the dining room wallpaper glow like a sunny Texas day.

Jaws drop at the sight of the Chillman Suite's spectacular carpet, vivid greens and golds and classical objects from the harp to the fireplace. The kerosene lamps signal an important advance in entertaining—guests no longer had to depart before dark. The Belter Parlor hijacks the eyes with Rococo Revival (1845-1870) objects.

Upstairs, the Federal Parlor, reflecting the Neoclassical period (1790-1810), is where family and friends drank tea, played cards and danced. The cedar-paneled Texas Room features objects made by Germans in Central Texas during the mid-1800s, as well as English ceramics commemorating the Texas War of Independence and the Mexican-American War.

Vividly colored wallpapers, bedding and chairs grab the spotlight. The huge breeze-cooled sleeping porch overlooks precisely landscaped gardens. An adorable painting of children includes a future mayor of Galveston and a hefty punch bowl reveals that strong spirits were served in 1758. Conversation pieces include a splendid women's writing desk, the needlepoint on Hogg's Queen Anne chair and a spectacular seat made of cattle longhorns and jaguar-print fabric.

The impressive and expansive Bayou Bend Gardens

Stroll through the woodlands and relax in the gardens. Preserving the existing trees, Hogg turned gnarly thickets into formal gardens reflecting American landscape design's Country Place era. The garden is also home to figures from Greek mythology sculpted of white Carrara marble in the late 1930s by the legendary Antonio Frilli Studio in Florence, Italy.

Boxwoods and azaleas frame the goddess Diana sculpture fronted by arcing fountains and graceful grass steps. Euterpe, muse of music, peeks at a fairytale expanse edged with pine and oak woodlands.

In contrast, Clio faces a manicured geometric garden of low plantings. Native magnolias and sprawling live oaks embrace the grounds; a rustic arched footbridge crosses a creek.

The audio tour matches the gardens with musical selections; Claude Debussy's 1903 "Pagodas" piano composition plays for Euterpe's garden.

What events and activities take place at Bayou Bend?

Visit Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens for fun events from jazz concerts to the Christmas Village at Bayou Bend. Each December, a bridge leads to a winter wonderland of lights dazzling the estate's 14 acres, and actors, theatrical effects and holiday decorations enliven the home's first floor. Hear carolers, play games and zip down a faux-snow slide. Check the calendar for holiday events, summer history camps and family days.

Plan your visit to Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Find it: Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, 6003 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77007; 713-639-7750

This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at [email protected].

Texans love the prickly wilds of Big Bend National Park, where a sky island of mountains rises from a vast desert floor, and everything looks straight out of a John Wayne Western.

But if you’ve never visited, it can feel intimidating.

“It’s wild, it’s rugged, and we’re far from a lot of services that people are super accustomed to,” says Tom VandenBerg, chief of interpretation and visitor services at the park. “That’s what makes it special.”

According to report released in May, the number of first-time visitors to Big Bend National Park jumped in 2022, with 56% of the 1,000 people surveyed saying they made their inaugural trip there last year. For a newcomer, the vastness seems almost unreal.

The park sprawls over 801,163 acres in far West Texas—making it bigger than Yosemite National Park in California. At first glance, it’s a remote, bristly expanse populated by things determined to scratch, poke, or bite you.

Don’t freak out.

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Yes, cacti are everywhere. Steer clear. Venomous snakes sometimes slither among the rock and cactus; watch where you place your hands. Black bears reside in the park. Give them a wide berth and consider yourself lucky if you glimpse one. And keep an eye out for scorpions, tarantulas, and javelinas, too.

Most of all, plan ahead and know what to expect when you get there.

Peak visitation at Big Bend National Park is October through April. In summer months temperatures can reach 110 degrees along the Rio Grande and on the desert floor.

Get ready for a road trip. Most folks drive to the park. Major highways to the region include Interstate 10 (if traveling from Houston, San Antonio, or Austin), Interstate 20 (if coming from Dallas and Midland-Odessa), and State Highway 90 (via Del Rio). See map. The nearest commercial airport is in Midland-Odessa, about 235 miles from park headquarters.

The Chisos Mountains Lodge in the Chisos Mountain Basin offers basic hotel rooms and five stone cottages. Book ahead, but also keep in mind the lodge’s headquarters building is scheduled for demolition and reconstruction starting in 2024. Even though lodge rooms won’t be torn down, they will likely close temporarily—as will the restaurant. Camping is a great option, either in one of the park’s three developed campgrounds or in the backcountry. (Permit required.)

Hotels, private campgrounds, and an eclectic mix of rental properties that includes yurts and clear domes are also available in nearby Terlingua or Study Butte, or in Marathon.

Admission to the park is $30 for a private vehicle or $25 for a motorcycle for seven days.

You won’t need anything fancy, but you will need good hiking shoes; lightweight, loose-fitting clothing; a hat with a wide brim; sunscreen’ insect repellent; snacks; and lots of water. If you plan to go off trail in the backcountry, bring a compass.

It’s all about hiking at Big Bend National Park, and you’ll find more than 150 miles of trails in the mountains, along the desert floor, and near the Rio Grande.

The challenging 12-mile South Rim Trail climbs 2,000 feet to the top of a ridge, where the desert floor ripples away like gray-green elephant hide into the distance. Hardy hikers can scramble to the top of Emory Peak, the highest point in the park at 7,825 feet.

For a shorter but equally spectacular hike, opt for the Window Trail, a 5.5-mile round trip to a notch in the rock where water pours over the lip, framing a perfect, wedge-shaped view of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Lost Mines Trail offers a lot of bang for the buck, in the form of big views of surrounding mountains.

Don’t miss Santa Elena Canyon, where the Rio Grande cuts through a narrow high-walled canyon, and a trip to the historic hot springs, where you can dip a toe (or more) in an old stone-lined pool at the edge of the river.

Not all the coolest attractions are located inside park boundaries.

Terlingua, a 20-minute drive to the west, is an old ghost town with an eclectic mix of mining ruins, lodging options that include tipis and clear domes, outfitters that offer guided rafting and cycling trips, the Terlingua Trading Company & Bookstore, and a handful of restaurants, including the Starlight Theatre Restaurant & Saloon (with a front porch, where musicians often gather and entertain visitors) and the newly reopened La Kiva.

Even farther west you’ll find the resort of Lajitas, which offers lodging, a golf course, a small store, and a pen that houses the town’s mayor, a goat named Clay Henry. From Lajitas, you can access the even wilder terrain of Big Bend Ranch State Park, known for its mountain biking and remote camping opportunities.

Before you head out, remember where you’re going, says park ranger VandenBerg.

“Don’t be surprised when you get here that it’s a desert and it’s very, very hot,” he says. Check the official park website for the latest information regarding park closures and conditions (such as heat advisories) and remember that reservations are needed for all campgrounds and lodging within the park.

Bring all the essentials you’ll need during your stay. Nearby Marathon and Terlingua offer a few staples, and there’s a camp store in the park, but the nearest full-service shopping is in Fort Stockton, a two-hour drive from Panther Junction.

“There’s not a Walmart right down the street,” VandenBerg says. “It’s very limited so come with what you need.”

Next, slow down.

“Parks are a national treasure, and you shouldn’t rush,” VandenBerg says. Some park roads are paved, but others are gravel and rugged enough that you’ll need four-wheel drive. “Our roads are designed for a leisurely 40 mph and anything faster is dangerous.”

Know your capabilities. “Hiking many miles in a desert isn’t for everybody and that’s OK. Don’t overestimate your abilities and do not underestimate the desert.”

Park officials recommend carrying a gallon of water per person a day, or two liters per half day. “Even in winter, [Big Bend] can be very hot and heat illness can be a concern any time of the year,” VandenBerg says.

Fourth, consider leaving Fido home. Dogs are allowed in the park but not on trails, and they must be on a leash at all times.

Cellphone service is spotty, but you can usually get reception at Panther Junction Visitors Center. Beyond that, don’t count on it.

Most important of all, have fun. “Enjoy the park for what it is, be open to it and curious about it,” Vandenberg says. “It’s a dramatic, wild place filled with wildlife and big open places, but realize it is a desert and you do need to respect it.”

Your Guide to Camping

Explore our map of campgrounds across the state and read more about how to have a successful trip.

Go to the Camping Guide

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — If you're looking to celebrate Independence Day with a big firework show, several areas in the Coastal Bend will be lighting up the sky.

Freedom Fest in Mathis kicks off this weekend! Friday, the annual Fourth of July Parade will start at 7 p.m. Road closures begin Friday at noon.

On Saturday morning, there will be a 5K Walk-Run that will start at City Hall. Then, Saturday night will be a huge celebration with live music and a firework show.

Click here for more information.

On July 4, the Wendell Family Annual Firework Show will light up the sky.

This show is a tradition started by the late Jerry and Jan Wendell back in 1965.

The Wendell family keeps the tradition going every year. This year, the show will start at 9 p.m. at Rockport Beach.

On Saturday, July 1, Aransas Pass residents can enjoy a show starting at 9:15 p.m. at the Conn Brown Harbor. There will be front seat viewing from the flatlands across the Dale Miller Bridge if you don't make it to the harbor.

If you can carpool, that may be best, as parking will be limited.

There will be a whole days worth of fun to enjoy Saturday, July 1 in Beeville! The event is free and will be held at Veterans Memorial Park.

For more information, click here.

NAS Kingsville will host their Firework Show and Concert on July 3 starting at 6 p.m. Base access is required for some of the events.

Kiewitt Offshore Services is once again holding a big firework show for the Ingleside community.

The show will be Sunday, July 2 at 9 p.m. There will be a designated parking area for residents. The yard will only be open to employees.

The 10th annual Island Blast Firework Display will begin at dusk on July 4 on Padre Island.

For information on where you can see the show and park your boat, click here.

The 46th Annual Big Bang Fourth of July Firework Show, by presenting sponsor H-E-B, is set for 9:30 p.m. on July 4 along the Corpus Christi Bayfront.

Leading up to the big show, family-friendly activities will take place at The Water's Edge, along with a patriotic ceremony at Sherrill Veterans Memorial Park.