The Orchard: Pearland’s Planned 120-Acre Mixed-Use Hub

Developer reveals plans for 120-acre mixed-use community coming to Pearland

A Sugar Land-based developer revealed plans for a 120-acre residential, commercial and entertainment district on a long-idle site in Pearland.

Planned Community Developers is proposing a mix of retail, dining and office space, single- and multi-family housing, and a hotel and convention center on the site at the intersection of Highway 288 and Beltway 8. Construction on the project, called The Orchard, could begin in early 2027 and is expected to take five to seven years, PCD president Don Janssen told the Houston Chronicle.

With The Orchard, PCD’s first project in Pearland, the developer seeks to tap into demand for an upscale retail hub and a central gathering space in the fast-growing suburb, as part of a broader push to shape Pearland into a business and entertainment destination of its own.

“The Orchard represents an opportunity to build something meaningful and lasting in one of the region’s fastest-growing markets,” Janssen said in a statement. “Our focus is on creating a place that reflects Pearland’s roots, supports daily life, and becomes part of the fabric of the community.”

PCD’s purchase of the site is expected to close in the next three months. Its last regulatory hurdle will come later this month, when the Pearland City Council will vote on final approval of a zoning change for the site. The council unanimously approved the change on a first reading last month.

The development is expected to include 150,000 square feet of retail space in a traditional shopping center facing Highway 288, as well as between 80,000 and 100,000 square feet of mixed-use, high-density retail space around a 0.75-acre central plaza, Janssen said. The site already has a 130,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops at 1000 Bass Pro Drive.

The plaza is meant to be “a central place where everyone in the community can come and celebrate,” inspired by a plaza PCD built as part of its Sugar Land Town Square development, Janssen said. Though no retail tenants have been finalized, Pearland residents have expressed interest in higher-end restaurants, Janssen said.

PCD is also proposing an office building at least six stories tall with 150,000 square feet of office space, Janssen said. Despite Houston office vacancy rates that have stayed above 26% since 2022, according to research from JLL, Janssen said he is confident that there is “pent-up demand” for high-quality office space in Pearland.

“For the people that live south of 288 at Beltway 8 that are driving into town, whether it’s on 288, paying tolls, going downtown,” Janssen said, “wouldn’t it be better, quality-of-life-wise, to live and work in the same community?”

A planned hotel and convention center alongside the office space is also part of PCD’s bid to lure regional companies to site their headquarters in Pearland, Janssen said.

“What’s going to attract corporate headquarters? Well, you’ve got to create the services that they want,” Janssen said. “A conference center hotel is what major corporations need.”

PCD is considering conducting a market study to evaluate demand for a hotel and convention center first, given the high cost of building hotels, Janssen said. He expects the site’s proximity to the Medical Center and to William P. Hobby Airport to make The Orchard an attractive event venue. “I think we can make a case for it,” he said.

Residential units will round out the development. Per city regulations, PCD can build up to 1,400 units on the site, of which a maximum of 1,100 can be multi-family, Janssen said. PCD has not yet figured out the total number of units nor the mix of single- and multi-family, and multiple builders are in the process of conducting market studies for the site, he said.

The Orchard’s single-family homes are likely to be on the smaller side and relatively upscale, and they could appeal to white-collar Medical Center workers or empty nesters looking to downsize, Janssen said. The home types on offer could include brownstones, townhomes, condos or live-work units, he said.

The project will also have 17 acres of green space interspersed throughout, Janssen said. A trail will be built around a detention pond, which will be deepened, and a 4.5-acre area for outdoor dining will be sited beside it, he said. Trails and waterfront dining will also be built around a second pond next to Bass Pro Shops. PCD plans to connect The Orchard’s trail system with existing trails along Pearland’s Clear Creek, Janssen said.

PCD’s plans follow two unsuccessful attempts to develop the same site in the past two decades, according to the Houston Business Journal.

Janssen said The Orchard is aligned with Pearland leaders’ and residents’ vision for their city’s future and is also poised to capture expected growth in demand for services, fueled by the nearby Medical Center and the biotech and biomedical industries expanding to the site’s west.

“I think the timing is right,” he said.