Growth marks 5-year project

[...] after weathering what seems to be the worst of the economic slump and the bankruptcy filing of its original owner, the community is stronger than ever as it celebrates its five-year anniversary in October. The community should pass 300 this year, according to Peter Houghton, Bridgeland's vice president of master-planned communities. [...] housing research firm Metrostudy recently ranked Bridgeland fourth on the list of top-selling master-planned communities. When segment E of the Grand Parkway is completed through the heart of the community, it will provide convenient access to Interstate 10 and U.S. 90. Howard Hughes Corp., which owns Bridgeland and The Woodlands, will start building the town center, which will include shops, churches, a hospital, a college campus, schools and more, Houghton said. Construction on the first village center, in Lakeland Village, will start soon, and it will feature a medical office, private school, restaurants and retail shops. Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc., Bridgeland's original owner, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and home sales slowed to just 170 for the year as the community was put up for sale. Three of the nine original developers - Hallmark Design Homes, David Powers and Wilshire Homes - went out of business, leaving General Growth to scramble for replacements.