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Luxury home market seeks upgraded parks

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The Woodlands recently experienced a noticeable dip in luxury home values, with volatility in the oil and gas industries cited as the main reason.

According to Deal Sikes & Associates, Houston properties located more than 1,000 feet from a premier city park can receive a positive valuation impact of 5 to 10 percent. Those properties adjacent to quality parks can experience a more than 20 percent boost in value.

That’s good news for both buyers and sellers. The Woodlands Township board of directors recently settled on a redesign for Northshore Park, a roughly seven-acre facility that has not been updated in 30 years.

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The redesign will increase parking, rotate a stage, renovate restrooms and provide space for a public boathouse, as the park sits on the shores of Lake Woodlands.

Burditt Associates is responsible for drafting the final park plans, which will be submitted to the board in January. The board has already allocated $1.2 million in its 2016 budget for improvements to the park.

The construction of a new public boathouse is the focal point of the project, as for several years two rowing clubs have been unable to build a permanent boathouse or coexist at the same facility.

Currently one club, the Rowing Club of the Woodlands, utilizes two, 40-foot storage containers to store its boats and equipment at the park.

Email Erik Pisor