Telfair was the number one community for new-home sales in Fort Bend County and the third-ranked community for the Houston region for 2010, according to a report from RCLCO, a national real estate advisory firm. With 406 new-home sales last year, Telfair was also the sixth-ranked community in the United States for new-home sales.

Located at U.S. 5 South and University Blvd. in Sugar Land, Telfair has new homes priced from the $240,000s to over $1 million. Opened in 2006, Telfair introduced a new Model Home Village last year and introduced new patio home models this spring.

"Offering a diverse range of new-home products and fresh model homes has been key to the success of Telfair," said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities, developer of the 2,016-acre community.

Each year, RCLCO tracks the sales of over 400 master-planned communities (MPCs) across the nation for its annual MPC survey, which it has released since 1994.

Houston had the largest concentration of top-selling communities on the RCLCO list, with eight developments among the top 20. The RCLCO news release also noted that Newland Communities, the nation's largest private developer of master-planned communities, claimed 25% of the communities on the top 20 list, and was the only developer with top-selling communities in multiple markets.

Other Newland Communities in Houston on the RCLCO list included Cinco Ranch, which ranked number one in Houston and third nationally with 816 new-home sales in 2010. Newland's Summerwood and Eagle Springs communities in Humble, its Teravista community in Austin, and its FishHawk Ranch development in Tampa were also among the national top 20.

With architecture inspired by the 1939 Central State Farm building that houses the museum, Telfair Central Hall was designed to provide a recreational outlet for Telfair residents, as well as accommodate the very social nature of this master-planned community.

Highlights of this new 9,545-square-foot building include:

• A fitness center with cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights, open daily from 5 am to 11 pm.

• Seven multi-purpose meeting rooms and a catering prep kitchen designed to accommodate the many resident groups and special events taking place year-round at Telfair.

• Outdoor amenities including a water park, three tennis courts, a lakefront patio and a boat launch. 

• Onsite offices for TelfairLife and the Telfair HOA.

At first glance, Telfair Central Hall appears as a cluster of four separate buildings with varied heights, fronts and rooflines. This creates an organic look, as if each of the buildings had been added to the site through the years. Glass corridors tie all of the components together, giving Telfair Central Hall a cohesive and harmonious feeling, along with the ability to easily accommodate multiple groups at one time.

 “With its emphasis on hosting resident activities and special events, Telfair Central Hall reflects the unique spirit of community involvement among Telfair residents,” said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities.

A large multipurpose room will accommodate the biggest events and activities, while six smaller rooms can host a number of different activities at once. Each of the smaller rooms can be combined with the adjoining room, to create three medium-sized spaces.

While it has many glass-enclosed expanses, Telfair Central Hall is also highly efficient, designed and built to standards that will make it eligible for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Telfair Central Hall is among the many amenities available to residents of Telfair, located at U.S. 59 South and University Blvd., in the Fort Bend Independent School District. This 2,018-acre master-planned community devotes approximately 300 acres to recreation and open space, including scenic lakes, parks, recreation centers and miles of greenbelt trails.

Telfair won the 2010 “Houston’s Best Community of the Year” award from the Greater Houston Builders Association, and also won two 2010 Landmark Awards from the Houston Business Journal.

Telfair offers new homes priced from the $240,000s to over $1 million, with 11 decorated models showcased in a new Model Home Village and additional models located elsewhere in the community.

For more information, visit www.telfair.com.

The award, presented during the GHBA’s annual “Houston’s Best” awards ceremony, honors Telfair for a number of achievements in the past year, including transforming a historic prison building into a state-of-the-art science museum and rising to number four nationally in new-home sales.

“The past 12 months have marked the most momentous year for Telfair since it opened in 2006, and we greatly appreciate the GHBA’s “Community of the Year” recognition,” said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities.

“Even after the award application was submitted, Telfair continued to grow, opening an all-new model home village and completing the new Telfair Central Hall community center.”

Located at U.S. 59 and University Blvd., Telfair offers new homes priced from the $240,000s to over $1 million. In 2009, new-home sales in the 2,018-acre community rose 9% to 450, ranking it fourth nationally and third locally. So far in 2010, new-home sales in Telfair have kept pace with last year.

The GHBA judges, who are recruited from outside of the local homebuilding industry, lauded the transformation of the historic Central State Farm building at Telfair into the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land. Newland Communities donated the 43,000-square-foot building, completed in 1939, for the museum, along with the site and structural improvements. With additional funding from the City of Sugar Land and HMNS, the $11.5 million museum opened last October.

Telfair’s winning entry also included the TelfairLife community service organization, which provides a social and cultural layer to the 300 acres of recreational amenities at Telfair. Annual TelfairLife events such as the Charity of Your Choice Walk have raised over $160,000 for Fort Bend area charities, and TelfairLife has provided college scholarships for Telfair residents.

Telfair is located in the Fort Bend Independent School District, and its onsite school, Cornerstone Elementary, has earned the Texas Education Agency’s highest accreditation rating, Exemplary.

Telfair offers new homes by Beazer, David Weekley, Highland, Meritage, M Street, Newmark, Partners In Building, Perry, Pulte, Ryland, Taylor Morrison, Trendmaker and Village.

For more information, visit www.telfair.com.

With its grand opening continuing this weekend, the Model Home Village showcases 11 decorated models priced from the $260,000s to over $1 million by Beazer, David Weekley, Highland, Meritage, Newmark, Partners In Building, Perry, Ryland and Trendmaker.

Taylor Morrison is also debuting two models in the Telfair Model Home Village to display its designs for Avalon at Telfair, a waterfront enclave located on the other side of U.S. 59.

The award-winning Telfair Information Center is also celebrating a “re-grand opening” with new displays and exhibits. 

“When Telfair opened in 2006, it was one of the first communities in Houston to introduce the concept of the Model Home Village, providing home shoppers with convenient one-stop shopping for all of the community’s traditional single-family home offerings,” said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities.

“This summer, as we celebrate the fact that Telfair is the fourth-ranked community in the United States for new-home sales, we are very happy to invite home shoppers to tour all-new designs incorporating many of the newest and most exciting design trends,” she said.

Gould said visitors will find many design highlights in Telfair’s new models, including:

• Taylor Morrison’s Tuscany model, featuring a detached casita guest suite and an enclosed front courtyard with a fireplace. Inside, highlights include beamed ceilings, tiled columns and a wine room with a wrought iron gate.
• Highland’s Plan 926 model has a covered patio with an optional outdoor fireplace, a two-story great room, and a three-car garage. Upstairs, this four-bedroom plan has a gameroom and media room with a mini-bar.
• David Weekley’s Claudia model has a two-story family room with a stone fireplace, overlooking a covered patio with an outdoor kitchen. Upstairs, a children’s retreat is surrounded by three bedrooms, with the master downstairs.
• Trendmaker’s Plan F523 model has bow-bay windows in the breakfast room and master suite. Also in the master suite, a three-way dressing mirror is included. Other highlights include a two-story family room, a gameroom, and a three-car garage with a porte-cochere.

Telfair is located in the Fort Bend Independent School District. Its first onsite school, Cornerstone Elementary, has achieved the Texas Education Agency’s highest rating, Exemplary. Telfair students also attend Kempner High School, which was ranked among the top 4 percent of public high schools in the nation, according to the 2010 “America’s Best High Schools” report by Newsweek magazine.

Overall, Telfair devotes approximately 300 acres to recreational amenities, including a 70-acre lake system crossed by several historically inspired suspension bridges, along with miles of greenbelt trails and numerous neighborhood parks and squares. Visitors this summer will find colorful wildflowers blooming along the lakes, while at other times of the year they will see thousands of azaleas and other seasonal flowers in bloom. 

Telfair is home to the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land, which is part of the Telfair Central cultural and recreation complex. Telfair Central Hall, a 9,545-square-foot community center, will open this fall, next to a water park which is already open.

Telfair has an active community service organization, TelfairLife, which plans resident events throughout the year, along with special events such as the upcoming TelfairLife International Music Festival on Oct. 2.

To visit Telfair, take U.S. 59 to University Blvd. and turn right. More information is available at www.telfair.com.