Commercial Roofing Contractors in Lavon, TX

Provident Realty Advisors is planning a big master-planned community with about 1,000 single-family homes on 540 acres north of Rockwall.

The Dallas-based office of Trez Capital provided a $24 million loan to Provident to develop 281 single-family lots in phase one of the community, called "Hillstead."

Upon completion, Hillstead, in Lavon, will have roughly 1,000 single-family homes, according to a news release from Vancouver-based Trez Capital. Lot sizes in Hillstead will range from 40 to 70 feet.

The phase one lots are expected to be delivered in late spring/early summer of 2024.

Hillstead’s builder lineup includes Perry Homes, Drees Homes, Highland Homes and American Legend Homes.

This deal marks Trez Capital’s fifth financing to Dallas-based Provident.

“Provident Realty Advisors is thrilled to team yet again with Trez Capital as one of our capital partners in the land development space,” Rylan Yowell, the managing director of Master-planned Communities at Provident, said in a prepared statement. “In this tough lending environment, we’re pleased that Trez Capital understood the potential of this tract of land with its strong schools and proximity to Rockwall.”

Funding for developments like this — and almost all real estate projects — is getting much harder to come by, John Hutchinson, the newly named co-CEO of Trez Capital told the Dallas Business Journal in a recent interview. Hutchinson is based in Trez’s Dallas office.

While the bank lending crunch is making loans for lot development and homebuilders difficult to pencil, homebuyer demand remains strong, Hutchinson said.

“Home sales are very good here in Texas,” he said. “Builders are selling homes. They're buying down mortgages in many cases for their homebuyers who want to get into the homes with a lower interest rate. But we have a shortage of housing in Texas, which is, I think, getting worse instead of better since housing construction slowed down.”

Hillstead complements the “lake life,” sitting in between Lavon Lake and Lake Ray Hubbard, providing residents with amenities catered to recreational living, Yowell said. The community will offer a variety of outdoor and indoor activities including a clubhouse, a pool, hiking and biking trails, pocket parks and scenic lookouts.

The property for Hillstead is located just off Highway 205 in the Wylie Independent School District.

The master-planned community will provide easy access to job centers via I-30 to the south and highway 78 to the north, and close to shopping in Rockwall, said Grant Morrow, vice president of origination for Trez Capital, Central & Southwestern.

“The Dallas-Fort Worth area continues to be a popular area due to inbound migration and a strong economy,” Morrow said. "There continues to be a shortage of single-family homes with demand outpacing supply in the region, with no signs of slowing down for the next few years, so we are pleased to provide financing for this new master-planned development that will help meet the need for more single-family homes.”

Lavon and the Rockwall area provide “a vibrant, small-town feel for those families who want a quieter atmosphere but also need convenient access to Dallas,” Morrow added. “This development will offer just that.”

Provident, a privately held real estate and investment firm, has developed or invested in more than $5.5 billion worth of real estate projects across the country since its formation in 1991.

Trez Capital, founded in 1997, is a diversified real estate investment firm and provider of commercial real estate debt and equity financing in Canada and the United States. The Dallas office has funded more than $6.2 billion in loans.

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Some school staff members and students were hospitalized Wednesday after a gas leak outside of an elementary school in Lavon.

Firefighters responded to a call a little before noon about a gas leak outside Phyliss NeSmith Elementary School, the Lavon Fire Department said. The leak was related to a construction project on the campus. Lavon is about 35 miles northeast of downtown Dallas.

A Community ISD spokeswoman told KXAS-TV (NBC5) the gas leak occurred at an area outside the main building of the school, where a gas line was being added to a tornado shelter and classrooms are being built.

The leak was contained within 15 minutes, and no gas readings were found within the school by the Fire Department or Atmos Energy.

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Atmos Energy and Lavon Fire Department tested multiple sites inside the school and did not detect any gas inside, said Cooper Welch, a Community ISD spokesperson.

Welch said the school district consulted with medical experts and first responders examined a few staff members. Some staff members then asked to be transported to a hospital.

A few students later reported effects from the gas leak, Welch added.

The Fire Department said some school staff members and students were transported to hospitals for further evaluation. KDFW-TV (Fox) reported nine staff members and two students were affected.

Welch could not confirm that number, but four people who told the district they were going to the hospital were released Wednesday night, he said.

The district told parents all students and staff are safe and they could pick up their children early from the school if they would like. Bus routes for the school operated at normal times Wednesday.

The gas is still turned off at the elementary school, said Community ISD Superintendent Tonya Knowlton in a letter Wednesday evening. She said the gas will not be turned back on until all gas-powered equipment and all lines are checked and an inspection is completed by city officials.

Knowlton said the district canceled classes the rest of the week for NeSmith Elementary School.

“With the gas turned off, our HVAC systems and kitchen appliances do not work,” Knowlton wrote. “Due to this constriction and to allow professionals to properly check the facilities, we are canceling school at NeSmith Elementary for Thursday and Friday.”

New Construction – Elementary School #4 – Community ISD (Subbid)

With the NFL draft nearing, there is one name popping up on mock drafts for the Cowboys to select at No. 17: LSU rush end K’Lavon Chaisson.

In our latest DMN “War Zoom” draft show, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson said Chaisson might be the best fit for the Cowboys if available.

“I love him at 17,” Wilson said. “He’s a young edge rusher in terms [of] he hasn’t been doing it a long time. He’s going to get better, he’s explosive but he’s not consistent and I think that’s OK. He’s going to be a good player.”

One of the issues with Chaisson is weight.

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At the scouting combine, he was measured at 6-3, 254 pounds. Is that too light for a defensive end?

Well, DeMarcus Lawrence weighs 265. Robert Quinn, who led the Cowboys in sacks last season, is 257. Randy Gregory, who is currently suspended but still on the Cowboys’ roster, is 255.

Should Chaisson gain about 10-15 pounds to get ready for the NFL season? Former second-round pick Connor Williams picked up 15 pounds between his rookie and second NFL seasons.

So what should the Cowboys do with that weight on Chaisson? Should he go to 265?

“I don’t even know if you have to go that high,” said USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. “What is Randy Gregory? I think when you’re talking about a speed, edge rusher which is what Chaisson is, sometimes you don’t have to really drill down so much on the weight. It’s a big man’s game, no doubt about that. I don’t know if I’m worried about that as much as if he’s not going to be there. Now you’re talking about a pass rusher and you’re talking about [a] premium position in the draft; everybody has this guy going to Dallas.”

During our chat about the draft, Wilson discussed whether the Cowboys should trade down and get Michigan center Cesar Ruiz. The Cowboys could just bypass getting a center and focus on Day 2.

LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry III and Temple’s Matt Hennessy are possible mid-round selections at center.

“You can fill that need,” Wilson said.

Chaisson may be off the board at No. 17. But what to do if CJ Henderson, the corner from Florida, or Xavier McKinney, the safety from Alabama, are on the board?

Another possibility, given the defensive needs for Dallas, is trying to evaluate the value between a defensive lineman and a defensive back.

Who do you pick between Javon Kinlaw, the talented defensive tackle from South Carolina, and McKinney?

“Generally speaking, you say that there’s more value in the trenches,” Bell said. "But that’s a tricky thing because if McKinney is as good [as] we think he can be, that’s where your apples-to-oranges comparisons comes in. You hear a lot of good things with Kinlaw.”

Related:Cowboys draft talk: Could the best center in this class be a Dallas target in the first round?

"That was the worst I've ever seen it. All this right here was bone-dry," Woody Woodruff recalled of Lake Lavon in 2011.

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — North Texas was not immune to the record breaking drought conditions of 2011. The effect of the drought was wide-ranging and, to this day, can be used as a reference point for policy decisions.

Woody Woodruff has been in the boat rental business seventeen years at Collin Park Marina at Lake Lavon. He keeps a close eye on the rising and falling lake levels. He remembers the years 2011 and 2006 very well.

"That was the worst I've ever seen it. All this right here was bone-dry," Woody said pointing to the dozens of slips in the Collin Park Marina. Lake Lavon in Collin County had receded so much you could walk onto the dry lakebed.

"We talk about [2011] a lot internally," said Galen Roberts, Assistant Deputy for Water Resources at the North Texas Municipal Water District. "We're three feet higher now than we were in 2011," he said.

Lake Lavon is North Texas Municipal Water District's primary reservoir. The regional wholesale provider saw a huge supply drop in 2011. The average lake level is 484.63 feet, which is 67% of capacity and in 2011 it was 478.75 feet, which is 45% of capacity.

"We were constantly monitoring every lake in the North Texas municipal water system," said Plano City Manager Mark Israelson.

In 2011, Mark was the Director of Policy and Government Relations for the city. He recalls almost weekly meetings to discuss the ever-changing waterscape of nearby reservoirs.

Plano is one of the region's largest water users. Like every city, it had to enforce strict outdoor watering rules -- twice a week, to once a week, to nothing at all. And, like many cities, Plano had to enforce fines for non-compliance. Israelson recalls the city having to get creative with water schedules: Monday and Wednesday for even numbered addresses and Tuesday and Thursday for odd-numbered addresses.

"Nobody knew when it was going to rain again," Mark told WFAA.

Woodruff said Lavon was so low they had to relocate the marina. He recalls the difficult task of removing the metal pilings and installing them several hundred yards over onto another side of the lake.

"They had to move out the marina out into deeper water," said Woodruff.

Low lake levels hit businesses on the water hard and North Texas was hit with the reality of a water supply crisis. North Texas had dealt with water supply shortages before but not like this. It is one of the first times North Texas cities collectively instituted outdoor watering restrictions to cut down on water usage.

"In 2011, it took some convincing that landscaping would survive at twice-a-week watering. And where we are...it's accepted now," said Israelson.

We've learned a lot since 2011, but Roberts of NTMWD tells WFAA there are new challenges. The District is serving 650,000 more people compared to 11 years ago. In total, with all its 13 member cities and smaller water contracts, NTMWD is serving more than 2 million people.

"Those high demands are putting a strain on our water system infrastructure, in particular, our ability to treat that water and send it out to member cities and customers," said Roberts.

Roberts say the solution is conservation. In the summer months, outdoor irrigation accounts for roughly 40-60% of water usage.

Lake Lavon does not have a supply issue right now as it is 90% full. The April and May rains helped a lot. But all other factors are still in play: scorching temperatures, the drought, the evaporation, the consumption, and the infrastructure.

Eleven years ago, we were reminded of the commodity we took for granted.