East Fork Wetlands in Floodplain Sold to Developer Ron Holley

10/11/25 – On 2/28/25, Friendswood Development/Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction, Ltd. sold 231 acres to Royal Shores Estates, LLC, a company managed by Ron Holley, a Kingwood developer. The transaction includes two parcels that bracket the existing Royal Shores development.

Maps of Acquired Parcels

The first parcel to the north includes 164.39 acres and the second to the south includes 66.62 acres. They total 231.01 acres, an area approximately 50% larger than the Kingwood’s 158-acre East End Park to the north.

Here is the Special Warranty Deed, which includes the maps shown below.

Wetland and Floodplain Status

Both areas include wetlands, as shown on this screen capture from the National Wetlands Inventory.

In addition to the wetlands, virtually all of the property lies within the floodplains or floodway of the San Jacinto River East Fork. See the screen capture below from the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer.

Note that FEMA based the 2007 map above on data acquired after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. FEMA has not yet released new maps based on Atlas 14 data acquired after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

However, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) believes that FEMA should release new maps before the end of this year and that when they do, the floodplains and floodways will expand significantly.

Floodplain Building Restrictions

All of Holley’s Royal Shores Estates land lies in the City of Houston and Harris County. The following regulations apply.

Houston allows no development in floodplains unless it complies with Chapter 19 – Floodplain of the City Code. Significant restrictions include:

• New construction must have the lowest habitable floor elevated at least 2 feet above the 500-year flood elevation.
• No placement of fill in the 100-year floodplain to elevate structures. Instead, structures must use open foundations (e.g. piers, columns) or continuous foundation walls with proper openings.
• Developers must demonstrate that structures will not restrict storage volume or conveyance capacity of floodplains.
• Subdivision layouts must prevent increases in flood heights.
• Plans must preserve natural floodplain storage and drainage paths, and avoid unnatural diversion of floodwaters.
• Developers may be required to submit a flood study (hydrologic/hydraulic model). 

To enforce these restrictions, Houston requires:

• Submission of detailed plans with elevations, cross-sections, floodplain mapping, location of proposed structures, and floodproofing certificates (where applicable) for a floodplain development permit.
• Certifications and engineering analyses from licensed professional engineers for impacts on conveyance or storage.
• Inspections during construction and before certificate of occupancy to ensure compliance.

How High is Up?

Homebuilders who buy lots from Holley will have to elevate homes significantly. How much?

That depends on the location of individual lots within Holley’s property.

Random sampling of locations using the elevation profile tool within the USGS National Map shows the northern section varies from 41 to 59 feet with an average of 45 feet.

Sampled elevations in the southern section also vary from 41 to 59 feet, but have an average of 48 feet.

So, how high would a builder have to elevate a home?

The height of a 500-year flood is currently 54 feet on the East Fork at Holley’s property. See graph below.

Two feet higher would put the minimum height of the “lowest habitable floor” at 56 feet.

So homes would have to be built up 8 to 11 feet on average.

The highest locations would require no additional elevation, but the lowest could require up to 15 feet! And deed restrictions appear to limit the height of homes to two stories. Interesting!

Based on the graph above, the average ground level in the northern area would have a 10% chance of flooding every year.

Perhaps that explains why Friendswood opted to sell.

Friendswood Started Expansion, Stopped, then Sold

Historical satellite images in Google Earth show that a giant pond on the northern parcel was likely used to provide fill for the original homes in Royal Shores. Shortly after clearing started for Royal Shores in 2005, clearing started for the pond. Excavation matched the pace of homebuilding for several years.

Then, between 2013 and 2015, both clearing and excavation began again farther north. The cleared area was built up significantly.

Then expansion abruptly stopped around 2017. Images show erosion around the edges of the raised area. Shortly thereafter, trees started regrowing in the cleared area.

There is little in the public record to explain why Friendswood suddenly stopped Royal Shores expansion. One theory: they were focusing on Royal Brook about that time. Another theory: flooding concerns caused them to rethink their plans.

In recent years, the 2016 Tax Day Flood, Hurricane Harvey, Tropical Storm Imelda, and the May 2024 flood inundated all or parts of the property. Less than a year later after the May 2024 flood, Friendswood sold the Royal Shores property to Holley.

What Holley Property Looks Like Today

I took the photos below today.

Friendswood originally had plans to build 53 homes in the Southern/Eagle Tract.

I have not yet obtained copies of Mr. Holley’s plans.

New Flood Maps Could Change Holley’s Assumptions

HCFCD expects FEMA to release updated flood maps later this year. Those could be a game changer if flood heights increase significantly. Check back often as this story develops.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/11/25

2965 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.