Buffalo Lakes Development
Buffalo Lakes, Ltd. is a land development company in Sugarland, Texas which owns several parcels of property near the former Astro World site. In 2016, a large track was sold to the University of Texas to build its UT Houston Campus. The purchased property was a forested tract northwest of the intersection of Willowbend Dr. and Buffalo Speedway. The current parcels sit behind that tract of land, which includes the areas directly abutting the intersection of Willowbend and Buffalo Speedway.
At the south end of Buffalo Speedway and West Bellfort, Buffalo Lakes land is being cleared for a new development adjacent to Buffalo Pointe Apartments development at 10201 Buffalo Speedway near the Reserves at Buffalo Point.
Buffalo Lakes & University of Texas
In 2016, with the purchase of Buffalo Lakes property, the University of Texas System had completed its first of several closings on property in Houston, signifying an important step in the plan to expand UT System’s presence in Texas’ largest city.
The concept to expand UT’s footprint included bold initiatives that would have leveraged UT’s size, scale and intellectual capital to provide the citizens of Texas additional quality higher education, research and health care.
While still in development phase, on March 1, 2017, after months of resistance in Legislature, UT abandoned its plans to develop the new campus, even though it would have provided extraordinary opportunities in education and research initiatives in the nation’s 4th largest city.
Chancellor Bill McRaven announced that UT will sell the 300 acres in Northwest Houston that it purchased for more than $200 million, which includes the property purchased from Buffalo Lakes, Ltd. “This is good land,” he said. “All the land is developable, and we are confident that it will move forward and we will be able to protect this investment.”
Buffalo Lakes was formed in 2002 by John Kirksey, who grouped together several parcels of land over 15 years. Kirksey’s major partners are Joel R. Scott and Kyle Tauch
John Kirksey, FAIA.
John founded Kirksey Architecture one year after graduating from the University of Texas with a mission: to design high performing, healthy buildings that positively impact the people, environment, and communities they serve. John has built a firm culture focused on community and the environment. Mr. Kirksey currently serves on numerous civic and professional boards and pioneering the sustainability movement in Houston.
Developer.
The development companies behind the Royal St. George Master Plan Development was KT Builders, K Realty Development and the Falcon Group (the “KT Companies”)—a group of companies that excel in coordinating and managing all aspects of master planned development projects.
The KT Companies have provided the Houston area with full-service real estate development, construction and property management services since 1986 with a proven track record for developing large scale real estate projects from conceptualization to completion—consistently, on time and within budget.
KT Builders, K Realty Development and the Falcon Group all operate throughout Texas, Louisiana and southeastern United States, including Florida, and South Carolina, but operations span to other regions of the United States as well.
Kyle Tauch.
Kyle David Tauch (kyletauch.com) is the owner and founder K Realty Development and KT Builders (and a primary investor and cofounder of The Falcon Group). Since the inception of KT Builders and K Realty Development in 1986, Mr. Tauch has provided oversight and direction of these operations for multi-family, residential and commercial/masterplan developments and successfully led the companies to become premier developers in the region.
Throughout his career with the KT Builders, K Realty Development and The Falcon Group, together with other investments and companies which he has founded, Mr. Tauch has successfully delivered over $500 Million in Master Planned real estate and infrastructure developments that span Texas, the south eastern United States, as well as Latin America and other regions of the world. Today, Mr. Kyle Tauch continues to expand his portfolio of companies with Noble Generation, an international development company for renewable energy and infrastructure projects.