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A Look Back at Our 50 Years

A Look Back at Our 50 Years

February 17, 2025

Fifty years ago after achieving success in the world of real estate development, Larry Johnson went out on his own to form the Johnson Development Corp.

And while he certainly was hoping to build upon his earlier success, Larry at the time probably didn’t imagine his namesake company would become one of the nation’s leading residential real estate developers. Today, Johnson Development has more than 45,000 acres developed with more than 60,000 residential units and creating a taxable base worth tens of billions of dollars.   

Early Days

Johnson Development’s early projects stretched nearly coast to coast, from Towne Lake Hills in Atlanta to Steeplechase in Houston to Las Colinas at Rialto in Los Angeles. But it was Houston that captured Larry’s attention as he saw the region’s potential. The company began purchasing large parcels of land in Missouri City and the extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of Sugar Land, as well as a beleaguered Pearland community. It was a fortuitous move. About two years after Johnson Development opened Silverlake, it would be the second best-selling community in Houston, establishing Pearland as a residential destination for those working in downtown and the Texas Medical Center. The 10,800-acre Sienna built in Missouri City and the 3,700-acre Riverstone in Sugar Land’s ETJ would not only be ranked among Houston’s best-selling communities — they would be listed among the nation’s top selling. Riverstone would hold the rank for eight consecutive years from 2011-2018, until the community started approaching build-out. Sienna was first ranked among the nation’s elite in 2009 and has appeared on the top-selling list every year since, except for 2014.

These would not be Johnson Development’s only nationally ranked communities. As the company grew and brought on additional communities, more began appearing on the annual tallies. Cross Creek Ranch in Fulshear joined Sienna and Riverstone on the best-selling list in 2011 and Woodforest in Montgomery the following year; both would appear on the list numerous times. Harvest Green in Richmond made its first appearance in 2017, Harmony in Spring and Viridian in Arlington in 2018. Trinity Falls in McKinney made the top-selling ranks in 2020 and Jordan Ranch in Fulshear in 2023. Today, Johnson Development stands as having more top-selling communities in the nation than any other developer over the past decade.

Creating Communities that Celebrate Life

Larry and his team had found the right mix of location, homes, amenities and schools that appeal to homeowners. But it was a desire to deliver even more that is central to Johnson Development’s success. This is how Larry explained it in a 2018 interview:

“We try to create a community where they [residents] have a great lifestyle, their kids are active, they’re active in our community. All of our communities are heavily amenitized, we have lifestyle directors who create continuous activity for residents, and they get to know each other and it really becomes a community.”

That direction is evident in Johnson Development’s active communities, which include communities in Houston, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta. The industry has awarded Johnson Development time and again for excellence, with the company winning Developer of the Year honors from the Texas Association of Builders, the Greater Houston Builders Association, the Dallas Builders Association and the Greater Home Builders Association of Austin.

Top Workplace and Charitable Endeavors

The idea of creating community also extends to Johnson’s workforce, where many employees number their tenure not in years, but in decades. Sprinkled in with the many top-selling rankings and Developer of the Year accolades are multiple awards for being a Top Workplace, Best and Brightest Companies to Work For and Best Place for Working Parents. 

Holding onto that “above and beyond” mantra, Larry Johnson’s idea of “community” goes beyond the borders of the residential developments his company created. Larry was a fervent believer in giving back, and his personal philanthropic work includes serving as a lifetime director of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, member of the University of Texas Health Science Center Development Board, Board of Regents of Texas Tech University and Texas Tech Health Center, UT Health Development Board and others. He was given the Texas Tech Distinguished Alumni award in 2009. In 2013, Larry was awarded Humanitarian of the Year during the Houston’s Best PRISM Awards by the Greater Houston Builders Association. In 2024, with a gift from the Suzie and Larry Johnson Foundation, Memorial Hermann Health System and Memorial Hermann Foundation unveiled the newly renamed Larry D. Johnson Heart & Vascular Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. 

Johnson Development staff and communities have followed his example, donating time and money to numerous communities throughout the years. Examples include real estate agents and development staff making quarterly visits to spend the day working at a local charity through the JDC Empowers Realtors program, campaigns that donate money to area charities for homes sold in a community, book drives for new schools, donations to parent-teacher organizations and school district foundations, hosting fun runs and other fundraisers, and so much more. 

Since 1999, millions of dollars have been given through our Community Foundation Committees, which are funded through a small fee whenever a home is sold. The Foundation Committees have enhanced playground equipment and classroom technology, supported museums and parks, helped Scouts, aided the financial stress for families caring for a child with a debilitating disease and more.

Developer of Choice

The reputation for responsible and lifestyle-centered development Johnson Development has curated over the decades has made it a developer of choice for landowners. Two notable land acquisitions include the 2,083-acre former Camp Strake that was purchased from the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 2013 and the 2024 purchase of 1,500 acres from The George Foundation. It was the first significant parcel of land sold by the non-profit organization. Of these two acquisitions, both organizations were extremely intentional about who would be developing their properties. 

Larry had a passion for real estate and understood how fortunate he was. From 2018: 

“I was very fortunate, I just happened on to the real estate business. I didn’t know what it was…. I just happened into it, and it was something I liked and loved from the very beginning.”

As his company moves into its next 50 years, the passion that drove Larry now thrives in the people of Johnson Development who carry on his legacy.

 

 

 



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