Grand Central Park - Conroe Resident, Former Camp Strake Head Ranger, Leads Property's Transition to Grand Central Park

When the management team of Conroe’s Grand Central Park named Rafael Martinez as Land Manager for the new master-planned community, the group knew it wouldn’t take him long to get acclimated to the job.

Most, in fact, say no one knows the property better.

Since 2010, Martinez has driven every road, walked every trail and practically cared for every tree while serving as Head Ranger for the former Camp Strake property.

“I did just about everything,” Martinez recalls.  “The job required me to know every square foot of the property.”

He first learned of the opportunity to work at the wooded, 2,046-acre property from his brother-in-law who at the time was working for the Boy Scouts of America Sam Houston Area Council.  Besides his passion for the outdoors, Martinez’s experience in scouting (he earned the South American equivalent of Eagle Scout at the age of 16 while living in Chile) made the opportunity at Camp Strake particularly appealing.

“I loved everything about the place,” he recalls.  “I knew I was right for the job.”

Not only did the property become his place of work, it became his home.  As Head Ranger, Martinez moved his family to one of the on-site residences where he and his wife Tamara raised their four children.   In fact, his son Diego, 14, will soon follow in his father’s footsteps when he earns his Eagle Scout at the end of the year.

When the property went up for sale, Martinez led tours of the site for prospective buyers, including a team from The Johnson Development Corp.  The group was so impressed with Martinez’s knowledge of the site, they asked him to serve as Land Manager to manage its transition to a master-planned community.

Today, under Martinez’s watchful eye, work is well underway toward creating Grand Central Park – a dynamic, urban approach to living, shopping and dining in a pristine, wooded environment.

“I love what’s happening here,” says Martinez.  “It’s wonderful to see everyone on the team so dedicated to preserving the charm of the land while transitioning it to its next phase.” 

Martinez, who still lives on the property with his family, isn’t the only Eagle Scout on the Grand Central Park team. General Manager Virgil Yoakum also earned his Eagle Scout at a young age.

“Knowing the community is led by an Eagle Scout is very comforting,” he adds.  “It’s in good hands.”

Grand Central Park, located on I-45 and Loop 336 in Conroe, currently is under development to include luxury, single-family homes on beautiful wooded sites, parks, open green spaces and the regional shopping, dining and entertainment destination known as 336 MARKETPLACE, all part of its first phase.

The master-planned community is five miles north of The Woodlands, less the 10 miles from Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (formerly Lone Star Executive Airport) and 30 minutes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.  Residents of Grand Central Park also will be minutes from Conroe Regional Medical Center, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital, St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital, Texas Children’s Health Center - The Woodlands, and Houston Methodist Hospital, opening in The Woodlands in 2017.

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