Despite being delayed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the developers with VR Porter Health Realty were determined to open a senior living facility in the Porter area.
Since East Montgomery County is classified by the Health Resources and Service Administration as a medically underserved area, they enlisted the assistance of the East Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the East Montgomery Improvement District, to build infrastructure to service the facility.
Thus, the Heights of Porter senior living facility became a reality along the Valley Ranch Parkway near FM 1314.
Construction crews have worked for months on the new facility and expect construction to be completed with residents living on the property full-time in December.
“This is a great area that we have looked at for a long time,” said Andrew Berry with VR Porter Health Realty. “One of the main challenges was building the infrastructure for a commercial property. With the EMCEDC’s help, we built sewer lines that stretch from our property to FM 1314 to service the facility. Without EMCEDC’s assistance, we wouldn’t have been able to put this project together and provide these much-needed services for seniors.”
According to Berry, there is a big demand for a facility like this, especially with the medically underserved designation.
VR Porter Health Realty was also able to provide technology upgrades through the EMCEDC’s assistance allowing them to have a state-of-the-art facility.
The Heights of Porter senior living will have approximately 116 beds, providing 24-hour skilled nursing care and rehabilitation services such as speech and occupational and physical therapy. They will have private and semi-private rooms to cater to the patient’s medical needs.
“The site where we are building the Heights of Porter is beautiful,” said Berry. “There is a great pond in front and trees that surround the building. I love all the properties we have worked on, but this might be my favorite. It’s been a long process, but we’re excited about the future for this facility. East Montgomery County is such a fast-growing area and will only continue to grow, so we are ecstatic to be a part of that and provide such a needed medical service for the residents.”