APR is excited to provide architectural control for one of the most innovative new communities in Central Texas: Mayfair, coming to life in New Braunfels, just down the road from historic Gruene.
Conceived and recently launched by Southstar Communities, Mayfair offers a variety of inspired new homes in a community filled with parks, connected by trails, energized by events, and anchored by Midtown Mayfair — a vibrant shopping, dining and workplace district.
The first showcase homes were recently opened by homebuilders Coventry Homes, Highland Homes, Perry Homes, and Toll Brothers.
We sat down with Southstar CEO Thad Rutherford, who shared more about the new Mayfair community.
Q: Thad, you started your career with Southstar in Florida, and you’ve now been with them almost 25 years. Please tell us a little about your career so far.
A:I graduated from Florida Atlantic University in southeast Florida, then went to Jacksonville to work with Southstar Communities, managing and directing the development of multiple master planned communities, including Bartram Springs. I worked with design engineers to entitle and construct over 1,800 single family lots. And I managed the builder programs within each phase and community.
My career with Southstar progressed from there. I came back to the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area with Southstar to head up strategic acquisitions and manage projects throughout Florida. I also got my MBA at the University of Miami while working full-time. I’ve been with Southstar Communities ever since then, moving to Texas in 2012. Now we manage over $200 million in assets in three states. Our team has grown to 30+ employees.
Q: It’s impressive that you’ve invested so much time and energy in one company. But you’ve had a variety of different opportunities along the way…
A: Yes, Southstar has all types of communities with various levels of oversight. In some we sell individual lots to builders. But we’ve also sold directly to consumers. We review each community’s needs on a case-by-case basis. When it comes to architectural control, we want to protect the value of the community, but we don’t want to limit the builders too much.
Q: And that’s where APR comes in?
A: Part of APR’s role is to help us have a better relationship with our builders. APR is a great liaison between the builder and the developer. They add to the conversation and help us to get to a better product.
Q: Why did you choose APR in particular?
A: Simply put, we chose APR because they show up. They’re at all the industry conferences and events. They show up and engage. They care! It’s obvious that they love what they do.
Q: And for Mayfair in particular?
A: Mayfair is a complex development, and APR has experience working with similarly complicated master planned communities. It was a no-brainer to choose them—they provide exactly what we need. They are flexible in collaborating with us and they have a proven product.
Q: Is there one thing that stands out about working with APR?
A: We appreciate the visibility into the process and the technology behind it. APR made a good decision to invest in technology for their business, and they are looking ahead and improving it as it moves forward. Plus, they let builders into the process.
Q: What does the future of Mayfair look like?
A: We just launched Mayfair at our first annual Mayfest, and the larger New Braunfels community is excited about what we’re doing. Midtown Mayfair is planned as a thriving regional shopping, dining, entertainment, and workplace district on the I-35 corridor. Over 300 acres of public parks and recreational open space—connected by 35 miles of trails—and a signature lake are planned. We’ll also have a brand-new Comal ISD elementary school coming soon in Mayfair.
We know this investment with APR will result in great streetscapes at Mayfair, which adds to the community’s long-term value.
Q: Any future expectations for APR?
A: What APR has created and perfected in Central Texas should work in other geographic areas as well. They’ve recently entered the Phoenix market, and they should do well in Florida as well.
Thad, thank you for sharing your thoughts, and for trusting APR with your architectural control process!