Porter-area waterpark with pool, lazy river and tennis courts set to open next summer

A $20 million park with a waterpark that features a resort-style pool, lazy river and pickleball and tennis courts is in the works for a Porter neighborhood in Montgomery County.

Discovery Cove, a 20-acre park, broke ground earlier this month and is expected to be open exclusively to Porter’s Highlands community in summer 2024. The project is being developed by Caldwell Communities.

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The first phase of the project will include a waterpark area with a 10 minute lazy river, lagoon pools, slides and splash pads, said Lindsey McConathy, vice president of digital marketing for Caldwell Communities. The phase also will include two tennis and pickleball courts, she said. 

Since opening in fall of 2021, the Highlands subdivision, northwest of Porter, welcomed more than 300 families into the community with an additional 150 families set to move in the coming year, according to a release from Caldwell Communities. 

“I think residents have caught on to the vision,” McConathy said. “Discovery Cove will just really be icing on the top.”

The park is expected to cost $20 million after completed, according to a Houston Business Journal report.

Additional amenities include a fitness center, an event lawn and recreational fields, the release states. 

The Highlands subdivision was considered a catalyst for residential growth in the region, according to a New Caney ISD 2022 demographic study.

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The district passed a $695 million bond package in May, which includes a new elementary school in the subdivision and is expected to open for the 2025-26 school year. The 2023 bond package also includes other new campuses, facilities, expansions and renovations. 

The East Montgomery County Improvement District covers 158-square-miles and includes New Caney, Patton Village, Porter, Roman Forest, Woodbranch Village, Splendora and Kingwood. These communities have more than 80,000 residents among each other, according to the improvement district’s website. 

The demographic in the area is constantly changing, with new residents pushing for more and better amenities, officials said. 

The park planned for The Highlands community is an example of the developer’s vision, said Becca Green, marketing manager for Caldwell.

“Our true mission here is to bring joy and enrich the lives of the families that are coming to The Highlands as it continues to grow,” Green said.