EDUCATION

Site Civil + Grading – Detention Ponds + Field-Driven Redesign

Lone Star College

Magnolia Center

MAGNOLIA, TEXAS

13.2 acres. Real elevation change. A two-year pause – reworked without losing the vision.

THE SITE.

A site with real grade.

Lone Star Magnolia spans 13.2 acres with a 50,000-square-foot
multi-use building footprint set across noticeable elevation swings. The design intent prioritized preserving existing trees — building around them, not over them — which further constrained layout and grading flexibility.

A two-year stop.

During design, the City of Magnolia entered a development
moratorium due to limited water availability. The project was put on hold for two years, stalling progress and adding uncertainty to schedule and coordination.

A survey surprise.

When construction restarted, a survey bust revealed nearly four feet of elevation difference from the original design basis. A retaining wall and re-permit would have been the simple solution — but it would have added cost and delay.

Field-driven redesign.

Instead, the grading plan was reworked. Parking was adjusted. The site was brought back into alignment while protecting the budget and maintaining forward momentum. Two detention ponds were integrated into the site — functioning as both stormwater infrastructure and amenity lakes.

The result.

A complex site delivered through redesign, coordination, and realtime problem solving — without sacrificing the original vision.

SCOPE.

Site civil design

Grading + earthwork design

Tree preservation coordination + layout support

Detention pond design — dual-purpose stormwater + amenity lakes

Construction-phase support — field adjustments +
revised grading

Agency coordination — Montgomery County + City of
Magnolia

SNAPSHOT.

Key Constraint

13.2-acre site — grading due to dramatic elevation changes, preservation of existing forestry

Client

Harrison Kornberg Architects

Architect

Harrison Kornberg Architects

Location

Magnolia, Texas

Site Area

13.2 acres

Total structure size

50,000 SF multi-use facility