Amusement park planned for more than 600 acres in piney woods northeast of Houston

HOUSTON – Developers have announced plans for a sports and entertainment complex on what is now more than 600 acres of suburban piney woods about 30 miles northeast of Houston.

Construction of the Grand Texas theme park is supposed to begin early next year in New Caney in Montgomery County. Developers said Wednesday the park could be open by the end of 2015.

The Houston area hasn’t had a major amusement park since AstroWorld shut in October 2005, after 37 years of business across Interstate 610 from the Astrodome. Since then, a number of parks have been proposed for the Houston area but nothing has materialized.

According to analysts reached by the Houston Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1a8hm3o ), no stand-alone amusement park has been built from the ground up in the U.S. in about 25 years.

Part of the Grand Texas development team is the firm Innovative Leisure Partners, owned by former AstroWorld general manager Chuck Hendrix, who said he wanted to leave a legacy different from being “the guy who tore down AstroWorld.”

The Grand Texas park is to be divided into several areas, each focusing on a different period in Texas history. Planned attractions include several roller coasters, a full-size steam train, a stagecoach, water rides, an equestrian trail, petting zoos, a zip line, a ropes course and amusement rides.

Plans unveiled Wednesday for the Grand Texas Sports and Entertainment District also include a baseball park for an independent minor league team and a water park modeled after a mid-1800s fishing village. The water park is to open by April 2015.

Developer Monty Galland wouldn’t put a price tag on the project. In the past, he has said the theme park would cost about $200 million. The land purchase was completed this summer.

The project has not received public money from the East Montgomery County Improvement District but Galland said the park would get a piece of gate and parking fees collected by the county.

Another theme park called EarthQuest has been planned for several years in the same area although a specific site for the project hasn’t been selected.