HOUSTON, Feb. 17, 2026 — M2L Associates Inc., a leading landscape architecture and urban design firm with more than three decades of successful projects for commercial, municipal and institutional clients, is proud to announce the Grogan’s Mill Village Center redevelopment in The Woodlands, Texas has been recognized with the prestigious 2026 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Development of Distinction Award for Historical Redevelopment.
Each year the ULI Development of Distinction Awards recognize the best examples of real estate development and green spaces in greater Houston. Winners were announced Feb. 10 at ULI Houston’s annual awards at the Armadillo Palace.
Grogan’s Mill Village Center has been a Woodlands staple since opening in 1974 as the master-planned community’s first shopping center. More recently the center needed a comprehensive renovation to bring its form and function up to current standards, while adding additional spaces and features to ensure it remained a popular community hub for generations to come. With close collaboration with developer Howard Hughes Corp., Montgomery County and Woodlands village stakeholders, the reimagined village center now includes an active library and community center, as well as 32,000 sq ft of mixed-use retail space to attract top tenants for shopping, dining and lifestyle services.
M2L Associates was the landscape architect on the redevelopment, partnering with PGAL on the library and community center and Identity Architects on the mixed-used retail site. Additional project team members were O’Donnell/Snider Construction, WC Construction, Vogt Engineering, CJG Engineers, IMEG, DBR, ASEI Engineering and MEP.
ULI judges noted how the reimagined design incorporates a more activated destination. M2L Principal Michael Mauer led the landscape design and tree preservation team, saying the transformed village center has an ideal balance of old and new.
“Throughout the project, we integrated The Woodlands Township design guidelines, sustainability and original design elements while improving how people use and connect to the center,” he said. “We thank PGAL and Identity Architects for trusting M2L’s deep landscape design and tree preservation expertise and for partnering with us on the project. We’re honored to play a role in extending the life of this historic village hub in The Woodlands.”
Close collaboration with developer Howard Hughes Corp., Montgomery County and Woodlands village stakeholders informed every aspect of the project and ultimately led to the award-winning results and features other village hubs can emulate.
“It’s really exciting because we’re seeing the revitalization of really the epicenter of The Woodlands,” Montgomery County Precinct 3 commissioner Ritch Wheeler said in unveiling the retail portion. “We have great community partners like Howard Hughes Corp. willing to reinvest into those parts of The Woodlands, and then we’re kind of laying out the blueprint for some of these other village centers.”
About M2L Associates
With headquarters in Houston and an office in Austin, Texas, M2L Associates Inc. is a premier, women-owned landscape architecture and urban design firm offering a full range of services to municipal, commercial and institutional clients. Since 1995, the firm has produced an impressive body of work, with projects that deliver on sustainability, tree preservation and design excellence. Today the firm’s smaller size and horizontal integration continue to provide tremendous value for partners and clients seeking high-level principal involvement, quicker responses to project requests, and more successful project outcomes. For more information and to view our portfolio, visit M2LAssociates.com.
Contact:
Marketing Communications for M2L Associates
Kristin Weitzel, Alexicon Communications Inc.
281.813.6737
kris@alexiconcorp.com