Say hello to Meristem Communities’ Founders Clayton Garrett and Scott Snodgrass—developers of Fort Bend County’s newest neighborhood, Indigo.

When it came to designing Indigo, Clayton and Scott asked themselves, what if neighborhoods were built for humans rather than cars, capital, and corporations?

The result? Their grounding principle, designing Places for People™.

“We believe the best places on Earth are born when spaces are thoughtfully designed and communities are empowered to care for them. We’re all looking for community in our lives so to be able to create community for other people is enriching and engaging. It’s easy to not connect. We get into our cars, we go to work, we see a few people and we need to connect more. It’s an absolute human need that we have.” —Clayton Garrett 

Looking to their own life experiences and the many places they’ve lived—Scott and Clayton ask themselves, “What makes a great community?”

“At the heart of it, for Clayton and I, it’s people. I think when you ask a lot of people involved in real estate or development, what makes a good community, they instantly go to the thing they’re going to build. For us, those things are important, but they’re important in how they get people to interact with each other. We want a built environment that supports people, but also encourages them to interact with each other because we believe that in human connection there’s resilience, and we live our best lives.” —Scott Snodgrass

Meristem aims to create vibrant, walkable communities that cultivate naturally-forming community bonds.

• Social Connections: From the centrally located Indigo Commons town center, the urban farm just down the street, and playful mews (care-free green paseos) scattered throughout the community—Indigo was designed for fostering social connections.

• Walkability: With more than 85% of the homes are within strolling distance of the community town center Indigo Commons, the community redefines tradition and creates urban walkability in the suburbs.

• Aging in Place: In reviewing home sizes, types, styles, Meristem prioritized creating a broad range to appeal to different family formations and life stages—so whether moving up or moving down, families can stay in the community.

• Retail American Dream: For Indigo Commons, they wanted to offer the same flexibilities and the ability to build financial equity with a real estate asset. Instead of a traditional landlord relationship, some storefronts will be available for sale, giving storeowners the chance to pay a mortgage instead of rent.

We can’t wait for everything to bloom early 2024.

Want to get the inside scoop on Indigo? Visit the Meristem YouTube page for our series Window to Indigo, as we take you behind the scenes of the making of this new Richmond neighborhood.