QUINTA MAZATLAN SCHOOLYARD FORESTS in Mcallen, TX

Quinta Mazatlan Schoolyard Forests is a new construction project spanning seven different McAllen ISD schools in McAllen, Texas. The filing identifies the work as landscape design for outdoor sensory elementary activities, covering a total area of 6,000 square feet. The City of McAllen is the owner of record, with an estimated cost of $2,000,000.

Heffner Design Team is the registered design firm of record for this initiative. A Facebook post by HeffnerDesignTeam described the project as taking root at Seguin Elementary, mentioning features such as a tiny forest, learning hill, nature reading nook, and pavilion. An Instagram post by the same firm noted that one of their favorite residential projects was nearly complete, referencing the Quinta Mazatlan Schoolyard Forests and McAllen ISD.

The project is registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) under the accessibility program. TDLR completed plan review in December 2025, and construction is scheduled to finish in March 2027, with work starting March 2026. Rodolfo R Molina is the registered accessibility specialist listed on the filing.

Project Context and Comparisons

This project involves public funds and public land. The estimated cost of $2,000,000 is above the county median for new construction filings in Hidalgo County, which stands at $660,256. The cost per square foot is $333, which is above the county median of $100. The scheduled build window is 365 days, longer than the county median of 212 days.

The City of McAllen has six other TDLR-registered projects totaling $3,902,000, including the McAllen-Hidalgo Bridge Office buildings and McAllen International Airport. Heffner Design Team has five other TDLR-registered projects totaling $3,753,773, including Sapphire at la Sienna and Villas at Tres Lagos. A texasbids.net entry listed a scope for the purchase and installation of a playground and construction of schoolyard forests at various locations in McAllen.

U.S. Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates for ZIP 78501 indicate a population of about 59,095 and a median household income of $49,451. The area has 24,807 housing units with a median owner-occupied home value of $149,000. Hidalgo County unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in July 2026, higher than a year earlier.