Katy Mills Mall – one of the City of Katy’s largest employers and major sources of sales tax revenue -- just celebrated its 25th birthday with a special ceremony held at the retail center at 5000 Katy Mills Circle in Katy on October 28.

Dignitaries attending the festivities included former Katy mayors Doyle Callander, Skip Connor, Don Elder and Chuck Brawner; Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris; State Representative District 132 Mike Schofield; Harris County Precinct 4 Community Engagement Coordinator Maida Guillen; Katy Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Matthew Ferraro and the chamber’s Vice President of Membership and Community Relations Adrienne Davitz.

A crowd of local residents also waited for their turns to pick up swag bags and to spin the wheel to win a gift card from one of the mall’s retailers.

During the special ribbon-cutting, Mayor of Katy Dusty Thiele thanked the staff of the mall for working closely with the city, calling the effort “a great partnership.” Since the mall opened, it has been the city’s number one economic driver, he said, enabling the city to provide new roads, drainage projects and increased police protection. What the mall has also started doing, Thiele said, is to make Katy a “destination city,” bringing in attractions such as Slick City, Dig World and Jurassic Park.

City Administrator Byron Hebert noted that he was here when the mall opened. “Most of the things I’ve been able to do for the city came because of this mall,” he said. “This is what success looks like – let’s go for another 25 years.”

The mall, originally developed by The Mills Corporation opened on October 28, 1999, and is now managed by the Simon Property Group, according to Wikipedia. It originally had 174 stores and 31 of the original tenants remain at the mall. The 1.3 million square-foot complex is located in Fort Bend County just off I-10 and Katy Fort Bend Road and is designed in a “racetrack” format with a one-mile road circling the main building. Tenants include AMC Theatres, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Books-A-Million, Burlington Coat Factory, H&M, XXI Forever, Marshalls, Off Fifth Saks Fifth Avenue, Old Navy, The Cheesecake Factory, Rainforest Cafe, Restoration Hardware Outlet, Ross Dress for Less, and Sun and Ski Sports, among others.

The mall has faced many challenges in its 25-year history, including the rise of online shopping which has depressed retail traffic, a renovation and redesign in 2018, the pandemic beginning in 2019 which kept shoppers away, and the acquisition of the property by Simon in 2006. Tenants have come and gone, as retailers themselves went in and out of business or faced bankruptcy.

But city officials – and the staff of the mall – remain optimistic about its future.

“I am filled with excitement about what lies ahead for Katy Mills,” said the mall’s general manager, Heidi McMillan at the ceremony. “I have no doubt that we will continue to innovate, adapt and grow, just as we have for the last 25 years. Our journey continues and we have so much more to share.”