State of the City: Leaders tout new mall clients and local development

By George Slaughter, News Editor
Posted 1/26/23

Katy is revising its strategic plan for future growth while it welcomes new businesses to the city, Mayor Dusty Thiele and City Administrator Byron Hebert said at the State of the City address.

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State of the City: Leaders tout new mall clients and local development

Posted

Katy is revising its strategic plan for future growth while it welcomes new businesses to the city, Mayor Dusty Thiele and City Administrator Byron Hebert said at the State of the City address.

The Jan. 19 address, sponsored by the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce, took place at the Embassy Suites, 16435 Katy Fwy.

Several of the new businesses settling in Katy are doing so at the Katy Mills Mall. The mall, which opened in 1999, is a key driver of the local economy. Thiele said a new action park, Slick City, was in development at the mall and expected to open later this fall. It will be situated between entrances 7 and 8, he said.

The park, for all ages, touts itself as the world’s first indoor slide (but no water) and sports court park. The park will be about 50,000 square feet.

Slick City might be the newest brand to make its mark at the mall, but other companies have been coming to Katy since the mall’s renovation, which began in 2018. The Adidas store has expanded, and Dickies, Kilwins and Wrangler have set up shop at the mall, Hebert said.

These developments are, no doubt, exciting for Katy-area shoppers and residents. Yet managing the growth remains a priority for city leader. Officials have been revising Katy’s comprehensive plan, and were scheduled to hold a workshop on it Tuesday evening at City Hall.

Hebert said the plan had four purposes:

  • To protect the quality of life.
  • To help the city solve existing problems.
  • To guide future growth.
  • To enable using the city's land area and resources to the betterment of everyone.

The top strategic priorities in accomplishing these goals, Hebert said, were preparing for ongoing growth, enhancing mobility and access, giving ongoing attention to the city's infrastructure, achieving an even more livable Katy and giving ongoing attention to Katy's public safety services. Public safety constitutes 54% of the current city budget, Hebert said.

The city has some unique challenges in accomplishing these goals. To begin with, the city is surrounded by extraterritorial jurisdiction property for the cities of Brookshire, Fulshear in Houston. Katy must work with both developers and these other entities.

Much of the commercial development is happening along I-10 west of Cane Island Parkway. Examples of this include Woods Industrial, which will be situated south of I-10, and Love’s Travel Stop, 612 Pederson Road, which is north of I-10. East of Cane Island Parkway, a new Kohl’s is being planned for a site south of I-10 and west of the mall. Living Spaces, a furniture store, opened las year at 444 Katy Village Pkwy.

But the development is not just commercial. The Katy City Council recently approved an expansion to the Katy Court Planned Development District. The development, at Clay Road and Katy Hockley Cutoff Road, will have approximately 600 homes and roughly 20 acres of restricted commercial space, Hebert said.

The Katy Boardwalk Project remains in progress as well. The Prairie Parkway, the total construction cost for which is $787,036, was completed in December. Phase 3 of the Katy-Fort Bend Road extension, is expected to be complete by the summer. Phase 2 of the Boardwalk Trails is expected to be complete by late summer.

Meanwhile, a second set of lofts, along with the hotel and conference center, are in design.

The city continues to work on a number of transportation and water and sewer infrastructure projects as well.

State of the City, City of Katy, Katy Area Chamber of Commerce