Houston’s suburban cities see pluses, challenges of growth
Officials from Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland and Conroe shared plans and concerns for economic growth and land developers discussed their latest far-flung communities Thursday during an annual conference on suburbs and development.
The officials cited mobility challenges and unease over legislative restrictions on growth, during a panel discussion at the Urban Land Institute’s Suburban Marketplace. Flood control’s effect on growth was also addressed.
Lance LaCour, president and CEO of the Katy Area Economic Development Council, said Harvey damaged 7,200 structures in Katy, most of which were residential.
“We have to really solve these flood-control issues. That’s critical for business attraction in the future,” he said.
About 200 homes in Conroe were damaged by the storm, said Danielle Scheiner, executive director of the city’s Economic Development Council, adding that she isn’t aware of any plans to change the city’s development rules.
“We don’t currently allow anything in the 100-year flood plain,” she said.
In a separate panel Thursday, developers of Houston’s large master-planned communities weighed in on challenges in their
industry.
Jennifer Keller, president and chief operating officer of Land Tejas, said development schedules can be volatile depending on which jurisdiction a project is in.
“Some we can deliver in 12 months. Others, to do the same type of development, it takes six or eight months longer,” she said.
Finding large tracts of land for development is getting more difficult.
“We’re having to move farther out, and that drives mobility issues,” said Keller, whose company is developing the new Balmoral community in the northeast Houston area.
Airia Development Co., formerly known as Aliana Development, recently purchased 5,700 acres northwest of Magnolia where Texas 249 is expanding.
President Travis Stone said the property has great access to the future “Aggie Expressway.”
Johnson Development Corp. co-president Doug Goff said health and wellness amenities and “cruise ship-like programming” are must-haves in today’s communities.
All Johnson communities here have tax-exempt organizations, referred to as community service organizations, that collect transfer fees when a house is sold. That money goes into a fund used for future improvements, including schools, technology, health and wellness and the environment.
“I’m talking hundreds of thousands of dollars every year come into this and it benefits the community,” Goff said.
The suburban city officials also touted economic growth and expansion at the conference, which was held in Sugar Land.
Scheiner said the city was set to close next week on 610 acres to expand its 1,045-acre Park North Industrial Park.
Over the past decade, she said the park’s tenant mix has diversified away from oil and gas. The largest employer there is a medical device manufacturer that grew to occupy four buildings.
LaCour also cited the area’s prominent industrial users, including Amazon and FedEx, which combined will employ well over 1,000 workers. A new office for Saudi petrochemical manufacturer SABIC also will bring about 1,000 jobs to Katy.
“We’re trying to target some higher-wage employment to come to Katy,” LaCour said.
Sugar Land City Manager Allen Bogard said his city has one of the country’s most diverse populations, with 37 percent primarily of Chinese and Indian descent.
“That makes our population demographics very unique in the U.S.,” he said. “The only city we can find with similar characteristics is Bellevue, Wash.”
Sugar Land has limited land available for development, so new projects are more often redevelopment, Bogard noted, citing the plaza in front of City Hall, First Colony Mall and the Imperial Sugar refinery site.
The city acquired the area’s former central prison facility and is working with a developer for a new industrial park there.
Pearland is still in its “preteen age” of growth, City Manager Clay Pearson said.
“We’re building very rapidly the infrastructure to support population and businesses,” Pearson said, referring to new wastewater and water treatment plants and mobility improvements, including upgrades to Texas 288.