INCREASED TRAFFIC
Open a New Door Magnolia City Administrator Don Doering said even though the effects to the city will be minimal with most Additionally, Riley said he will submit the Magnolia Relief Route for funding to the H-GAC at its next fund- ing round. The project would create a four-lane highway stretching from FM 1488 west of the city of Magnolia to Hwy. 249 passing through FM 1486 and could cost about $46.4 million, according to TxDOT. “There’s a need to start planning for the future now,” Mullins said. “It’s eas- ier to do it now and plan ahead than it is to try to fix something in retrospect.” Local effects Officials said the residential devel- opments coming to FM 1486 will have several effects on the Magnolia area, including for the city of Magnolia and regional education opportunities. shift in people’s buying decisions,” Schoenfield said. However, with development fol- lowing the Hwy. 249 extension, Mullins said local roads such as FM 1486 could see increased traffic. FM 1486 is a two-lane road. Traf- fic increased by more than 40% between 2011-20 at FM 1486 and FM 1774 in Magnolia with almost 1,500 additional daily drivers, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Public Information Officer Danny Perez said TxDOT does not have a plan to widen the road. How- ever, a project is planned to overlay the roadway for a smoother drive and to extend the life of the road, which is set to begin within the next four years and cost about $5.3 million, Perez said. In light of the large developments planned, Mullins said the H-GAC may need to prioritize a project to widen the road sometime in the next five to 10 years.
of the developments outside the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, the city will benefit from future residents of the developments shopping at Mag- nolia stores. Magnolia Economic Development Coordinator Tana Ross said the city has been in talks with the Airia Devel- opment Co. regarding a future annex- ation since part of the development is in the city’s ETJ. However, she said the annexation would not be in the near future, and Doering said the city does not have the water capacity to support an annexation. “We’re growing too fast to even talk about going beyond our city limits right now,” Doering said. Because of the residential growth in the Magnolia area and the devel- opments planned for FM 1486, Morris said MISD is in early conversations to call for a bond, which could include funding for a new elementary school and an intermediate and junior high school complex. Morris said he could not provide a timeline for when the district might call a bond, but he said it will need to be in the near future. Additionally, preparations for the construction of the Lone Star Col- lege-Magnolia Center, a future sat- ellite campus of LSC-Montgomery at FM 1774 and FM 1486, are under- way in part because of the growing residential development in the area, LSC-Montgomery President Rebecca Riley said. “Lone Star College–Magnolia Cen- ter will fulfill a need for affordable higher education in a rapidly growing community,” Riley said. “It’s all about having high-quality, affordable edu- cation in Magnolia’s backyard.” Maegan Kirby contributed to this report.
1486
Average daily traffic counts have fluctuated between 2011-20 at FM 1486 and FM 1774 in Magnolia, although the numbers show an overall increase over the last 10 years, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation.
1488
1774
N
8,000
+40.9% in traffic counts from 2011 to 2020
7,000
6,000
5,073
5,000
3,600
4,000
3,000
0
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Moody said. With these developments planned, Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said he believes Precinct 2 residents will see a lot of change in the next three to five years as the additional homes and businesses change the environment in the county. “It’s going to be a massive change that people may not be ready for and people may not be expecting,” Riley said. In addition, Wolling said wild- life native to Montgomery County is being displaced because of the devel- opment. One of the biggest problems in the county is deer, which become displaced and then overcrowd natural areas left for them.
“They have no place left to go,” Wolling said. “[Deer] that used to be in the woods are now in neighbor-
hoods getting hit by cars.” Regional transportation
The tolled extension of Hwy. 249 through Montgomery County, which opened from FM 1488 to FM 1774 in March 2021, has made places such as the FM 1486 corridor more accessi- ble and desirable for developments, said Carlene Mullins, principal plan- ner for the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the region’s metropolitan planning organization. Schoenfield said he thinks the extension of Hwy. 249 has been a game changer for development. “[Hwy. 249] is a complete paradigm
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
PENDED IN A DAY IN LIBERTY BRANCH
For YourFamily
RENEE LESLIE-BUCKHOFF BROKER/OWNER
RE/MAX ELITE PROPERTIES 713-955-2510 (Office) | 281-639-5982 (Mobile) Renee@ReneeBuckhoff.com www.RemaxEliteProperties.com
N O B O D Y S E L L S M O R E R E A L E S T A T E T H A N R E / M A X
29
TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION • FEBRUARY 2022
Powered by FlippingBook