Katy North Edition | January 2024

From the cover

Katy area grows west into Waller County

What’s happening

The overview

Waller County bond widening projects

To meet mobility needs of the growing area, Waller County and the Texas Department of Trans- portation ocials have taken on various projects to widen and build roads in north Katy. Waller County voters passed the $280 million mobility bond in November, which included ve road projects totaling $144.69 million in the Katy area, according to county bond documents. Waller County Engineer Ross McCall said the county aims to nish the projects over the next ve years. Meanwhile, TxDOT crews plan to begin several widening projects over the next 5-10 years. A three-phase project will widen FM 529 from the Grand Parkway to FM 362 starting in 2027-28; Hwy. 90 will be widened from I-10 to FM 1463 beginning in early 2028, TxDOT Public Informa- tion Ocer Kristina Hadley said. Another will widen FM 2855 from FM 529 to Hwy. 90, but it won’t bid until 2031, she said.

Experts predict new housing developments will greatly increase Waller County’s population over the next 20 years. “If everything continues the way it goes right now, somewhere between 2030 and 2035 our population will double,” Yokom said. Demographic rm Population and Survey Analysts’ November report for Katy ISD showed two of KISD’s largest single-family contributors over the next 10 years are in Waller County. They include: • Sunterra by Land Tejas • Johnson Development’s “Plow” Sunterra, near Pitts and Clay roads, plans to add 3,604 homes over the next 10 years, per PASA’s report. Johnson Development’s 1,150-acre community near Morton Road and FM 2855 will bring 2,800 homes, with the sales coming in 2025, community ocials said.

STOCKDICK RD.

$12.5M

$34.95M

CLAY RD.

$26.8M

$40.62M

MORTON RD.

2855

$29.82M

Waller County population projections

Digging deeper

an email. To account for that, the district will open Nelson Junior High this fall at 25747 Longenbaugh Road. The school will accommodate 1,400 students for an estimated cost of $55 million, according to the district’s website. Freeman High School will also open this fall at 7800 Katy Hockley Road at an estimated cost of $183 million. Funds for both come from the KISD’s $676.2 million bond approved in May 2021.

Realtor Tim Sjoka, CEO of See Tim Sell Property Group, said he believes much of the growth in south Waller County can be attributed to KISD becoming a destination district for parents seeking top-rated public schools. In response to the growth, KISD has recently undertaken construction of two new schools to accommodate the enrollment needs of the area. “The district is experiencing tremendous growth, particularly in the northwest quadrant,” said Nick Petito, KISD general manager of media relations, in

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*PROJECTIONS

SOURCE: HOUSTONGALVESTON AREA COUNCILCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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