Magnolia Ridge Will bring 700 homes over the next 4-4.5 years
1488
H-E-B Broke ground in August
Magnolia Village 300 multifamily units slated for construction in fall 2022
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Audubon Expected to bring 4,200 homes over the next 15-20 years
1488
249
FM 1488 IS FINALLY GETTING SOME OF THE ATTENTION THAT I THINK IT REALLY DESERVES AND I THINK IS REALLYNEEDED. CHARLIE RILEY, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRECINCT 2 COMMISSIONER
FM 1488 east of Magnolia Scope: TxDOT will widen FM 1488 from two lanes to four with a continuous turn lane from FM 1774 east to FM 149. The project is out for bid. Timeline: 2.5 years after bids are awarded Cost: $48 million Funding source: TxDOT
149
DOBBIN HUFFSMITH RD.
SOURCES: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, LOCAL DEVELOPERS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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Administrator Don Doering said. The utility reloca- tions will cost about $1 million, Doering said. “We welcome the widening project,” Doering said. “It should help the tra c problems we’ve been su ering due to increased use.” Constructionwoes While the project is set to improve mobility, Riley said he believes driving along FM 1488 in the interim will be a “nightmare.” The road is the main corridor between Hwy. 290 and I-45, meaning drivers have to go through Magnolia on FM 1488 to get from Waller County to I-45, Riley said. Some business owners are also concerned about how the construction will a ect their business. Benitez said Las Fuentes had to give up 26 of its parking spaces so TxDOT can widen the road. Benitez said he built a new parking lot with 50 parking spaces to prepare for the construction, cost- ing him $300,000, some of which he said was funded by TxDOT. However, he said he is worried other busi- nesses in the area will take advantage of the new lot he built since they will be losing parking, too. Corey Yackley, owner of Texan Mattress on FM 1488, said his business will lose half of its park- ing as well as its signage on the road. He said he uses a trailer with a sign on it to advertise his busi- ness, and he plans to use it more frequently during
Development Corp., said he believes the FM 1488 widening will bring more visitors and make the city more attractive for potential businesses. In anticipation, Kelly said the EDC is focused on revitalizing its downtown in 2022, which includes the area between Commerce, Melton, 10th and Sanders streets. “We want to improve the facades and the aes- thetics of [downtown Magnolia]—which attracts not only businesses, but downtown residents, as well— and try to give it a facelift,” Kelly said. Steele said the city is looking to add parking and pedestrian connections downtown. She said the city also plans to restart a business facade improvement program to provide grants for businesses to cover some of the costs associated with the construction, such as the loss of parking and signage. Steele said plans are still being developed, and there is no estimated costs for the programs. “When everything is full and the businesses are working together and you got people on the streets and the sidewalks, that’s when you’re poised for enormous growth and success,” she said.
construction to make up for the lost signage. Magnolia Mayor Todd Kana said the city may see sales tax revenue dip during construction. “People tend to avoid the construction if they can drive an extra ve or 10 minutes a di erent direc- tion to get what they need, so there is a trickle-down e ect on our businesses and in turn the city sales tax, but it’s typically temporary and not damaging,” Kana said. More to come With the widening through Magnolia now in motion, Riley said he can focus on other projects along the corridor. These projects include the widening of FM 1488 to six lanes from FM 2978 to I-45, which has funding available but is not anticipated to start until 2029, and the Magnolia Relief Route, a proposed road- way that would loop north around the city from Hwy. 249 to west of Old Hempstead Road at FM 1488. The relief route was not recommended for fund- ing by the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a met- ropolitan planning organization, during its last funding round in March 2019. However, Riley said he plans to submit the project again in spring 2022 both as a four-lane highway totaling $78 million and as a $43 million two-lane road. JakeKelly, amember of theMagnolia 4AEconomic
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