Jersey Village plans for decade of development

The overview

The plan was designed over the course of a year in collaboration between city staff, residents and third-party consultants Antero Group, Ash + Lime and TJKM. The city last released a full comprehensive plan in 2016, which was updated in 2020, city officials said.

The city received a $157,000 grant from the Texas General Land Office in 2024 for the new plan, City Manager Austin Bleess said.

“We don't want this plan to just sit on a shelf," Bleess said. "We want this to be a living document that we reference frequently."

Antero Group Project Manager Sean Norton said the planning team surveyed numerous community stakeholders to represent different demographics in Jersey Village. He said there was a clear consensus around developing infrastructure and amenities without sacrificing city character.

"We [need to] understand what the community’s desires are, and then we go into analyzing the real world existing conditions so those wants are balanced with needs,” Norton said.

Population and housing unit growth in Jersey Village steadily declined since 2000 as the city approached full build out, the plan showed.

However, population projections show Jersey Village could see an increase of about 300-600 residents by 2045, creating a demand for new units.

With much of the plan focused on attracting visitors, businesses and residents, Johnson said Jersey Village must diversify its developments, ideally through mixed-use zoning.

“We want things to be rooted in reality and achievable because there’s never anything worse than setting up a city for failure,” Norton told Community Impact.

City staff are exploring five potential land use reclassification zones with an emphasis on mixed-use development, according to a map of future land use. Areas of interest include METRO’s Northwest Park and Ride station and the Senate Avenue and Hwy. 290 intersection, which are currently zoned for institutional and commercial use, respectively.

Several strategies in the plan support the city’s broader goal of increasing sales tax revenue, council member Drew Wasson, who served as council liaison on the project, said.

Johnson said her department is focusing on marketing the city as a “boutique business community” with the goal of diversifying and making business owners feel involved in the city. Similarly, Wasson told Community Impact a large part of the city's appeal is its small roots.

“There's all sorts of benefits to being a popular city in terms of residents, from increasing in property values to great neighbors who want to be a part of the community," Wasson said.

Jersey Village resident and Comprehensive Plan Update Committee Chair Eric Henao said while some strategies may face obstacles, like bond referendums, planning for a variety of goals allows the city to be prepared for sudden opportunities to purchase and develop land within city limits.

“You have to think big in the future because if you don’t, you could miss an opportunity that can quickly transform,” Henao said.

Strategies were categorized by priority level, projected cost and timeframe for completion, allowing the city to track its progress over the next decade. Norton said Antero Group also included potential grant sources to assist with funding for several of the proposed projects.

“With the city’s leadership, both the city staff and elected officials, they are very proactive and I believe all of these strategies are achievable,” Norton said.

Bleess said he hopes to have achieved a majority of the short and mid-term recommendations by 2030, when the city will likely update the comprehensive plan for the next five years. Find the full implementation timeline in the comprehensive plan document.

“A year from now, you’ll see some progress on our short-term goals, and we’ll have a better time frame for our longer-term goals when we get to next year’s budget,” Bleess said.