Conroe City Council gave the green light for creating two new municipal utility districts that would serve the Howard Hughes Development Corp. project in north Conroe and Willis.

The MUDs will also seek similar approval from Willis City Council before they can petition for creation. Willis City Manager Hector Forestier said City Council is likely to consider the agenda item in January or February.

"We were waiting to get information from the city of Conroe, and we got it late last night," Forestier said. "We were hoping we could get a deal with the city of Conroe so the developer can start moving there and start building."

If approved, property owners within the proposed MUDs can petition for creation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Alternatively, the MUDs can be created by the state Legislature.

The two cities are also negotiating jurisdiction over the project. The cities may also agree to adjust the extraterritorial jurisdiction lines so that MUD No. 101 would lie in the city of Conroe and MUD No. 100 would lie in the city of Willis.