The district, which is near the northwest corner of Morton and Katy Hockley Cut Off roads, is set to bring green space, retail and restaurants in a two-phased project, Community Impact reported.
Zooming in
A $1.91 million contract with Allgood Construction Company was approved by City Council in a 5-1 vote, while a $2.16 million contract with CE Barker for the construction of drainage and paving facilities was approved unanimously.
The contract with Allgood includes signal modification at Katy Hockley Cut Off and Morton roads, as well as turn lanes on Katy Hockley Cut Off Road and drainage improvements on Morton Road, City Engineer David Kasper said.
Meanwhile, the CE Barker contract will extend a roadway north from the new traffic signal and curve eastbound to Katy Park Market Drive, with another internal street meeting up at the same point, Kasper said.
Both projects will be funded by Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County funds, according to agenda documents.
Those opposed
Council member Rory Robertson objected to the traffic signal contract, citing an excess of traffic signals in the area.
“There are too many lights, and it takes 15 minutes to get through that whole intersection,” he said. “Adding another light would be a hindrance, and I feel like it’s a light going in for a developer, so I can’t support this one.”
However, Kasper said studies have predicted delays in traffic if a signal is not placed at the intersection.
Going forward
While exact timelines have not been identified, construction on drainage and paving facilities is expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year and finish by spring 2026, Kasper said.
Meanwhile, there are no hard dates for roadway and traffic signal modifications, but agenda documents show a period of performance of 285 contract days. Kasper said it may take longer for the project to start, with parts for the traffic signal taking four to six months to arrive.
Also on the agenda
City Council also authorized an extension to City Administrator Byron Hebert’s contract through September 2028 and appointed Finance Manager Joey Killion as assistant city administrator.
Hebert previously served as the city’s finance director from 2000 to 2014 before being appointed city administrator, according to the city’s website.
All five council members praised Hebert’s work and expressed excitement about his choice not to retire.
“I told him that if I was running for mayor again, he had to serve another three years, because he was going to retire,” Mayor Dusty Thiele said. “So y’all can actually thank me for that.”
Killion has served as the city’s finance manager since May 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile. He previously spent nearly five years as an auditor for Whitley Penn and over three years as an analyst for Cotton USA.
