In a nutshell
The rezoning request, approved at the Oct. 28 Katy City Council meeting in a split 3-2 vote, will change the 46.27-acre residentially zoned area to a planned development district for the construction of The Green at Katy Park. Mayor pro tem Chris Harris and council member Rory Robertson were the dissenting votes.
The proposed development aims to bring green space and restaurants north of I-10 and will be completed in two phases, said officials with Read King, developer of The Green at Katy Park project. Phase 1 will feature retail and restaurants, while Phase 2 is still undetermined.
“We said ... let’s create a place together with Katy,” Read King co-founder Jeff Read said. “Our green space will be larger than LaCenterra. ...Our project’s small, but we're allocating that kind of green to create a gathering place.”
Read King is the developer of the adjacent The Market at Katy Park development, which features H-E-B, Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care and Dentists of Katy Park. Other businesses set to join the 52-acre center include Italian ice shop Rita's, McDonald's and The Oaks at Katy Park apartments.
Those opposed
Although the development was ultimately approved, seven residents voiced their opposition, including Robin Armstrong, who said she was concerned with flooding issues as more development comes to the same area. Additional resident concerns included light pollution and traffic.
“I don’t want this. In fact, we have flooded twice—we flooded Tax Day and we flooded [in Hurricane] Harvey—and y’all are tearing our community up,” Armstrong said.
Meanwhile, Robertson said he couldn’t support the rezoning request after hearing the public speakers, receiving 25 emails from opposed residents and hundreds of comments against the project on social media.
“Ninety-nine percent of resident feedback is not supporting this—I cannot, I was elected by these people to represent them ... and they are telling me not to support it,” he said. “Until you win over the people, I can’t support it. They all supported me when I needed it, so I am going to support them when they need me.”
What they’re saying
Council member Gina Hicks said council does hear the residents’ concerns, but she said many other residents have said they are excited for the project to bring dining options.
“This is something that a lot of people have been asking for and people have been wanting in this area,” she said. “It will improve community gatherings—the living, eating, shopping locally—not having to go all the way to [Hwy.] 99, not having to go all the way to Pin Oak [Road] and I-10.”
Looking ahead
Before development can begin, design and permitting will must be approved by city officials. Work on internal infrastructure, such as roads, utilities and a detention pond, is expected to begin in March or April 2025 and finish in fall 2025, Read King officials said.
Construction on Phase 1 is slated to begin in fall 2025, with business openings beginning in late summer or fall 2026, officials said.
