Phase 1 of a new fishing and recreation destination for Harris County is due to open this summer. John Paul’s Landing, an 865-acre property in Katy, will feature a fishing lake, trails, playgrounds and an environmental education center among other amenities.
The project has been in development for Precinct 3 since 2011 and is located west of the Grand Parkway, near the intersection of Katy Hockley Cut Off and Sharp roads.
Mike McMahan, special activities coordinator for the Harris County Precinct 3 Parks Department, said Phase 1 of the project will open in August, which includes about 140 acres of a new 400-acre fishing lake.
“We would hope that in three to five years that we would have the entire lake open,” he said.
McMahan said the land was previously a degraded farm pasture for livestock grazing, but once completed, will be a premier fishing destination. To date, the precinct has stocked the lake with about 50,000 black bass, 8,000 channel catfish and “tens of thousands” of thousands of bluegill fish, which are prey for the bass and catfish, he said.
To excavate the 32-foot-deep lake, Harris County Precinct 3 contracted with the Texas Department of Transportation, homebuilders and FedEx Corp. to take dirt from the lake for their own construction projects, saving the county nearly $37 million, McMahan said.
“The initial charge we were given from Commissioner [Steve Radack] was to develop this 865-acre property and not spend any money, and we tried to hold true to that as well as possible,” he said. “That’s where our technical staff came up with this process to dig at no cost.”
The county also received a $1 million grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in March for an education and visitors center. Harris County spent about $11 million for park amenities and flood detention efforts around the lake, McMahan said.
Niki Ragan, an assistant biologist for TPWD’s Inland Fisheries field office for the College Station-Houston District, said Harris County Precinct 3 consulted with TPWD for the design and stocking of the lake.
“Mike McMahan and his guys—they’ve done a phenomenal job with this park, and it’s going to be one of the best places to go fishing in Houston when they’re done with it,” Ragan said.
Reservable picnic pavilions are part of John Paul's Landing.[/caption]
Meanwhile, Phase 1 of John Paul’s Landing will have playgrounds, four pavilions, parking and an outdoor exercise area with machines for upper body workouts. Phase 1 will be on the south side of the lake, but McMahan said all 865 acres of John Paul’s Landing will be available. Any construction for Phase 2 will be cordoned off from public access. The remaining acreage of the lake will open as long as dirt can be removed.
“We intend to start the construction of the second phase as soon as we complete Phase 1, so we would expect to immediately start working on the second area,” he said. “So all the particulars are being worked out.”
