The Katy City Council held a public hearing Monday at 6:30 p.m. as part of their regular meeting. The hearing was held regarding a proposed new subdivision that would be located at the intersection of Morton and Katy Hockley roads. Other items on the meeting agenda included establishing no parking zones on 10th Street, Katy West Drive and Apache Drive, selling surplus items and a zoning exception to allow a church in a business zone.

1. In a public hearing that lasted more than half an hour, the council and meeting attendees discussed their concerns about a proposed planned development district that would establish the 25K Morton Park business development and the accompanying Silver Oaks Estates Subdivision.

Rick Lawler, a representative of the developer JPSPS Development, L.P., said the company attended prior public hearings held by the City Planning and Zoning commission and adjusted the community plan to mitigate concerns. Noise reducing walls were added between the existing subdivisions and the proposed subdivision, and the commercial portion of the property was moved to the southeastern corner of the property. New homes will be located between the commercial area and the existing residential neighborhood just north of the proposed development. Residents of neighboring properties expressed concerns that, even with the adjustments to the plan, they would still see increased noise and light pollution as well as additional drainage concerns in an area that saw flooding after Tropical Storm Harvey. Council members said they shared resident concerns and voted to postpone a decision on the new development until the next city council meeting on March 12 to give council members more time to review the plan and discuss concerns with the community. 2. The council approved an amendment to the city’s traffic and vehicles ordinance to establish no parking zones. The first zone would establish parking restrictions on the south side of 10th Street from Avenue D to the end of the Whispering Lakes subdivision. Parking restrictions were also placed on both sides of Katy West Drive, Cherokee Drive and Apache Drive. Mayor Chuck Brawner said that the restrictions were being put in place because large vehicles were parking on the shoulders of those streets, causing damage to the roadway and to the drainage ditches at those locations. 3. A unanimous decision was reached to rename the Katy Heritage Museum the Johnny Nelson Heritage Museum of Katy in honor of the city’s late former mayor. Brawner said the city has been in communication with Nelson’s relatives since his funeral service in late January. 4. The council approved a street closure on April 1 from 5:30-8:30 a.m. to allow the Memorial Lutheran Church at 5810 3rd Street to hold their Outdoor Easter Sunrise Service. Third Street will be closed between Avenues C and D during that time. 5. The Katy City Council approved a zoning ordinance exception for Northwest Believers Church at 5423 E. 5th St., Katy,  to continue to operate for an additional five years as a religious institution operating in a commercially zoned portion of the city. 6. The city approved the surplus sale of two police cars, a tractor and a variety of office equipment which were no longer being used by the city. 7. Mayor Brawner announced at the end of the meeting that Katy’s Fire Chief Russell Wilson had been named Fire Chief of the Year by the Texas Fire Chiefs Association at their annual conference from Feb. 26-28. Wilson is still out of town attending the conference. "It has been a very humbling experience to be honored by the quality of people who represent our field across the great State of Texas," Wilson said via email. Brawner said he was proud of the city being recognized through Wilson’s efforts and applauded the fire chief’s and first responders’ accomplishments in raising the standards of professionalism for firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the city. “His peers from around the state of Texas selected him for this year, and that’s a wonderful honor for himself personally and for our city,” Brawner said.