Other items on the agenda included recognition of the Keep Katy Beautiful committee and accepting two grants for KBB.
The Village at Katy
Approval of the new development was unanimous following a public hearing that lasted about 30 minutes. During the hearing, the public expressed concerns about ensuring that the new development did not add to drainage or traffic problems for the city.
The new development will be approximately 84 acres in size and will contain two drainage ponds to assist with stormwater retention, said Ralph Saldana and Stephen Wilcox of Costello, Inc., the engineering firm that consulted with Katy Villages, LP on the design of the site. The development, including the two retention ponds would improve drainage from the current state of the property at 85-90 cubic feet per second, to about 55 CFS, Saldana said.
Once developed, the land would be open for a variety of businesses to customize to their needs, according to the PDD documentation. Possible uses include office complexes, commercial or service centers, shopping centers, hotels, medical facilities, a recreation center and self-storage with at least 70 percent of the street-facing portion being glass and masonry.
A variety of business types will be prohibited in the PDD, according to the same document. Car dealerships, smoke shops, sexually oriented businesses or industrial locations would not be allowed, among others.
Keep Katy Beautiful
Jess Washburn, tourism and marketing assistant and affiliate coordinator for the Keep Katy Beautiful board, presented a summary of the achievements of the board since it was founded in 1993 under former Mayor Skip Turner.
The council unanimously accepted two grants to go to KKB—the first in the amount of $5,000 from the Katy Rotary Club and a second of $150 for a bench honoring Dixie McDonald, a longtime member of the committee who passed away in January.
The organization was recognized for its efforts by both Mayor Chuck Brawner and by the Keep Texas Beautiful organization. The committee was one of 10 out of more than 400 organizations participating in Keep Texas Beautiful operations with the 2018 Governor’s Community Achievement Award for outstanding community improvement. The award will provide $180,000 to the city for use in landscaping along a local state right-of-way, Washburn said. The award will be given in a ceremony in Georgetown, Texas, on June 12.
Jamie Wolman, a longtime member of KKB is also being recognized by Keep Texas Beautiful for her ongoing efforts with KKB. Wolman has served for more than 20 years on both the Keep Texas Beautiful Board of Directors and KKB, Washburn said.
“I am so proud of Keep Katy Beautiful and our community efforts for this prestigious award. This is our fifth GCAA, which has allowed the city to put back more than $1 million into our wonderful community,” Brawner said.
