The city of Katy and Kendig Keast Collaborative, a Sugar Land-based multidisciplinary planning firm, are halfway through the phases of the city’s 20-year comprehensive plan.

The plan consists of four chronological phases: “early engagement,” “existing city and plan direction,” “future city” and “plan implementation.”

On May 24, Meredith Dang, practice leader for community planning at Kendig Keast, said the city concluded the “existing city” phase of the process and was entering the “future city” phase.

During this special meeting, Dang delivered the existing city report to City Council and the city planning and zoning commission with the primary purpose of confirming the data is on par with what city officials have also estimated.

Finalizing the existing city report will help inform an outline of what the city will grow to become by 2040, Dang said. The “future city” phase will be conducted from June to December, according to a presentation by Dang.

'Existing city'

In the "existing city" phase, the planning firm conducted research and collected data on several key elements of the city and its residents as well as made projections for the population.

Kendig Keast determined that the median age of Katy residents is 39.5, while 13.1% of residents are age 65 or older, according to U.S. Census Bureau 2020 American Community Survey data. Dang said this is a higher median age than the state of Texas and comparable cities, and although not necessarily good or bad, it is important in anticipating the community’s needs.

“Different demographic groups do have different needs and services that should be tailored to them, whether that's at the senior center or in park equipment,” Dang said. “Just knowing what the demographics are and how those may change over time.”

This median age also informs what housing will look like over the next 20 years, Dang said. Though changing demographics over time does not exactly predict the housing market, Dang emphasized, it may show how the population will increase without the need for more dwellings. This would be the case if more families move to Katy, she said.

Kendig Keast also reported that 86.9% of occupied housing in the city of Katy are single-family homes, with 79% of these being owner-occupied, as opposed to renter-occupied. Dang said this points to the identity of the city’s strong and prideful neighborhoods, an idea collected in engagement forums with the public conducted in the early engagement phase from January to April.

Some 21.4% of full-time employed Katy residents work in either education or health care, Dang said. Dang did point out the difference between jobs of residents who live in Katy and jobs located in the city, noting that most people who work in Katy do not live in Katy.

This jives with Katy Economic Development data, which shows Katy ISD as the largest leading employer in Katy in 2021 with an estimated 12,000 employees. Also included on this list were Houston Methodist West Hospital with 2,000 employees and oil and gas company Shell Exploration and Production with 5,500 employees, for reference.

Another major element of the "existing city" is transportation, Dang said. Because Katy Freeway and Grand Parkway run through the center of the city, it means higher speeds and more crashes, Dang said. In 2021, the Texas Department of Transportation counted 1,058 vehicle crashes within city limits. A map acquired from the state transportation department showed hot spots for car accidents along Katy Freeway, especially near and in the intersection of Pin Oak Road; Katy Hockley and Clay Road; and near the Grand Harbour neighborhood along Katy Fort Bend Road and Katy Freeway.

“One thing we heard from the police department was that they do spend a significant amount of time and resources responding to vehicle incidents, and so certainly this does have an impact on city services,” Dang said.

TxDOT also anticipates greater use of the major highways in the Greater Katy area by its investment of over half a billion dollars in projects along I-10 and US 90 in the next five to 10 years, Dang said.

In public sessions, Dang said residents recognize the importance of maintaining the small-city culture in Katy, public works and public safety. In fact, 57% of the 2022 general fund expenditures were allocated to public safety.

“Probably the No. 1 thing we heard was [public safety is the] reason why people move to Katy, why they stay in Katy and something that [residents] really value,” Dang said. “The other one is flooding and drainage infrastructure.”

Furthermore, the amenities and heritage of Katy’s attractions—like Katy Heritage Homes, Veterans of Foreign Wars Museum, Katy Mills Mall and Typhoon Texas—not only benefit residents but also attract tourists, Dang said. Kendig Keast estimates that the city will amass $1.4 million in hotel occupancy tax revenue in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Population projections

Kendig Keast used a combination of the Texas Water Development Board and a constrained growth rate based on the amount of developable land left in Katy to reach a midpoint population projection of 31,000 residents by 2040, or about 9,100 more residents than the 2020 population determined by U.S. census data.

Projections are not an exact science, Dang said, but the planning firm predicts that population growth will slow once developments like Cane Island community and the Katy Boardwalk District fill to capacity.

Other estimates, which utilized KISD data; countywide estimations from a combination of Harris, Fort Bend and Waller counties; and steady numeric growth patterns based on the population increase from 2010-20, saw projections range from 28,837 residents up to 52,773, Dang said.

'Future city'

In the next phase of the comprehensive plan, Kendig Keast and city of Katy officials will begin a draft plan based on five guiding principles.

The specific language of these principles has not yet been finalized, but they center around:

• being proactive in providing high-quality life for residents and making sure individuals and businesses are involved in development;
• continuing collaboration across counties and jurisdictions within the city of Katy;
• maintaining authenticity with the preservation of the city’s “small-town feel";
• remaining focused on maintaining the core elements valued by residents, including public safety and infrastructure; and
• being connected as both neighbors and residents and in working to achieve a citywide pathways network that links areas of the city.

The draft plan will focus on the top five priorities to commit ongoing attention to Katy’s infrastructure and public safety services; proactively prepare for ongoing growth; enhance mobility and access; achieve an even more livable Katy; and advance the plan’s priorities with new and improved implementation tools, Dang said.