The City of Magnolia has hired Bret Keast—president of the community planning consulting firm Kendig Keast—to help identify and analyze key issues as it works to update its master plan.

Paul Mendes, Magnolia's city administrator, said they chose Keast because of his excellent credentials.

"He's done a lot of very good work for other people around this area," Mendes said. "We've talked to people in other communities where he's worked, and they've been very happy with what he's done."

At the Feb. 14 City Council meeting, Keast presented a rough idea for how the city can use the master plan to address the area known as "the Stroll" along FM 1774. While the Stroll is a main focal point for Magnolia, Mendes pointed out that the scope for the master plan update was much wider.

"We needed to bring in someone who could take a look at the entire city, not just the Stroll," he said. "We want to be able to look 10–15 years down the line and come up with what we need to do to continue to grow our city."