With 2016 in the rearview mirror, the cities of Pearland and Friendswood are addressing the challenges they will each face in 2017.
In Pearland, a consistent theme is growth. Matt Buchanan, president of the Pearland Economic Development Corporation, anticipates attracting more businesses to the city’s industrial and commercial centers in 2017.
“We’re always actively working on projects that we hope to bring to fruition,” Buchanan said.
On the other hand, Friendswood has less room to grow outward. So the city has focused on revitalizing its downtown area to continue to be an attractive destination for development.
“I think there are a lot of misconceptions about Friendswood,” Friendswood City Planner Aubrey Harbin said. “I think part of the focus is revitalizing [downtown] so that people’s first impressions are better of our city.”
Pearland pursues growth
In recent years, the city of Pearland and the PEDC began pursuing major business growth throughout the nearly 73-square-mile city limits. Undeveloped areas like the Lower Kirby Urban District and various corridors leading into the city posed opportunities to attract developers and national corporations.
“The Lower Kirby (Urban) District continues to be a focus and is going to be for many, many years to come, because there is a lot of land there,” Buchanan said of the 1,200-acre industrial and commercial center west of Hwy. 288. “We are going to try to make it an employment center for the city of Pearland.”
Last April, international biotech firm Lonza Houston Inc. broke ground on a 100,000-square-foot facility in Lower Kirby. Five months later, the company announced it was expanding the facility by another 150,000 square feet.
FloWorks International, a supplier of pipe, valves, fittings and related products for the industrial and energy sectors, broke ground in September 2015 and is set to reach completion in 2017.
The growing population and commercial developments, especially along Hwy. 288, pose a golden opportunity for retail development, said Brian Ashby, a senior associate at CBRE’s retail services group. CBRE is working to develop sections along the Hwy. 288 frontage road.
“The city of Pearland is missing out on some really great opportunities along [Hwy.] 288 between Southfork Drive and Broadway Street,” Ashby said. “There is a real need to work hand-in-hand with [the Texas Department of Transportation] to see to it that the feeder roads along this stretch are completed.”
Major commercial developments have driven demand for more residential development, Pearland City Manager Clay Pearson said.
“Interest in new residential developments is strong as communities, such as Baker’s Landing, Southern Trails and Shadow Creek Ranch, continue to build out,” Pearson said.
Shadow Creek Ranch, a 3,500-acre master-planned community, began construction in 2001 and its developer estimates upward of 13,000 single-family homes at build-out. As it stands, there are more than 6,200 homes built.
Managing city services
Another result of growth has been the challenge of matching city services with the continued increase in the city’s fervent expansion, Pearson said.
The city of Pearland has grown from more than 91,000 residents in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, to an estimated 119,000 residents in 2016.
“That has been one of our challenges: to grow city services commensurate with the community in terms of breadth and volume,” Pearson said. “We have never grown for growth’s sake.”
In an effort to boost the city’s appeal to developers while managing its population boom, Pearland is investing millions in road improvements. The most expensive of these road projects slated for 2017 is the $33 million expansion of Hughes Ranch Road to a four-lane boulevard.
Pearland has developed a five-year, $545 million capital improvement plan to keep the city on track with near-term growth from 2017-2021.
Friendswood gets a new look
Although the city of Friendswood has less undeveloped land for growth, officials hope to attract more businesses to its downtown area through revitalization efforts and incentive programs.
In May, voters approved the adoption of a downtown improvements sales and use tax of one-eighth of 1 percent to fund infrastructure, pedestrian and other aesthetic improvements in the area.
“The city got on board with us this year and put pavers, benches and lights in front of City Hall, which is part of the Downtown District,” Harbin said.
The city also has a Chapter 380 municipal grant program that helps offset the costs of major developments in the downtown area for investments of at least $250,000. The city also offers fee waivers and potential tax abatement. In addition, city council approved aesthetic improvements outside of city hall, which is in the downtown area.
A major player is Friendswood-based developer Tannos Construction, which is building out new retail and commercial space in downtown. Tannos has started construction on two commercial strip centers—the first location was completed in downtown Friendswood—with a third slated for 2017.
In addition to downtown projects, the 276-acre Friendswood Trails master-planned community is slated to break ground on the former Sunmeadow golf course by mid-2017.
West Ranch and Sterling Creek are set to complete build-out within five years, Harbin said.
“We’ll grow slowly,” Harbin said. “We don’t anticipate Pearland kind of growth. Our growth is limited.”
This story is one update from The January Issue. View the full list of 10 things to look for here
