New retailers, housing options and mobility projects are coming to the intersection of Hwy. 6 and Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road in Missouri City to meet the needs of the growing area.
The details
The 144-acre Fort Bend Town Center occupies three corners of the intersection. Most of the first two phases are leased or in negotiations, sparking work on the third phase in 2023, per a November release from developer NewQuest Properties.
Meanwhile, the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County are planning a tollway extension and a future park and ride in the center.
Herman Rodriguez, economic development director with Missouri City, said the city aims to attract high-end retail and dining to the city.
“We tried to pick these places that are going to bring people together and that people want to see, and Fort Bend Town Center is creating that destination along both of the two major thoroughfares of the city,” he said.
Two-minute impact
New retail tenants and restaurants are set to join the intersection of Hwy. 6 and Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road in 2024.
Most businesses are coming in Phase II of Fort Bend Town Center, according to NewQuest’s release and previous Community Impact reporting. Data shows at least seven businesses opened in Phase II—in the northwestern corner—in 2023 alone, with four more confirmed to open in phases I and II.
EoS Fitness has preleased space in Phase II and will open before the end of 2024, according to NewQuest’s release. Beauty retailer CoCo Bella will open in February in Phase I.
Other developers are also eyeing the intersection due to the population growth happening in the area, Rodriguez said. The 1-mile area surrounding the development has seen a 24% population growth since the 2020 U.S. census, according to METRO data.
“Fort Bend Town Center will be not only a major retail destination for residents, but will also serve as a transit-oriented mixed-use development with the addition of both residential units and new METRO Park & Ride facility,” NewQuest Senior Vice President Andrew Alvis said in an emailed statement.
The context
More than 1,500 multifamily units are planned for the intersection, with hundreds set to break ground this year, according to information from Missouri City and developers.
Rodriguez said the apartment growth is driven by employment and educational opportunities and the area’s accessibility.
“The amount of commuters who use [the toll road] allows for the density of traffic in and out of this corridor versus traffic in other corridors without a major highway,” he said.
Three multifamily developments on the horizon include:
- Skymark Development (600 units): breaking ground TBA north of Phase III
- Sueba USA (670 units): breaking ground late summer 2024 in Phase III
- Dhanani Private Equity Group (280 units): breaking ground second quarter of 2024 west of Phase I
To improve corridor accessibility, the FBCTRA finished a $43.4 million project extending the toll road from Sienna Parkway to Sienna Ranch Road on Nov. 3, said Lisa Castañeda, deputy operating officer with Mike Stone Associates.
Design will wrap up in December 2024 on B3, the $19 million extension to the levee east of the Brazos River, with future plans to connect it to FM 2759, Castañeda said.
What’s next
In addition to apartments, Phase III of Fort Bend Town Center will include a park and ride garage opening in 2025, METRO Public Information Officer Monica Russo said.
“A significant number of Missouri City Park & Ride commuters take [the current route] to the Texas Medical Center,” Russo said via email.
Additionally, NewQuest’s site plan shows Phase III will feature more than 509,000 square feet of retail space, but Alvis said details on when commercial construction will begin aren’t available. Upon completion, the center’s total retail space will be 1 million square feet.
However, Rodriguez said the corridor’s growth won’t stop with Fort Bend Town Center.
“We are talking to the folks that are looking to keep that expansion going,” he said.
