A piece of property will be a part of the existing Katy Court Planned Development District after Katy City Council removed it from a previous amendment in April.
What happened?
At a Sept. 28 meeting, Katy City Council approved an ordinance in a 4-1 vote to change 3.4 acres of land near the intersection of Katy Hockley Cut Off Road and De Petris Drive from R-1 single-family district to be included in the existing Katy Court planned development district.
Council Member Michael Meihls cast the dissenting vote.
City Planner Rachel Lazo said the property was initially included in the Katy Court PDD, but the planning and zoning commission removed it from their recommendation in April after hearing residents share their issues with commercial development. Council later approved the PDD without the 3.4 acres of land.
What’s changed
Lazo said the comprehensive plan future land use and character map had the land classified as suburban residential with the future land use designation now neighborhood commercial.
Since April, the developer Parkside Capital has submitted further restrictions including:
Excluding gas stations and convenience store uses
Building a masonry wall and a fence along separate property boundaries
Building a detention pond and landscape buffer between the commercial pad and the Heritage Park West subdivision
Limiting buildings to 25 feet in height
What they’re saying
During public comment, multiple residents spoke against potential problems traffic and construction would bring to the well-being of their neighborhoods and children if the property were rezoned.
“I understand the perspective that we have to take property owners into consideration, but I think that they’re supporting one property owner over many thousands of others in the local area," resident Karl Hanel said.
Council member Paula Taylor said she specifically requested the tract of land be removed from the previous proposal, but pointed to the city’s growth, commercial value, the land not being big enough for residential use and Parkside Capital amending the current request as the reasons for voting for it now.
Additionally, council member Meihls—who serves as the HOA president of one of the nearby neighborhoods—praised Parkside Capital for their actions since their previous request. However, he said he voted against the rezoning due to a majority of people in his neighborhood not wanting it.
“Even though I think it’s a good idea, I had to side with them because I have to represent the people,” Meihls said.
What’s next
Brett Walker, president of Parkside Capital, said they do not know what will go into the rezoned property, but they will soon be working on the infrastructure design, detention drainage and speaking with prospective future tenants.
Also on the agenda
Katy City Council also approved the construction of a traffic signal at the intersection of Katy Hockley Cut Off Road and Heritage Drive. City Engineer David Kasper said it will be operational by June 2027.
