The city of Katy is forming a historic preservation commission advisory group to help keep the city’s landmarks up to current safety standards, prioritizing the city’s historic rice dryers.
The gist
At a Feb. 9 meeting, Katy City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to create the advisory group, which will comprise structural engineers and residents valuing the city’s history and culture.
“The Katy rice dryers have been major landmarks not only for Katy residents, but for the millions of people who have driven the I-10 corridor,” Ward A council member Janet Corte said. “Safety and [Americans with Disabilities Act] regulations must come first.”
Remember this?
The first phase of The Dryer, a 3-acre revitalization project, began with the Katy Beer Garden, an indoor and outdoor venue that opened last June off Hwy. 90. In April 2025, developer Hadi “Andrew” Nurcahya said he hopes the project’s second phase will become a community-centric place for families.
Nurcahya said Phase 2 of The Dryer will include:
- A miniature train
- A playground
- Black shipping containers with space for 16 food and beverage vendors
- A stage and large TV
- Green space with artificial grass where organizers can host events for free
Nurcahya envisions family movie nights, karaoke parties and other community events being held on the lawn in between the silos and vendor space.
Permitting for Phase 3, a three-story building, should begin in 2026, and construction could begin on it in early 2027, Nurcahya previously said. Located adjacent to the Katy Beer Garden, the building will feature a food court on the first floor, co-working office space on the second and a banquet hall on the third.
Digging in deeper
In the process of creating the city’s 2040 comprehensive plan, planning firm Kendig Keast Collaborative developed a future land use and character map in March 2023, which noted three potential mixed-use areas, including the KT Entertainment District Mixed Use area north of Hwy. 90 near the Katy rice dryers, Community Development Director Ian Clowes said in an email.
At a January 2024 meeting, Katy City Council signed an $85,000 agreement with KKC to create a plan for the proposed district, Community Impact reported.
Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris suggested the entertainment district could be merged with a “rice dryer district” at the Feb. 9 meeting.
However, Ward B council member Rory Robertson said the draft for the entertainment board was “horrendous."
“I thought it was detrimental to that district,” Robertson said. “It was not protecting dryers.”
What they’re saying
Several residents advocated for the preservation of the dryers during public comment, supporting the creation of the advisory group.
“When someone buys a historic structure in Katy and wants to restore or repurpose it, they quickly run into modern permitting requirements that were designed for new construction, not for preserving the past,” resident Wendy Watson said. “Instead of encouraging restoration, we unintentionally make it harder, more expensive and more confusing to save our history.”
What’s next
The advisory group will report back to council April 27, per Corte’s direction.
