A boardwalk project planned to be built behind Katy Mills, south of Kingsland Boulevard, will include a convention center complex. Project plans also include a hotel, parking garage and zones for residential, office and retail spaces, Katy Development Authority officials said during a special workshop session before the Katy City Council's regular meeting Jan. 12.
The project is slated to take eight to 10 years to complete at an estimated cost of nearly $49 million, accounting for inflation, said Katy Development Authority representative Steve Robinson.
The bulk of the project will be built and paid for by a private developer with the promise that the company will be reimbursed from future tax revenue. This model of reimbursement was used for the construction of Katy Mills, Robinson said.
The future developer will build the project's convention center along the space's existing 80-acre retention pond. The pond will be surrounded by a 2-mile boardwalk, said Kerry Gilbert of Kerry Gilbert and Associates, the local firm responsible for preliminary planning for the project.
