Conroe and Montgomery will see commercial, residential and infrastructure development in 2016 as several projects are completed or break ground this year.
Major residential developments in Conroe, such as Grand Central Park, Stillwater and Fosters Ridge, continue to experience growth as the housing market expands. Meanwhile, Montgomery is seeing a similar influx of housing and commercial projects, such as a new Kroger Marketplace, along its eastern and western borders.
To meet the needs of incoming residents, the cities are improving roads and city services.
“We [have] a tremendous amount of housing development springing up all around us,” Conroe Mayor Webb Melder said. “We are addressing all of the things that come with a growing city in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Development in the city of Conroe continues as developers move forward with new projects as well as expansion of existing subdivisions.[/caption]
Conroe accommodating development
A couple of major developments are expected to draw new residents and commercial projects to Conroe once they are complete, City Administrator Paul Virgadamo said.
Grand Central Park, a 2,046-acre, mixed-use project developed by Johnson Development Corp., broke ground in Conroe in 2015. The property includes the 336 Marketplace, a 102-acre retail shopping center that is anticipated to open by the end of the year. The city also expects the Howard Hughes Corp. to develop a 2,000-acre master-planned community near I-45 and FM 1097 over the coming years.
Coupled with 635 new homes under construction and development of an additional 731 new home lots at eight new or existing subdivisions last year, population growth is expected to put a strain on city services, city officials said.
“Obviously more development brings more people and more traffic, so we have to deal with more pressure on the system,” Virgadamo said. “We believe we are prepared for the growth.”
To meet demand, Virgadamo said the city is expanding roads and services in rapidly developing areas. Two mobility projects on the city’s northern side will alleviate highly congested areas, and recently implemented municipal infrastructure has led to development interest in the city’s southern end, he said.
The city will expand Longmire Road from two to four lanes from FM 3083 to League Line Road in part because of the Howard Hughes development and growth in the nearby Water Crest on Lake Conroe subdivision. An additional fire station is being designed this year to serve the area as well, Virgadamo said.
This summer the city expects to complete a League Line Road extension from Hwy. 75 to the Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport. The extension cuts through some of the city’s largest economic drivers and will alleviate traffic congestion along FM 3083, city officials said.
“With the opening of League Line Road, that is going to give [motorists] direct access to the airport, the industrial park and the technology park,” Melder said. “That is going to be a game-changer.”
Near the city’s southern border, a new Houston Methodist hospital is under development at the intersection of Hwy. 242 and I-45, said Nancy Mikeska, Conroe assistant director of community development. The FM 1488 corridor is also seeing an influx of multifamily housing such as The Mansions Woodland and The Towers Woodland in Conroe, she said.
Although the housing market is on the rise, city officials said they are wary of the possible effect of low crude oil prices on the housing market. However, the Conroe city budget continues to grow, largely because of a strong sales tax performance by the manufacturing, wholesale, general merchandise and food service sectors.
“Things have slowed a bit, especially on the housing end, but it still looks good so hopefully we will continue to carry through,” Virgadamo said.
The city of Montgomery is seeing an influx of development near its eastern and western borders. A new Kroger Marketplace under development this year is expected to draw additional retail to the city.[/caption]
Montgomery prepares for growth
As many as 200 new homesites will be built in the city of Montgomery this year. Montgomery city officials credit the housing boom to the availability of large tracts of land along major corridors, a developing retail market and the presence of a quality school district.
While a majority of new development is found along the city’s eastern borders near Lone Star Parkway and FM 1097, demand along the western border is also starting to rise. Shannan Reid, director of the Montgomery Economic Development Corp., attributes the interest on the city’s western edge to growth west of Montgomery, such as the development of the Bluejack National community on FM 1486.
“I have had residential and commercial developers call me to talk about the west side of Montgomery for the first time,” Reid said.
Additionally, a Kroger Marketplace store under development, at the eastern intersection of Lone Star Parkway and Hwy. 105, is expected to further attract commercial development to the city.
“We have been having side conversations with other businesses who really are waiting for that first domino,” Reid said. “The whole four corners [of the Lone Star Parkway intersection with Hwy. 105] is looking to develop.”
The 120,000-square-foot store broke ground in early January and is expected to open by early 2017, The Kroger Co. spokesperson Kristal Howard said.
The expected population growth will put a strain on municipal services that has city officials looking for creative solutions to meet demand. The city completed a revamped water master plan in November. It is also creating a new sewer master plan and implementing wireless water meters in February, City Administrator Jack Yates said. [polldaddy poll=9287074]
A Texas Department of Transportation project expanding FM 149 from FM 1791 to Montgomery will spark revitalization within the city’s historic district this year, Reid said.
Additionally, city officials have engaged Montgomery County commissioners in talks about potential solutions to traffic congestion throughout the city. One possible project is the extension of Bois D’Arc Bend from Walden Road to Lone Star Parkway to give residents of the Walden community access to the Kroger shopping center, Montgomery County Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador said.
“We have to stay on top of being able to keep up with city services either through technology or personnel,” Mayor Kirk Jones said. “We will do what is necessary to keep serving everybody.”
Jones said the city made great progress in 2015, considering the shakeup in city personnel that punctuated 2014—the resignation of former Mayor John Fox, City Administrator Bill Kotlan, Community Development Director Eric Smith and City Attorney Brian Fowler.
“The city survived a major turnover of important personnel all at one time and came out of it doing great,” Jones said.
