Audubon Magnolia Development, a master-planned development proposed near FM 1488 west of FM 149, has tripled in size to 3,000 acres, developer representative Sam Yager III said at a Magnolia City Council meeting April 10. The preliminary plans for the mixed-use development propose what is estimated to be the largest development in the Magnolia area, City Administrator Paul Mendes said. Audubon was initially announced in 2011 and is expected to feature both commercial and residential spaces. “Magnolia is poised to grow all the way out to Spur 149,” Mendes said. “Good business brings more businesses and homes. This will provide our residents with more selections to shop and live instead of having to travel to Tomball and The Woodlands.” In addition to the expansion in size, Yager said Audubon Magnolia Development’s design plans include land for frontage roads and interchanges along the Hwy. 249 extension, which will stretch from Harris to Grimes counties. The company has started clearing land for a section for the highway, Mendes said. Yager also recommended to council that the city annex existing and pending sections of the development into Magnolia’s extraterritorial jurisdiction; update its utility agreements to supply water and sewer services to municipal utility districts 130, 131 and 154; allow the development to use Montgomery County’s development standards as opposed to the city’s standards; and extend Mill Creek Road for a secondary access route to the development. Council is expected to consider the recommendations at its May 8 meeting.