It was a full house on Thursday, March 31, at the MCTX Community Center as the Texas Parkway-Cartwright Road Corridor Development Advisory Committee updated community stakeholders on a host of improvements coming to the area. Artists’ renderings of some of the upcoming changes were on display prior to the meeting.
City Council members and staff attending the meeting included Mayor Robin Elackatt; Mayor Pro Tem, District B Councilmember and Texas Parkway-Cartwright Road Corridor Committee Chair Jeffrey L. Boney; District A Councilmember Monica Riley; District D Councilmember Floyd Emery; At-Large Position No. 2 Councilmember Lynn Clouser; City Manager Charles Jackson; and Chief Operations Officer David Jordan.
Committee Chair Boney delivered opening remarks to begin the presentation. The Economic Development, Public Works and Parks & Recreation teams also participated, answering residents’ questions on detailed specifics of the improvement projects. If you were unable to attend the open house, here’s a recap of what’s coming to the corridor:
Parks & Infrastructure
Parks Maintenance Building
- The building, located across Texas Parkway from City Hall, will be torn down and a new building will be built in its place. The $4.2 million project is being funded through 2021 Bond Funds and TIRZ 1. Construction documents are nearly complete; demolition is scheduled to begin this summer.
Quail Green West Park
- Adding a picnic pavilion and restroom facilities to increase usability of the park.
Hunters Glen Park Trail
- The trail located within Hunters Glen Park will be converted from decomposed granite to pavement. The project is being funded through CDBG COVID relief. Construction is expected to begin in June.
Hunters Glen Soccer Field Lighting
- The soccer field lighting project was approved by City Council in February. The projected cost is $233,000 and was part of the FY2022 operating budget. Installation is anticipated the first week of June.
StaMo Park
- StaMo Park was a major piece of the 2021 Parks Bond Package and consists of a total reconstruction of the park. The City is expecting partial bond funding in late April to begin soliciting bids for construction. The park will likely be built in two phases: the initial $10 million project to be funded by the November 2021 bond measure, and a future $5 million project to complete the overhaul.
MUD 26 Park
- Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 26 has started construction on a public park and future water plant site at the intersection of Court Road and Columbia Blue. Construction will be completed in phases: Phase I - parking, playground, picnic area; Phase II - ballfields, shade structure, walking trail, splash pad and restrooms; and Phase III - water plant.
Rail Road Interchange at 90 and Texas Parkway
- The City has reached out to Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) to alert them of the need for repairs and improvements at U.S. Highway 90A and Texas Parkway. Railroad operations will need to be temporarily shut down, which is a major undertaking that will require UPRR cooperation. The repairs will be funded by UPRR, which owns the rail road. The estimated cost is TBD.
Striping Along the Corridor
- The City is currently restriping the streets and bike lanes within District A and will be moving to the rest of the City in the coming months. The entire project has $750,000 budgeted for roadway and bike lane striping combined. The funding source is the Metro Fund. TxDOT has striped the intersection of US90A at Texas Parkway and has painted the yellow curbs along the medians on Texas Parkway. They have also cleaned up debris in the medians along Cartwright and most sections of Texas Parkway.
Signage Along the Corridor
- There will be new signage placed along Texas Parkway with Missouri City branding, red and blue, just like City street signs. Welcome signs will be placed or replaced at all major entrances to the City until monuments can be constructed. All other City signs will be updated to the Missouri City branding.
Median Beautification/Coming Soon Signs
- The City is landscaping eight median locations along Texas Parkway, from US90A to Turtle Creek Drive. This includes the monument at the intersection of US90A and Texas Parkway, as well as the “red carpet run” in front of Houston Community College. Work is expected to begin shortly after the construction contract goes to City Council for action on April 4. Estimated completion is September 2022.
Arts and Culture Committee
- The City has issued a call to artists for proposals on a City Hall mural. Artists have been asked to submit their proposals in time for the Arts & Culture Commission to vote at the May 4th meeting. In addition, the City is working on a two-piece mural by Nicky Davis at the Recreation & Tennis Center. The master plan will be voted on at the April 6 Commission meeting and will go to Council in May. The total cost for these pieces of art will be approximately $36,000.
Center Point Upgrade
- Centerpoint will be moving its existing substation, located on Texas Parkway between Sunflower Drive and Crestmont Drive, to the vacant land just south of Crestmont Drive, which is north of the existing site. The utility proposed adding a decorative wall along with tall tree plantings around the new substation site. The existing site will be demolished and replaced with grass.
Programs
Façade Program
- The City Council approved the Façade Program for Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road late last year. Businesses along Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road can make façade improvements and receive reimbursement from the City of up to 75 percent of eligible costs, or a maximum of $200,000. The City continues to accept and review applications as they are received.
Restaurant Incentive Program
- In an effort to recruit and retain new sit-down restaurants along Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road, the Advisory Committee is working with staff to present a Restaurant Incentive Program to City Council for approval, hoping to incentivize restaurants to locate on the corridor by either reimbursing a percentage of the restaurant’s tenant improvements and façade improvements, or by providing a 1 percent sales tax rebate for a period of time.
Improvements
Grand Park Agreement
- In December of last year, the City – through TIRZ 1 – agreed to participate in a major redevelopment façade improvement project at Grand Park Drive and Texas Parkway.
Old Kroger Site
- This property has been tied up in legal proceedings. The city received interest in the site, which was passed along to the owners in hopes that productive action can be made as soon as the legal issues are resolved.
Old Movie Theater Site
- This site was purchased by new ownership in 2021. The owner has plans to substantially improve the existing building’s façade and add two pad sites to the side fronting Texas Parkway.
McDonald’s on Cartwright
- The franchisee is planning to demolish the existing structure and rebuild on site. A permit package could be submitted to the City as early as this month.
Old HEB Site
- A portion of the property was sold and will be converted into a barber college owned by Eros Shaw. The owner of the remaining portion has discussed a culinary accelerator or food hall as the desired path moving forward.
Legacy Clinic (across Texas Parkway from Jubilee senior living apartments)
- Currently on schedule to complete construction by the end of June. Once opened, the facility will be part of a network of community health centers offering primary and specialty care. The location also is expected to provide a new artificial intelligence-supplemented prevention and wellness lab.