Katy City Council voted 4-1 on Sept. 28 to rezone 3.43 acres near Katy Hockley Cutoff Road for commercial use. Heritage Park West homeowners had opposed the change for months, warning it would bring more traffic, flooding risk and noise to their neighborhood.
The vote folded the property, near the intersection of Katy Hockley Cutoff Road and De Petris Drive, into the existing Katy Court Planned Development District (PDD). The land's designation changed from single-family residential to neighborhood commercial. Ward B Council Member Michael Meihls cast the lone dissenting vote, Community Impact reported.
The tract had been pulled from an earlier Katy Court PDD expansion in April after the Planning and Zoning Commission removed it following resident objections. Developer Parkside Capital returned with tighter restrictions, and the commission unanimously recommended approval on Sept. 8, Covering Katy reported.
The revised plan bans gas stations and convenience stores and caps building height at 25 feet. It requires a six-foot masonry wall, a landscape buffer and a detention pond between the commercial pad and Heritage Park West. City Planner Rachel Lazo told the council the 25-foot limit is lower than the 35-foot residential maximum allowed in the adjacent subdivision, according to Covering Katy.
Several residents spoke against the plan during public comment. Linda Irvin, who said she has lived in Heritage Park West for almost 20 years, told the council the property was purchased as residential in 1988 and should stay that way. She called the rezoning "bad urban planning" with "no benefit to local homeowners and property values," Covering Katy reported.
Veronica Galvan focused on pedestrian safety, saying children from the neighborhood cross Katy Hockley Cutoff Road to reach nearby businesses. Karl Hanel said the council was "supporting one property owner over many thousands of others in the local area," according to Community Impact.
Ward A Council Member Paula Taylor, who had asked for the tract's removal in April, said the revised restrictions represented a compromise. She pointed to the city's growth, the land's commercial value and the small number of homes that could fit on the parcel as reasons for her vote. Ward A Council Member Johnston Dietz said the property owner has been paying more than $13,000 in annual property taxes, according to Katy Times.
"Even though I think it's a good idea, I had to side with them because I have to represent the people," Meihls said at the Sept. 28 meeting, as reported by Community Impact. Meihls also serves as HOA president of one of the nearby neighborhoods.
Parkside Capital president Brett Walker said the company does not yet know what businesses will occupy the site but will begin infrastructure design and detention drainage work soon, according to Community Impact.
At the same meeting, the council unanimously approved $349,130 for a new traffic signal at Katy Hockley Cutoff Road and Heritage Drive, Katy Times reported. City Engineer David Kasper said the signal should be operational by June 2027.
