Construction under way on various projects in Katy
Retail center, rehabilitation facility and hotel set to open in '08

May 4th, 2008
By KIMBERLY PIÑA
Chronicle Correspondent
Click here to view story at chron.com

As the city of Katy continues to attract more families and tourists, new businesses are responding to the population growth, and several construction projects are under way.

A retail center, a new nursing and rehabilitation center and the city's second hotel are expected to open this year.

Plans are also in place to construct more business and professional buildings along the perimeter of Katy Mills mall, a hotspot for commercial growth.

Pin Oak Village A retail center is being developed by Lion Heart Commercial Development near the mall and is expected to open in late August with CiCi's Pizza as the anchor restaurant.

The foundation is complete and utilities have been installed for Pin Oak Village, a 37,000-square-foot retail center being built at the southeast corner of Pin Oak Road and Kingsland Boulevard. Estimated project cost is $7 million.

Matt Hughes, who owns Lion Heart Commercial Development, said construction is well under way and he is in the final stages of negotiations with several more tenants.

A hair/nail salon, dry cleaners and cigar/liquor store are expected to join CiCi's Pizza at the shopping center, he said.

Hughes is partnering with business owner and friend, Ken English, who owns CiCi's Pizza at 811 S. Mason Road, to bring the pizza eatery to the Katy Mills area.

"Since construction started, leasing activity has picked up dramatically," Hughes said.

In addition, Hughes is working on other construction projects in the Katy area, including a 13,500-square-foot office park on Mason Road and a 70,000-square-foot office warehouse on Katy-Flewellen.

Rehabilitation center

Heritage Park of Katy Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a 43,000-square-foot facility, is being built on about six acres at 6001 George Bush Drive. It is scheduled to open at the end of October.

The foundation has been set, and crews are starting to construct the building's frame, said Duane Phillips, project manager. The $5 million nursing home is being built across from the Katy Heritage Museum and VFW Hall.

Proposed by developers Danny and Karen Gotcher of Fredericksburg, the facility will include 118 beds, a common area, nurses' station, resident rooms, dining room, kitchen and a 66-space parking lot.

Initially, the developers had planned to donate additional land to the city to be used for overflow parking along George Bush Drive.

However, Phillips said the land owners decided not to sell additional property to the developers.

Best Western

A new Best Western hotel is being developed by Divine Hospitality LLC and is scheduled to open by the end of the year at the intersection of Katy Mills Boulevard and Market Place Drive.

Ritesh Patel, the hotel's contractor, said construction will be completed in about seven months. Crews are putting up the frame of the three-story building and work is moving quickly, he said.

The 46,000-square-foot hotel will have 78 rooms including 30 suites, Patel said. The Best Western is the city's second hotel.

The city's first hotel, SpringHill Marriott Suites, also located near the mall, opened in 2005. The developer of that project, KEIV Hospitality Group, is planning to build two other hotels in the area — a 101-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 64-room Comfort Suites.

Other projects

Other construction projects in the city nearing completion include a laundromat and dry cleaners that are scheduled to open soon at 5107 Franz Road, said Elaine Lutringer, the city's director of public works.

Katy veterinary clinic, Old Town Animal Hospital, is expected to open at 1750 Ave D. in the next couple months.

The clinic is relocating from its facility on Highway Boulevard to a new 5,195-square-foot, log cabin-style building on Avenue D, Lutringer said.

Katy dentist Allen Walker owns the property and is building the new clinic that will be leased by local veterinarian Shannon Hicks, founder of Old Town Animal Hospital.

In addition, a new training facility for professionals in the oil and gas industry will be developed on 3.5-acres near Katy Mills mall.

The proposed 30,000-square-foot PetroSkills Training Center will be built south of Katy Mills Parkway. It will provide post-graduate training courses for geology, engineering and business professionals.

Construction is expected to begin soon, and the center should be operational by fall.

A new shopping center near Katy Mills mall is the first of its kind to be developed along the perimeter of the large outlet retailer.

Pin Oak Village, a 37,000-square-foot shopping center, will be built at the southeast corner of Pin Oak Road and Kingsland Boulevard.

CiCi's Pizza will serve as the anchor restaurant of the upscale retail center, said Matt Hughes, commercial developer who owns Lionheart Commercial Development. No other retailers have signed on yet, Hughes said.

"We're just now starting to talk with typical retail centers, but we're getting phone calls all the time," Hughes said. "I think it'll really heat up once construction starts."

Construction is expected to begin by September, and the facility should be completed by May, Hughes said. The total cost of construction ranges from $175 to $200 per square foot, he said.

The project's design and engineering are complete, Hughes said, and are being reviewed by city of Katy and Katy Mills mall officials. The architectural firm that designed the center is ArcTec Associates. Once permits are approved, Hughes said construction can begin.

Hughes is partnering with business owner and friend, Ken English, who owns CiCi's Pizza at 811 S. Mason Road.

The opportunity to partner with Lionheart Commercial Development allows CiCi's Pizza to expand its business, English said. Another CiCi's Pizza is located at 3154 N. Fry Road.

"We would like to expand and continue to offer people a convenient place to have pizza and offer people a family-friendly atmosphere," he said. "By moving out west by Katy Mills we can offer that."

The new restaurant at Pin Oak Road will serve residents in the city of Katy as well as those who live further west including Brookshire and Columbus, English said.

"We have people that drive in and this will be a closer destination for them," he said.

In addition, English said the new CiCi's Pizza restaurant will feature a drive-through window where patrons can pick up call-ahead orders.

With rapid residential development in the Katy area, the remaining 213 acres surrounding Katy Mills mall are quickly being developed.

A new Denny's will open this month, and several hotels and an office building are planned.

Hughes said the location on Pin Oak Road is a good spot for the retail center now that Kingsland Boulevard will be extended and provide increased access to the area.

As part of the $156 million Fort Bend County mobility bond package approved in May, Kingsland Boulevard will be extended from Medical Center Drive near the mall to the other side of Kingsland located in WoodCreek Reserve near FM 1463. In the same area, Katy-Flewellen will be expanded from two lanes to four.

"With the new bond election for Fort Bend (County) and all the road improvements, we thought that would be a very happening corner," he said.

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