KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
August 25, 2022
By Natalie Cook Clark
The Katy Boardwalk District, near Katy Mills, is set to be 80-acres of mixed development use from residential to commercial and all center around a 90-acre lake and nature preserve. Construction has resumed the next trail, which will include signs to educate visitors on native vegetation and wildlife.
Photo courtesy of the City of Katy.
Katy Boardwalk Trails Take Visitors Around Local Nature
The Katy Boardwalk District is off Kingsland Boulevard and just south of I-10. It’s near Katy Mills and when completed will have a conference center with hotel, dining, and commercial space. Luxury residential lofts, the Boardwalk Lofts are already open. The centerpiece for the development is a 90-acres lake and nature preserve.
The trails will allow Katy residents and visitors the chance to explore the preserve and enjoy native nature. This phase of construction includes a 1.15-mile path consisting of paved trails lined with native trees and landscape, wood-type boardwalk paths and a steel pedestrian bridge.
“We expect the trail loops, with their varying distances, to become a popular feature for those in Katy looking for a lakefront walking or jogging experience as well as residents of the Boardwalk Lofts and guests of the conference center hotel,” says Katy City Administrator Byron Hebert.
Educational signs will be installed along the trail to help visitors identify native trees, flora and wildlife.
Popular Katy Businesses Opening Locations on The Boardwalk
City of Katy Councilmember Chris Harris shows an update of some of the businesses coming to this new development.
Popular Katy restaurants like Scholars and Scoundrels and Brett’s Barbecue Shop will be some of the businesses going into the Boardwalk Crossing area in the District at 24566 Kingsland Boulevard. 1776- The Steakhouse will also be opening. They are a fine dining restaurant and newcomer to Katy.
“The entire Boardwalk will benefit from the trail loops,” says Hebert.
The new trail, set to be 9 feet in width, will connect with the first phase of a 2.3-mile loop circling the Boardwalk’s 90-acre lake and nature preserve. Completion of the trail is expected by early summer 2023.
“Our partnership with the City has led to the development of the trail system and the 90-acre nature preserve that will make Katy Boardwalk District a unique lakefront destination for entertainment, community and culture,” says Keith Dalton of KBH Venture, co-developer of Katy Boardwalk District.
Katy Fort Bend Road Extension
New construction will also include the extension of Katy Fort Bend Road from Kingsland Boulevard directly to the project’s main entrance and its primary thoroughfare, Boardwalk Drive. The extension includes a bridge over a drainage channel and a new traffic signal at the intersection of Kingsland Boulevard and Katy Fort Bend Road/Boardwalk Drive. This will make access easier as businesses and allow direct access to the freeway.
The Katy Boardwalk District is a public/private partnership to create a walkable, mixed-use setting including a full-service hotel and conference center, experiential restaurants, Class A office space, luxury loft-style residences and single-family homes.
Learn more about this new development at the Katy Boardwalk District online.