Missouri City Has Year of Growth, Distinction in 2008

With two prestigious rankings, 400 acres of newly acquired parks property and flourishing commercial development in 2008, the City of Missouri City has spent the past year living up to its reputation as one of the nation’s premiere places to raise a family, work and enjoy leisure time.

In July, the Show Me City was ranked No. 56 on Money magazine’s list of the “100 Best Places to Live in America.” The magazine cited a 43 percent job growth between 2000 and 2007, rapid commercial development and acclaimed schools as factors in the rating. In November, Congressional Quarterly named Missouri City the 22nd safest in the nation in the 75,000 to 100,000 population range.

This summer brought another honor to Missouri City: The Government Finance Officers Association presented the City with its 20th consecutive distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the annual budget.  Only two percent of U.S. cities receive this recognition for exemplary financial management practices. The award salutes Missouri City’s achievement in saving taxpayer dollars and utilizing the latest technology to save staff time and operating costs.

And this winter, new population signs declaring the City to be the “Home of Miss USA 2008” were posted at gateway entrances to the Show Me City. Crystle Stewart, who hails from Missouri City and graduated from Elkins High School, won the national pageant title in April.

“We’ve had a banner year, in great part because of partnerships with our citizens,” Mayor Allen Owen said. “We’re continuing to build on our reputation as a safe community with beautiful neighborhoods. Our families love living here. We’ve made great progress in continuing to expand commercial and retail options for our residents and visitors.”

The City’s “show me” spirit was in full force during Hurricane Ike. The new, high-tech Municipal Court/Emergency Operations Center on Cartwright Road served as the City’s headquarters during the storm. Residents and 275 City employees worked together to keep Missouri City citizens safe and informed as Hurricane Ike hit the region, with residents even helping deliver information flyers around neighborhoods to keep citizens updated on City news during the post-storm power outages.

The year started with a report from the Citizens’ Quail Valley Feasibility Committee, a group of more than 100 residents from throughout Missouri City. The committee recommended the purchase of the 400-acre Quail Valley golf property for future uses for golf and other recreation and to serve as a central community gathering place in the City. The City Council approved the recommendation to establish the featured destination for all residents, and the eminent domain process continues with the property’s former owners.

On Nov. 4, 72 percent of voters approved a $17.5 million bond referendum for the Quail Valley parks project. The City envisions creating a new community center, green space improvements and other fitness opportunities on the property, in addition to upgrading the two18-hole golf courses on the land.

In 2008, citizens also offered the City their ideas for a master plan to redevelop Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road. The plan proposes to transform the two roads into signature boulevards in Missouri City by enhancing businesses and adding new ones along the corridor. The planning process will continue into 2009.

Missouri City is one of the few municipalities that had the good timing to sell bonds in the financial markets this fall, prior to the economic downturn. The city’s strong credit rating with three rating agencies enabled the $35.5 million in bonds to be issued at competitive interest rates.

To keep residents safe, the Show Me City approved new building codes this fall. The codes, which make the City’s regulations consistent with the latest ones from the International Code Council, were adopted to ensure homes and commercial buildings are being crafted to the safest, most up-to-date standards. With these regulations, citizens can be confident they are entering secure facilities in Missouri City.

National and international companies are building facilities in Missouri City. Global Geophysical continues construction of its 110,000-square-foot building, and Ben E. Keith will break ground on its 400,000-square-foot facility during Phase I of its construction in 2009.  Trammell Crow is developing its largest business project in Texas at Lakeview Business Park. Progress continues on the Beltway Crossing Business Park, and major retail centers are under development at key intersections with strong anchor tenants, from Lowe’s to a Signature Kroger and an H-E-B, which is planned to be larger than an H-E-B Plus.

“We’ll be building on this year’s momentum as we continue economic development initiatives, renovation and expansion of infrastructure and strengthen our recreational opportunities not only for the growing City population, but for the region and beyond,” Mayor Owen said.

Missouri City Unveils Master Plan to Revitalize Texas Parkway, Cartwright Road

Missouri City residents got a glimpse of their future when a master plan for the Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road corridor was unveiled Dec. 16.

More than 125 citizens attended a public presentation on the proposal to transform Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road into signature boulevards in Missouri City. The plan focuses on enhancing existing businesses and bringing in new ones along the corridor; improving streets; and developing a cohesive pedestrian network in the area.

Under the master plan, Texas Parkway – where City Hall is located – would become the gateway corridor to Missouri City.

“This is where we do our business,” Mayor Allen Owen said to the crowd at the Community Center in the City Hall complex. “And we want to make sure that where we do our business is the center of life for the City.”

“The challenge that comes to us as a city,” the mayor continued, “is to implement the plan and find good, quality businesses and projects that we can bring into this.”

In January, the City Council authorized George Johnson Development, Inc.. and Civic Design Associates to create the master plan. This spring, the two agencies hosted public charrettes to gather residents’ ideas for improving the roadway, then interviewed every shopping center owner, every land owner and more than 90 percent of the businesses on the corridor to get their input. On Tuesday night, developer George Johnson and urban planner James Hill rolled out the resulting plan.

Johnson said based on feedback from the charrettes, residents were pleased with the location and accessibility of Missouri City, as well as its small town atmosphere, quality neighborhoods and available land.  But residents also said the City needed to upgrade the tenants and uses on Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road, improve sidewalks and the visual appearance of streets and lighting and provide more youth activities and neighborhood services along the corridor.

Hill presented preliminary designs for multiple centers of development along the two roads. The 42 acres just south of the City Hall complex were proposed as the site for a Town Center, which could include three-story retail, office and residential space, walkways and fountains. A service center, which could include health care facilities, was proposed at the intersection of Cartwright Road and Texas Parkway, while an entertainment center was suggested near the existing tennis complex on Cartwright. An employment center was envisioned near U.S. 90A and Texas Parkway.

During the presentation, Johnson observed Missouri City has the demographic profile to support the revitalization project. The developer said the area’s average household income is $70,000 and 85 percent of households are families. The population in the corridor area will increase by 30 percent and the City’s population may double within 25 years, according to the development group’s research. About 26,000 cars travel down Texas Parkway daily, while 22,000 zip down Cartwright Road each day.

Those statistics say the area undoubtedly has the traffic and population to support this redevelopment project in the upcoming years, the plan’s architects said. Major retailers have every reason to want to build businesses along this busy, populated corridor, Hill told residents during the public meeting.

Johnson stressed the time is ripe for investing in the Texas Parkway-Cartwright Road region. “This is a plan that is going to take several years, but we have to start somewhere,” he said.

“This is a very important portion of the City of Missouri City,” Johnson said. “We really want this to be an ideal street, a model street.”

If the City Council adopts the master plan, the City will move forward with recruiting new businesses, tenants and development projects for the corridor and create policies, financial incentives and public infrastructure to support the growth.