On August 19 real estate developer Read King broke ground on the Green at Katy Park, a 50-acre commercial development at the northwest corner of Morton Road and Katy Hockley Cutoff which will house a “restaurant village” to serve the growing northwest quadrant of Katy. Read King is also the developer for the H-E-B shopping center just to the east, which was completed in 2024.

Company officials said that Read King has been interested in the intersection since about 2019, seeing an opportunity to bring retail development and restaurants to the underserved area, which includes over 800,000 users of the sports facilities at nearby Katy Park, according to the project website, as well as surrounding parks and fields. Read King was also attracted to the area by the mix of older established homes and new developments in close proximity.

The Green at Katy Park will feature a “restaurant village” which will surround a 10,000-sq. ft. community green space, similar in concept to the green space at LaCenterra. The complex is designed to pay homage to the Katy prairie, with a water tower and other features that will “echo Katy’s defining landmarks,” said Cort Read, managing partner of Read King. The 175,000 total sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space will span two phases of development, according to the company website (www.thegreenatkatypark.com).

Read said that the company invested millions in infrastructure and worked closely with the Katy Development Authority, which ensured that roads were built and streets were widened, as well as improvements made to drainage. A new traffic signal was installed at the corner of Morton Road and new street Old Town Trail, which leads directly into The Green at Katy Park. The Katy West MUD will maintain the detention pond on the property, said Read.

City of Katy Mayor Dusty Thiele also spoke at the event. We are glad that you are coming here,” he said, joking that the city could use the extra sales tax money. Other city officials in attendance included City Administrator Byron Hebert, Mayor Pro Tem Gina Hicks and councilmembers Paul Follis, Michael Meihls and Jonston Dietz. Former Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris represented the Katy Area Economic Development Council at the event.

A completion date for the project was not announced at the event. According to previous reporting in the Katy Times, the timeframe between groundbreaking and project completion was initially estimated at more than a year.