KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
October 8, 2018
Jennifer Lynn Greenway
Katy ISD has purchased a 157-acre tract of land that will be held for future development of a junior high and high school combined campus in the northwest quadrant of the district.
(Picture courtesy of McAlister Real Estate)
The purchased land is at the southeast corner of Katy Hockley Road and Longenbaugh Road, west of the Grand Parkway. It shares two borders with Newland Communities’ master-planned residential community Elyson. Currently the Elyson community is zoned for Bethke Elementary, Stockdick Junior High and Paetow High School. According to a map on the Elyson website, the community is in the beginning stages of building and has three proposed Katy ISD school sites in the community.
Currently the Elyson community is zoned for Bethke Elementary, Stockdick Junior High and Paetow High School. According to a map on the Elyson website, the community is in the beginning stages of building and has three proposed Katy ISD school sites in the community.
As part of the 2017 bond package, $18M was committed to property acquisition for a future elementary, junior high and high school. According to real estate experts, this is common when school districts foresee future needs due to growth trends so the school can get secure land needed at a good price. Board Meeting Minutes from Katy ISD's March work study meeting show the district had made plans to acquire a 157-acre tract of land for $6.7 million.
“Katy’s fast-growing population and school district, which are outpacing other markets around the state in terms of growth, made this a strong sale for the buyer,” Jim McAlister IV, president and CEO of McAlister Real Estate as well as Rockspring Capital, said in the release. “We had many prospects interested in the space, especially from single-family developers and builders. But in the end, working with the district on this deal was a great outcome for us and the owner.”
According to data released by Katy ISD during the 2017 bond committee, the northwest quadrant of Katy ISD has begun to explode now that most other areas are 100% built out. This area of the district will continue to see growth into the 2030's. Schools in that area that just recently opened, such as Bethke Elementary, are already experiencing heavy enrollment.
The 2017 bond included 6 new schools...three of which are in the northwest quadrant. Elementary #42, located on Morton Ranch Rd, will open August 2019. Elementary #43 and Junior High #17, located southeast of the intersection of Katy Hockley Road and Clay Road, will be open August 2020 and August 2021.