Houston Suburb League City Encourages Commercial Development

Houston suburb League City is planning ahead for rapid growth and development.

The city council approved a sweeping master plan to guide development across 4,000 acres on its west side, the Houston Business Journal reported. The plan aims to rebalance the tax base by encouraging commercial development in areas dominated by residential.

The plan calls for 725 acres of commercial development and emphasizes infrastructure readiness. League City has budgeted $785 million in capital improvements through 2029, with funds going to streets, drainage, parks, water and municipal buildings. The city has spent the past decade preparing water and wastewater systems to avoid development roadblocks like those seen in other fast-growing Texas suburbs, city spokesperson Sarah Osborne said.

The west side master plan, developed in collaboration with Houston-based LJA Engineering, divides the largely undeveloped acreage into four districts: The Gateway, with a mix of uses; The Preserve, focused on parks and green space; The Groves, which will nod to the area’s tree nursery past; and The Quarry, featuring ponds, parks and water-based recreation.

Roughly 45 percent of the land is set aside for roads, green space and drainage infrastructure. Of the buildable remainder, about one-third is designated for commercial use — about 725 acres, 18.1 percent of the plan — a critical part of the city’s push to reduce its reliance on residential property taxes.

Residential properties account for 80 percent of League City’s tax base. City officials say the imbalance puts pressure on municipal services, which are often more expensive to provide in low-density residential areas than they are in commercial zones. The city’s long-term goal is to tilt toward a tax mix closer to 60-40.

Key in the plan is the proposed extension of the Grand Parkway, which would connect Interstate 45 to FM 646 and run through the western portion of the city. Officials expect the highway to unlock commercial development opportunities as growth pressures intensify across the Houston metro.

— Judah Duke