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Katy Boardwalk District developers unveil plans for hotel, more

Developers behind Katy Boardwalk District have shared more plans for the long-awaited mixed-use project.

Preliminary plans for the Katy Boardwalk District were released in January 2015, but the project has changed substantially since then. The 169-acre development near Katy Mills mall will include a full-service conference center hotel, a residential component, retail and office space, and green space including a 90-acre nature preserve.

Developer KBH Venture LLC, an entity affiliated with Houston-based Sueba USA Corp., recently entered into a master development agreement with the Katy Development Authority to bring a full-service, four-star conference center hotel to the project, according to a Dec. 18 press release. Now, developers are preparing to break ground on the residential component in January and the hotel in fall 2019.

The hotel will have at least 300 rooms, a specialty restaurant, bar, pool and fitness center as well as conference center of at least 43,000 square feet, per the release. The hotel’s brand is expected to be announced in early 2019, and it’s scheduled to open in fall 2021.

San Francisco-based Gensler, which has a major presence in Houston, will design the hotel, and Houston-based KDW will build it. The Woodlands-based Benchmark Global Hospitality will operate the hotel.

The residential component, Lofts at Katy Boardwalk, is expected to be complete by spring 2020. It will feature 319 loft-style luxury residences with two resort-style pools, a fitness center, residents lounge, business center, and outdoor cabanas and grilling areas. Nearly all of the units in the first phase will be one- or two-bedroom floorplans, per the release.