NewQuest Acquires 18+ Acres for Retail, Multifamily Project in Harris County

Release by NewQuest

NewQuest has purchased 18.5 acres from a local investor to develop a retail and residential project on one of the few remaining tracts of raw land along the Morton Road development corridor on Katy's north side in Harris County.

At the southwest corner of Morton and Porter roads, the developer has earmarked nearly seven acres for multi-tenant retail space and pad sites and 11.8 acres for 334 class A residential units that will be developed by Houston-based Pelican Builders Inc. The site is located near the 100-acre Katy Park Youth Sports Complex.

"The area's future growth and success of NewQuest's other Katy projects bode well for this development site," says John Nguyen, senior vice president of Houston-based NewQuest. “Demand for housing and retail remain high in the Katy area.”

NewQuest anticipates construction will ramp up in early 2027 on the to-be-named development. Adding to the synergy are municipal plans for Morton Road improvements, including a median cut with direct access to the project from an artery used by nearly 24,000 vehicles per day.

NewQuest's retail development will serve the surrounding community as well as provide a gateway to the rental units. Plans call for a 10,860-sf multi-tenant building, which will deliver in early 2028, and five pad sites that will be ready for construction in mid-2027.

Pelican is planning to develop a modern farmhouse-style residential complex with high-end amenities – air-conditioned corridors, elevators and two community courtyards, one with a luxury swimming pool. Units will average 865 sf, a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans. Meeks + Partners of Houston is designing the project. Deliveries are planned to begin in March 2028.

NewQuest's development interest in the Katy area, which crisscrosses three county lines, has been impactful and noteworthy through the years. The developer's more recent projects Grand Morton Town Center, Katy Grand and Texas Heritage Marketplace at build-out will exceed four million sf of class A retail space dominated by national and international brands.

The newly acquired site falls within similar trade areas to Grand Morton Town Center and Katy Grand. NewQuest hopes to fill it with traffic-drawing brand leaders in their respective categories.

The suburban pocket has emerged as a landing ground for young families with average annual incomes hovering $125,000 per year. With a population of 265,000 in the five-mile trade area, housing construction is pushing full throttle, with 11,000 homes on the ground and another 24,000-plus projected to come on line by 2032.

One of the corridor's top amenities is the Katy Park Youth Sports Complex, featuring 15 baseball and 17 soccer fields, batting cages, three concession stands and picnic areas. The year-round attraction now draws 700,000 visitors annually.