Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce

The Regional Economic Development Panel consisted of :

 

1. Paul Mendes - Magnolia City Administrator

2. Fred Welch - Economic Director for the Greater Conroe EDC

3. Kelly Violette - Economic Director of the Tomball EDC

4. Gil Staley - CEO of the Woodlands Area EDC

5. Tammy McRae - Montgomery County Tax Assessor

 

Fred Welch was not in attendance due to unforeseen circumstances.

 

The first to speak was Paul Mendes who stated that the Magnolia city limits was increased in size in 2012 to almost double Magnolia's size as part of a 20 year plan titled "Magnolia on the Move". This term was coined by our own Deborah Rose Miller. Paul told everyone about all the new subdivisions being built in and around the Magnolia city limits, the water and sewer projects being implemented to serve those subdivisions, the new Blue Jack golf course, new planned shopping centers, new road improvements, and a new "Inclusive Playground" being designed in the the city's Unity Park.  The one problem the city was having is that the Montgomery County ESD recently starting receiving one cent of the available sales tax in all areas outside the current Magnolia City Limits. Although the ESD needed the revenue, that one cent was part of the 20 year plan adopted by the city and the only way to get it back was for the city of Magnolia to create its own fire department to serve its current and future city limits. This is one of the most important topics the city planners are now discussing to determine if that is economically feasible.

 

Second to speak was Kelly Violette who stated that the city of Tomball has grown almost 50% since 1990 and is currently at around 11,000 people. Current growth estimates forecast the size of the city to grow to 20,000 people by 2030. Kelly stated that the city of Tomball is viewed by many to be the center of a "donut hole" because of all the subdivisions and neighborhoods around it. The city's market area is an area of a 10 mile radius around the city that has almost 435,000 people. Kelly spoke of all the road improvements in and around Tomball including the Hwy 249 extension, the Grand Parkway known as I-99, and the Huffsmith-Kohrville expansion project. Kelly also spoke of the city's Business & Technology Park where Tomball is attracting large companies to locate there. Kelly stated that the economic impact to Tomball over the next 10 years is believed to be in the area of $1.9 million.

 

Third to speak was Gil Stanley who stated that although the city of The Woodlands is 95% built out, the surrounding area is booming due to the large Exxon Mobil campus off of I-45. This campus (even though it is in Harris County) is bringing in very high paying jobs (average salary of $100K plus) with employees who want to live and play in an area like the Woodlands. Gil also talked about Anadarco and its economic impact to the area. Gil stated that when these large corporation employees settle in the area, it causes other businesses to be attracted to the area such as hospitals and K-12 schools as well as colleges (LSC) where their students can receive training and degrees. Gil stated that the Woodlands as well as other cities have received a letter from the Governor of Texas stating that grants were available to companies who will send their employees to the Lone Star College for training.

 

Last to speak was Tammy McRae who talked about the fact that her office is also being contacted because large companies believe that many of their employees will move to the Magnolia area for the rural lifestyle. Tammy stated that her office is willing to work with companies coming into the area with tax incentives or abatements up to 10 years.

 

The overall message from this panel is that Montgomery County is growing at a rapid pace and that although the economic impact is very positive, the county has to also provide services to all the new residences and in some areas, they are already behind.

 

Magnolia Rotary Club members in attendance were Richard Allison, David Arevalo, Glenn Buckley, Kandice Cabets, Carl Gerhardt, Tom Grayson, Kelly McDonald, Denise Meyers, Deborah Rose Miller, Real Provencher, Jason Rinn, Charles Schultz, and Todd Stephens.

 

Additional photos from the meeting are attached below: