16 Greater Houston Suburbs That Are Changing Fast in 2026

Updated · Sept. 24, 2026: This is a living report. We’re tracking these projects throughout 2026 and adding updates as projects break ground, timelines shift, plans change, or new developments become significant enough to change the picture. Last updated September 3, 2026

If you’re comparing suburbs right now, the ground is shifting under a lot of them — new employers, new shopping centers, new schools, new everyday conveniences. Here’s a quick look at what’s changed in 16 Greater Houston communities this year, with a link to the full breakdown for the ones we’ve already covered in depth.

The Core Suburbs

Katy

Katy – A new $400 million retail development at I-10 and Texas Heritage Parkway, two hospital expansions totaling over $500 million, and — after 17 years without one — a new local driver’s license office opening in 2027.

Update · Sept. 11, 2026: The $400 million Texas Heritage Marketplace is moving from construction into the “you can actually use it” stage, with major retailers beginning to open. Lowe’s opened September 4, Target is expected in October, and additional restaurants and retailers are following. We’ll continue watching the larger development as it fills in.

Sugar Land

The city is courting startups and office tenants with new incentive programs, plus a specialty pharmaceutical manufacturer’s expansion bringing new jobs.

Update · Sept. 11, 2026: There’s a bigger shift happening in Sugar Land: the city is running out of undeveloped land. Less than 4% remains available for new development, which is pushing the city’s economic-development strategy toward redevelopment, infill and reinvestment in existing places like the Imperial Historic District and former Fluor campus. For an established suburb, the next chapter may be less about expanding outward and more about rethinking what’s already there.

Read the full story → Sugar Land Is Running Out of Room to Grow. What Happens Next?

Update · Sept. 24, 2026: Sugar Land is adding another family-friendly attraction to Memorial Park. The city’s new splash pad is scheduled to open September 25, with an 8,300-square-foot overall area, 11 interactive water features, a toddler slide and shaded seating. A ribbon-cutting celebration is scheduled for 4–6 p.m. on opening day. The splash pad is expected to operate Tuesday through Sunday, closing Mondays for maintenance.

The Woodlands

Growth here is being shaped by the data center economy, with a major expansion of workforce housing tied to AI infrastructure, alongside new retail at Hughes Landing.

Update · Sept. 24, 2026: Improving cell coverage is moving up the agenda in The Woodlands. On September 17, the Township Board voted to authorize lease agreements for proposed cell tower sites at Cattail Park, Tamarac Park and the Rob Fleming Park Recreation Center. The sites still require additional reviews and carrier participation, so residents shouldn’t expect an immediate improvement. For families considering The Woodlands, it’s a reminder to test cell service in the specific neighborhoods they’re exploring.

This is an approval update, not an announcement that the towers are under construction or operating.

Cypress

The headline story in this entire roundup isn’t just a new headquarters — it’s an 83-acre sports, entertainment, retail, restaurant, hotel, commercial, and medical development called Toro District, anchored by the Houston Texans’ new global headquarters and training complex. It’s projected to generate approximately $34 billion in long-term economic impact and more than 17,000 jobs across the region over time.

Retail is expanding fast elsewhere in Cypress too — Grand Mason, a 400-plus-acre development at the Grand Parkway and FM 529, is bringing a new Costco and Home Depot to the corridor, with construction underway and a Costco opening targeted for December 2026.

Update · Sept. 11, 2026: Grand Mason continues to move forward. Current state filings now show Costco construction scheduled to wrap in November, while construction on the neighboring Home Depot is expected to begin in October and continue into 2027.

Update · Sept. 24, 2026: Another major retail destination is taking shape in Cypress. Trademark Property has announced financing for a roughly 202,000-square-foot retail and restaurant district at Dunham Pointe, with construction scheduled to begin October 1. Announced tenants include Whole Foods Market, Nordstrom Rack and Shake Shack. Together with Grand Mason and other developments along the Grand Parkway corridor, it represents a substantial expansion of everyday shopping and dining options for families living in newer parts of Cypress.

Pearland

Pearland – Ranked among the best places to live in the country this year, with a large mixed-use district proposed at Highway 288 and Beltway 8 (still in the planning stage).

Missouri City

Missouri City – The city is actively planning a new downtown district along Texas Parkway, with new apartments and retail already breaking ground nearby.

Update · Sept. 11, 2026: Downtown isn’t the only major project worth watching. City leaders are also considering a separate hospital-anchored mixed-use development along the Fort Bend Toll Road, potentially combining healthcare with hospitality, retail, restaurants and public gathering space. It’s still a developing proposal, but its scale makes it one we’re watching.

Friendswood

Friendswood – A $750 million mixed-use development anchored by a major healthcare provider is transforming a long-vacant tract into what will be the largest project in the city’s history.

Beyond the Obvious

Fulshear

Katy’s fast-growing neighbor is adding multiple new retail and office developments along Texas Heritage Parkway and FM 1093. The one to watch is Fulshear Central — a 150,600-square-foot mixed-use project with roughly 74,500 square feet of retail, office, medical, and restaurant space, plus an event lawn, with initial tenants expected to move in late 2026 or early 2027. It’s exactly the kind of project that means you won’t have to drive back to Katy for everything anymore.

Update · Sept. 11, 2026: Growth is changing the numbers here, too. Fulshear adopted a $0.19 per $100 municipal property tax rate for FY2027, about 13.5% higher than last year. For a home at the city’s cited median taxable value of $527,823, that works out to roughly $5.74 more per month in city property taxes. The bigger story is why: development-related revenues are beginning to slow while debt service from voter-approved park bonds comes due. Fulshear still has the lowest municipal tax rate in Fort Bend County, according to the city.

Update · Sept. 24, 2026: Cross Creek West is preparing another phase of residential development, with approximately 250 additional homes planned. The expansion includes larger homesites, with some homes expected to be priced from around $600,000 to more than $1 million. It’s another example of how Fulshear’s housing options are diversifying as development continues farther west.

Rosharon/Manvel

A new H-E-B-anchored town center at Highway 288 and Highway 6 is bringing the area’s first major retail “arrival” moment.

Update · Sept. 24, 2026: A proposed development in Manvel is undergoing a significant redesign. Plans for the nearly 390-acre Presidio project have been revised following concerns about infrastructure capacity and traffic. The updated proposal removes the residential component and shifts the emphasis toward commercial and medical development. Target, Kroger and a potential MD Anderson facility have been discussed as possible occupants, but proposed uses should not be confused with signed tenants or confirmed openings.

Iowa Colony

Iowa Colony – Growth here is centered on the Meridiana master-planned community, with new schools and family amenities continuing to come online.

Magnolia

This is becoming a real town-center story, not just a Home Depot. A $30 million first phase of a lagoon/beach-style development is underway, targeted for completion in May 2026. Separately, Magnolia Square is a proposed 59.2-acre mixed-use development that would add retail, dining, grocery, services, and multifamily housing.

Update · Sept. 11, 2026: The May 2026 date above was the project’s originally reported completion target. We have not found enough current information to independently confirm that the first phase was completed on that schedule, so we’re leaving the original timeline here for reference and continuing to track it.

Magnolia also has a much larger development story emerging beyond the projects above: plans for a roughly 200-acre, $1 billion-plus Magnolia Town Center. The project has undergone design changes and its originally anticipated 2026 groundbreaking has been delayed as planning continues. Given the scale—and the local conversation around what that level of development could mean for Magnolia—this one deserves more than a paragraph here.

Rosenberg

Rosenberg – An industrial and logistics hub in its own right, with new retail development taking shape near Highway 36 and 59.

Conroe / Willis

Heavy investment in new schools, a near-capacity industrial park, and continued build-out around Lake Conroe and Grand Central Park.

Hockley

Hockley – A 1.2-million-square-foot distribution center and the area’s first master-planned community mark this Highway 290 corridor as one of the fastest-growing spots in the state.

GO DEEPER: We took a closer look at what this growth actually looks like inside The Grand Prairie, including its builders, amenities, schools, taxes and the trade-offs for relocating families. Read The Houston Relo Guide’s full Grand Prairie report →

New Caney / Porter

New Caney / Porter – Probably the single biggest story missing from any Houston growth roundup that stops at the usual suburbs. Valley Ranch is becoming a true regional destination rather than a bedroom community. A new 188-acre Marketplace will bring 850,000 square feet of retail, with construction slated to start in Q3 2026. The Commerce District adds another 400,000 square feet of commercial space and 600 luxury apartments, anchored by a new 120,000-square-foot H-E-B. A third project, The Village Green, adds 190,000 square feet of retail and 40,000 square feet of office space on top of that. That’s three major projects moving at once in one corridor.

Update · Sept. 11, 2026: Add one more major piece to that picture. The new Caney Pines Convention Center is nearing completion in Valley Ranch. The approximately 210,000-square-foot, $159 million venue is expected to open in December 2026 with capacity for more than 6,000 attendees, and bookings for 2027 are already underway. A conference-center hotel is planned for a later phase.

Webster / League City

The Bay Area doesn’t get enough credit in most suburb comparisons, and this is why it should. The Flyway in Webster is turning the I-45 corridor into a real entertainment and hospitality destination — Great Wolf Lodge, Chicken N Pickle, and Vida Mariscos are already open, with a planned 12,500-seat amphitheater and more restaurants and hospitality on the way. Next door in League City, a new 700-plus-acre master-planned community called Legacy is bringing roughly 1,630 homes from 10 different builders, priced from the low $400s to $1.5 million, along the Friendswood/League City border. League City is also home to Lilac Field, a major mixed-use development with $78 million in roadway construction underway as of this summer.

One More Worth Watching

Tomball

Not explosive enough to crack the main list, but real enough to mention: new retail construction at The Grand at 249, a redevelopment of Tomball Mercantile, and the ongoing Hufsmith-Kohrville road widening. If you’re weighing Tomball against Katy or Cypress, it’s worth knowing this corridor isn’t standing still either.

---

Added to Our Radar Since Publication

Richmond

Growth is happening on two fronts here. The Circle Oak area along I-69/US-59 and FM 762 continues to develop into a major mixed-use destination, while investment in Richmond’s historic core is creating a different kind of change closer to downtown. We’re watching both because together they tell a bigger story about how Richmond is growing—not just outward, but within the existing city.

Update · Sept. 24, 2026: Harvest Green has opened The Coop, described as its final planned community amenity as the neighborhood approaches buildout. The park covers just over three acres and includes a playground, pickleball court, sports field, covered pavilion, children’s bike path and nine-hole miniature golf course. There’s even a six-and-a-half-foot metal rooster overlooking the miniature golf course. For families considering an established master-planned community, it’s a useful example of what a more complete amenity package can look like.

Waller

The Highway 290 growth story doesn’t stop at Hockley. Thousands of homes are approved or moving through development in and around Waller, while Blinn College is developing a new 100-acre campus that adds an education and workforce-development piece to the area’s growth. This is one we’re adding to the Guide’s watch list as westward development continues.

Brookshire

Mirabella brings more housing west of Katy. Century Communities has announced Mirabella, a roughly 318-acre master-planned community with approximately 1,192 planned single-family homes. Advertised starting prices are in the low $200,000s, with amenities planned to include trails, parks, a pool and pickleball. For families exploring the Katy area, Brookshire offers another location to compare—but the home’s purchase price is only part of the equation. Commute times, school assignments and total property taxes still deserve a close look.

Houston

North Houston

Greenspoint Mall’s next chapter. The former Greenspoint Mall site is reportedly headed for a major transformation. Plans described in a recent development report call for a $150 million industrial project named CityNorth, replacing the approximately 80-acre mall property with roughly 1.2 million square feet of industrial space. Partial completion is targeted for early 2028. If the project proceeds as reported, it would mark a significant shift in how this major north Houston property is used.

This roundup will get updated as projects break ground, stall out, or change scope — that’s the nature of covering what’s actually happening, not just what’s already built. If we got something wrong or missed a project in your community, tell us.