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Fulshear EDC hears requests for sewer, drainage and downtown infrastructure as FY27 CIP planning begins
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Summary
At its April 13 meeting, the Fulshear Economic Development Corporation reviewed FY27 CIP options including a $900,000 request for a gravity sewer line on FM 1093 to enable commercial growth, downtown drainage and street projects, and preliminary parking-structure planning; staff said some projects depend on Fort Bend County sequencing and voter-approved mobility bonds.
The Fulshear Economic Development Corporation on April 13 reviewed a package of proposed fiscal year 2027 capital improvement projects that staff said are intended to unlock commercial development and improve downtown drainage and circulation.
Public works staff (introduced in the meeting as David) described a South FM 1093 gravity sewer improvement — listed in the presentation as project WW28 (also shown as “28gs”) — and said the board was being asked to consider approximately $900,000 to construct a gravity sewer line that would tie into the Lake Hill Farms lift station and enable commercial utility connections on the southern portion of FM 1093. “That would kind of open up this area to be accommodated for utilities,” the public works representative said when explaining how the orange line on the presentation map would connect new development to existing wastewater infrastructure.
Board members pressed staff on scope and sequencing. One member asked whether the project is the least-cost option and whether it would be sufficient if the existing wastewater reclamation site is later decommissioned; staff said the alignment is intended to be a durable, gravity-fed solution and described the design as the most immediate and least-cost approach for enabling commercial growth. A board member asked for follow-up on whether impact fees from future commercial development could reimburse part of the city’s investment; staff said they would investigate and report back.
Staff also reviewed a downtown tributary drainage improvement (presented as D22A) and related downtown work, including a 4th Street drainage segment and a West Downtown street reconstruction. Staff said the downtown tributary project had a total cost listed in the packet as “5.241” (notation as presented) and that design work spans multiple fiscal years; the board requested clearer cost-year breakdowns and a map showing which portions of drainage benefit commercial parcels versus existing residences to help the EDC determine an appropriate funding share. “We could definitely show that,” the public works representative said about splitting commercial and residential benefit by map and drainage master plan.
Staff noted other items on the CIP radar: a potential downtown parking garage (projected in later years and not a current ask), West Downtown street reconstruction (a preliminary $9 million estimate including drainage and streetscape elements), and Wallace Street improvements delivered through an interlocal agreement with Fort Bend County. Staff said Wallace Street work is at or near full design and that Fort Bend County’s schedule and the county’s mobility bond decisions will affect the timing and sequencing of related downtown projects. “We have a 100% design construction set for these for review,” staff said of the Wallace package, but added letting and construction depend on Fort Bend’s timeline.
On the 4th Street drainage work, staff reported contractor mobilization and the start of storm-sewer installations, and pledged 48-hour business notices and social posts for affected properties. Board members asked for calendar-based completion estimates and percentage-of-completion reporting so they can communicate schedules to constituents; staff agreed to provide expected completion dates and to translate contract period-of-performance data into calendar timelines.
The board did not take final funding actions at the meeting; staff said the CIP materials are preliminary and that staff will send updated project sheets and a summary for board review. Several members asked staff to produce a “financial waterfall” that lists total funds, encumbrances, and remaining balances for easier comparisons among project funding requests.
