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Mayor details ARPA water upgrades, intersection work and $750M City Center project
Summary
The mayor said Friendswood used ARPA funds for a $5M 24-inch water main and a $5M tank repair, outlined intersection and street projects funded by local sales taxes and grants, and highlighted a $750M City Center commercial development and local employer expansions.
The mayor used the State of the City address to list several infrastructure and economic development projects affecting traffic, water service and the local tax base.
He named a 24‑inch Clear Creek water main crossing on Independence Drive as a roughly $5,000,000 project funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, and said a separate $5,000,000 ARPA allocation went toward repairs at Surface Water Plant No. 1.
On roadways, the mayor said Blackhawk Boulevard phases 2B (complete) and 2C (underway) represent a $9,600,000 project shared with Harris County Precinct 2, and noted the city dedicates three-eighths of a cent of its sales tax (cited as about $2,400,000 annually) to street maintenance. He also identified planned improvements at the 518/528 intersection, including adding dual left-turn lanes in all four directions.
The mayor described the Friendswood Parkway corridor study and related transportation studies as funded by $250,000 grants from HDAC and said study results are pending. He presented the City Center site — previously a large dirt pile — as a developing commercial node with pad sites for retail, restaurants, hotel, entertainment and multifamily; he characterized the overall City Center build‑out at about $750,000,000 and said it will broaden the city’s commercial tax base.
On economic retention and local employers, the mayor said Castle Bioscience remains in Friendswood, occupying two floors near the Parkway, and that the property’s development could eventually support about 600 employees across multiple buildings.
The mayor did not announce specific construction schedules for many projects; he presented funding sources (ARPA, HDAC grants, county partnerships and local sales tax) and encouraged residents to follow city communications for study results and timing.
