An aerial rendering showing what Magnolia Town Center could look like once completed. The 200-acre project is proposed west of Highway 249 in Montgomery County, north of Houston.
Tannos Development Group
Renderings show what the proposed Magnolia Town Center mixed-use project could look like once complete.
Tannos Development Group
Opposition is building in Magnolia over a proposal to turn 200 acres of rural land into one of the largest mixed-use developments the small Houston-area city has seen.
Pitched on an undeveloped site around 45 miles north of Houston, Magnolia Town Center could eventually include 1 million square feet of residential, multifamily, retail, office, medical and hospitality space near downtown Magnolia.
Article continues below this ad
The $1 billion project proposal comes as development spreads rapidly throughout Montgomery County, where some residents are wary of change.
“It’s going to destroy all of old Magnolia,” said L.L. Edward, who opposes the project.
The project has not yet received city approval and remains in the planning stages. Representatives from the city did not respond to requests for comment.
Louis Tannos, founder of Tannos Development Group, said his team is working with the city’s engineers to develop a proposed development agreement, reviewing everything from utilities and infrastructure to traffic impacts.
Article continues below this ad
“We are very, very slowly and methodically working with the town of Magnolia. If they see things that need to change, we change it,” Tannos said. “We’re not here to push our will and our way on people.”
Although the city council is not scheduled to vote on the project this week, a group of Magnolia residents plan to voice their concerns over the development at a city council meeting on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, opponents are also circulating a petition on Change.org, hoping it will help get their voices heard. The petition was started last month by Sharon Valdespino and, as of Monday, had over 1,500 signatures.
DEVELOPMENTS COMING: 11 major retail projects planned in Houston in 2026 and beyond
Article continues below this ad
Longtime resident Lauren Bohannon founded Magnolia Preservation Society with several friends, and said the group is working to protect and preserve Magnolia’s historic areas.
“This whole area has experienced insane growth, and it’s not being managed responsibly at the city or county level,” Bohannon said. “We strongly feel the historic areas of Magnolia should be kept the way they are.”
Like other opponents, Bohannon said she is also worried about the impact to the area’s environment, flood risk, traffic patterns and infrastructure.
However, several steps remain before the project can move forward.
Article continues below this ad
Project still in planning; no date for approval
The development agreement would include a Planned Unit Development (PUD) proposal detailing rules around what could be built, the types of building materials that could be used, the landscaping and more, Tannos said.
Development agreements typically outline infrastructure responsibilities, zoning, phasing and design standards, while the city would separately have to approve financing tools such as a Public Improvement District, or PID, or a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, known as a TIRZ.
The development agreement would need approval by the city council, but at this time, there is no date for when the council would even consider a vote on the matter, Tannos said.
Article continues below this ad
Although he was aiming to start initial site work for the project later this year, the planning process is moving more slowly than expected, he said.
EARLIER: Montgomery County developments adding hundreds of new homes
Tannos argued that blocking his project alone won’t stop change from coming to Magnolia, where hundreds of thousands of square feet of new commercial space and thousands of new homes are already in the works by different developers.
Magnolia had around 5,800 residents in 2024, according to city estimates, but it is in the middle of a massive growth spurt. Between 2020 and 2024, the city’s population grew by 147%, according to estimates based on data from the Texas Demographic Center.
Article continues below this ad
Thousands more residents are expected to move to Magnolia area in the coming years as developers build out master-planned communities such as Audubon and Magnolia Woods.
“We’re not just building (Magnolia Town Center) for the people that are there. We’re building it for the people that are coming,” Tannos said.