Big business growth spurring expansion boom in Montgomery Co.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A major economic boost is coming to north Harris and southeast Montgomery counties. At the center of it is a sprawling campus being built - the future home of ExxonMobil. It's all happening right where I-45 meets the Hardy Toll Road.

The saying goes "if you build it they will come," and that's what's happening in southeast Montgomery County. Developers are planning more than 7,000 homes here and many businesses to serve all those people.

It's hard not to see signs of new home construction if you're driving anywhere near Rayford Road. Homeowner Samantha Carter is ready for the home next door to hers to be completed.

"We're excited about getting new neighbors, getting the house built and filling the neighborhood up," she said.

New neighborhoods are popping up in southeast Montgomery County as folks start moving here for jobs. ExxonMobil is building a brand new facility in the county that is expected to bring in 12,000 positions in just the next two years. Anadarko Petroleum is expanding its offices in The Woodlands, constructing a 31-story, 550,000-square-foot building adjacent to its current highrise.

John Christiansen with Anadarko said, "Our company is growing, we're expanding and with that we needed more space."

These two major employers are spurring other business development as entrepreneurs see potential dollar signs here as well. There are plans for a new Walmart and an H-E-B. All this will mean more of a strain on the roads, but traffic should be alleviated some by completion of the Grand Parkway in 2015. Commercial developers are already staking out tracts of land in advance, hoping to benefit from the new customer base that will then be here.

"We joke about it being the bubble," said Jeff Beard of J. Beard Real Estate. "This is the bubble inside of Houston of being a great bubble inside of Texas. When you think about where we are located, all of our friends in the real estate business, they're envious."
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local, kevin quinn

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