Custom Home Builders Katy Texas

Texas Sprawl Builders Funneled Taxpayer $ to Highway That Enriched Them

But an enduring feature of the current political impasse is that once federal funding is in the hands of DOTS State, they have more or less a blank check and the merit of any proposed transportation issues often given it is less stimulating. In no state is this more apparent than Texas. And no transmission project in Texas was bought and paid-for so shamelessly that the Grand Parkway.

Houston Grand Parkway 5.2 billion dollars, 180-mile third outerbelt. This September, Texas DOT has pioneered the newest segment of the highway, funded in part with money from the stimulus package in 2009. Constructed piecemeal over decades through largely undeveloped land outside one of the nation’s fastest growing cities, the Grand Parkway is a pointed demonstration of how a state can fritter away billions in federal transportation funds for the benefit of a small group of well-connected people.

In April, when Streetsblog interviewed Billy Burge , head of the pro-highway, non-profit Grand Parkway Association, he conceded that the outerbelt’s latest expansion — Segment E, through the Katy Prairie — wasn’t even intended to handle increased traffic. He was pretty clear that the project was about enabling the development of rural land into large-lot, detached single-family homes. “You can call it sprawl, or you can call it quality of life,” he said.

But Burge didn’t mention that before becoming head of the Grand Parkway Association, he had cashed in on that growth as a developer. Or that, thanks to a special Texas regulation, the Grand Parkway Association had been granted quasi-governmental powers. That’s just how it goes in Texas, where the businessmen fund the politicians, the politicians appoint the businessmen to public office, and the office holders funnel taxpayer funds to projects that enrich their business interests.

The Grand Parkway was first conceived as a futuristic, pie-in-the-sky, long-term vision in the 1960s, when magic highway delusions reached their apex in America. But the plan was largely forgotten by the time Billy Burge Jr. and Bob Lanier, both major landowners along the corridor , teamed up to resurrect it in 1984.

Katy Texas Lifestyles & Homes Magazine » Shearer Delight, Even ...

“There was a lot of space under the stairs. Instead of making it storage, we thought a little kennel for our dog, Cady, would be good. It’s like her bedroom!” explains Kelly. “She sleeps in it at night and it’s a great little room for her when we have to leave the house for a while. She really seems to like it!”

There’s a lot to like about this home, a French Country charmer built by Rohe & Wright. The couple and their three children — daughter Shelby, 14, Jackson, 11 and Justin, 10 — have lived here four years, coming from Bellaire. And they’re happy they made the move.

“We wanted more green space for the kids and good public schools and a better sense of community,” Kelly explains. “We found that here.”

The Shearers loved their home in Bellaire, so brought that aesthetic to this dwelling. “We like the French Country look, a warm house with that kind of feel. We wanted to keep that feeling, but just with more space. And for better or worse, I’m the decorator,” Kelly jokes. “My mom always loved decorating and my sister and sister-in-law too, so maybe I picked up some of their tips.”

It’s apparent that Kelly has a design knack, single-handedly decorating this 5,700-square-foot home. “And we use every bit of it. No wasted space!” she says. “The architect really understood what we needed and pretty much did a great job of designing it on the first go-around.”

The home is elegant, but cozy despite its size. Upon entry, a formal dining room in warm historical colors is the perfect space for entertaining. Wine niches are built on either side of the dining room entrance, coming from the butler’s pantry. Opposite the front foyer is Rob’s study, a masculine room in rich wood and leather furnishings with a cowhide underfoot. It also happens to be Cady’s favorite hangout when the family is at home.

“She pretty much blends with the leather furniture. It’s her spot!” says Rob, an attorney with Baker & Hostetler.

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