In September, Sears Realty and Quest Properties will open an 85,000-sf shopping center with several pad sites at the intersection of Interstate 45 N. and FM 1097. An Albertsons grocery store will anchor the center, which also counts Time Cleaners and Texas Hair Care as tenants.

In nearby Montgomery, a 100,000-sf center is under construction on a 38-acre tract. The Montgomery Trace Shopping Center is going up along FM 105 W., about two blocks east of its juncture with FM 149. A 30,000-sf Brookshire Brothers grocery store with full-service gas station is the anchor. Other tenants include a Woodforest Bank branch with four drive-through lanes, several restaurants and a dry cleaner.

The nearby 1,470-acre master-planned community of Bentwater has created a critical mass of households for potential retailers. John Anderson, vice president of Bentwater Sales Corp. says, "Long a recreational playground, the Lake Conroe area is turning into a major population hub for people working in Houston. The lifestyle and Montgomery ISD schools are very attractive to families with children as well as empty-nesters.