Hines will oversee planning, infrastructure and marketing of thedevelopment. It already has renamed the project from its originalworking title, Town Centre Katy, to the Village at Katy. HermesArchitects of Houston has provided the early architectural planningservices. Because the project is in still in the design phase,there are no estimates as to what the actual square footage of theproject will total.

"Katy and its surrounding area have a rapidly growing affluentpopulation whose needs are currently underserved. We believe thatthe Village of Katy will fill this void," says Charles Elder, aHines vice president who was most recently responsible for thedevelopment of the Hilton Americas-Houston. He will now manage thedevelopment of the project for Hines.

The 93-acre development will include a mix of office, retail,hotel, residential and medical buildings. Infrastructureconstruction on the vacant project site will begin by the end of2004. Components of the master plan are expected to be completedbetween 2005 and 2008. Hines would not give an estimated eventualvalue to the project or what the economic impact would be for theVillage of Katy.