Growth Not Catching Suburban Houston Town By Surprise

"The surge of development, including one project planning 6,000 homes, promises to transform this sleepy hamlet into the metropolitan area's next major growth center, with a population that reaches 40,000 or more over the next 10 to 15 years."

"While the timetable could change because of the national credit crisis, the rapid urbanization of Fulshear could rival that of another Fort Bend County town, Sugar Land, whose population increased from about 4,000 in 1980 to about 80,000 today."

"Fulshear's elected leaders are embracing the prospect of growth, but some longtime residents are ambivalent at best."

"Fulshear's leaders have seen the growth coming for years and have been busy preparing for it, adopting regulatory ordinances unusual for such a small town. These measures include sign restrictions, a major thoroughfare plan and an updated subdivision ordinance."

"Preservation of the town's small-town feel has been a cornerstone of these efforts. This goal has been assisted by adjoining landowners who petitioned to be in Fulshear's extraterritorial jurisdiction — the area subject to annexation — rather than Houston's."