FAQs - West Houston Expansion

HCC proposes to relocate the current HCC Katy Campus at 1550 Foxlake Drive closer to the new University of Houston at Katy campus being built near the Grand Parkway and Partnership Way in Katy off Interstate 10. Students would complete their first two years of instruction at the HCC campus and then transfer to UH to finish their bachelor's degrees.

The current Katy campus is at enrollment capacity and unable to meet the needs of a growing service area. Located in a retrofitted office building, the current site does not offer sufficient classroom space. There are inefficient science labs and research facilities. And the building lacks the college campus esthetic HCC students desire.

A larger, more space-efficient facility will allow for enrollment growth. HCC will be able to offer more classes as well as modern science labs and research facilities to support the high demand for STEM courses required by the UH Katy Engineering Program. Co-location near the UH campus will also offer a college campus environment.

The HCC/UH partnership is expected to spur rapid growth in this area. Current projections are for 2,000 new students annually by 2022 and more than 5,000 new students a year by 2030. Currently, 90% of Katy ISD graduates enrolled in higher education are attending somewhere other than HCC.

HCC must identify new revenue streams to be able to continue to serve its local taxing area. This project will increase revenue by $169M over 25 years, resulting in net cash inflow of nearly $36M. Not only does the project pay for itself, it also provides additional revenues to support new programs and growth in HCC's in-district areas. In addition, the taxpayers will own the land and a building worth $53M. This is a proven model built upon the success of the existing Katy Campus, which has contributed $20M since inception, and land and a building totaling $14M on the balance sheet. The sale of the existing campus will also produce revenue.

The additional revenues will help keep taxes down for HCC's current taxpayers and tuition down for in-district students. We must continue to serve our community in the fastest growing part of the HCC system and to continue to enjoy the return from the financial investment and growth of that investment from 40 years ago.

The HCC Board of Trustees has approved the purchase of a 24-acre tract of land at Colonial Parkway and the Grand Parkway across the street from the new UH campus. Construction is expected to begin in December 2019, with completion scheduled for April 2021. Classes are expected to begin in the summer of 2021.

Seventy-eight percent of the students at the Katy campus are minorities. This is as diverse as the rest of the HCC student population.

Co-location will offer HCC students expanded access to engineering and STEM classes, increased contact hours, higher completion rates and an affordable 2 + 2 degree path.