FM 1097 Retail Center

Cruz Real Estate Ventures LLC is constructing a 10,173 sq ft retail shell building at 22205 FM 1097 in Montgomery. The new structural steel frame is designed to accommodate up to five distinct retail tenant spaces, though interior build-outs for those tenants are explicitly excluded from the current scope of work. This privately funded project sits on private land and is estimated to cost $1,500,000.

Construction activity began in December 2025. TDLR completed the plan review process in March 2026, and the project is scheduled to finish in September 2026. The total scheduled build window spans 284 days, a duration that is longer than the county median of 213 days for similar new construction filings in Montgomery County.

Design and Cost Context

Moment Architects serves as the design firm of record for this development. The estimated cost of $1,500,000 places the project above the median estimated cost of $800,000 for new construction filings in the county. Similarly, the computed cost of $147 per square foot is above the county median of $100 per square foot, reflecting the specific scope of the structural steel frame construction.

The site is located within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, designated as zone AE. This classification indicates the property is subject to specific flood risk considerations. The project is registered with TDLR, with Meghan Broussard Simecek listed as the registered accessibility specialist to ensure compliance with state standards during the construction phase.

Local web mentions, including a City of Montgomery document, reference the FM 1097 Retail Center at this specific address, noting involvement by V. Vogt Engineering as the structural engineer. The surrounding ZIP code 77356 has a population of approximately 31,069 residents and a median household income of $113,750, according to U.S. Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates. The housing stock in this area is predominantly owner-occupied, with a median owner-occupied home value of $369,200.

Moment Architects has six other TDLR-registered projects totaling $25,883,616, including the Frassati Catholic High School new classroom building in Spring and the Windfern Warehouse in Houston. The Montgomery County unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in July 2026, a figure that is higher than a year earlier. This project represents a single, distinct retail development within the county's broader commercial construction landscape.