At 19255 FM 1485 there is a gas station with a taco counter inside. Next door at 19261, a mattress showroom, a psychiatric clinic and an insurance office are moving into a strip of new suites. About a mile and a half east, around the 20400 block, you'll find a tire shop, an indoor golf simulator open around the clock, a nutrition bar and two restaurant pads that are still waiting. Almost none of it was there a year ago.
FM 1485 has long been the road you take to get somewhere else. Over the past several months it has turned into a place to stop, and the stops cluster in two pockets that cover most of a normal week. The next big change on the road is a park, which is a different kind of reason to pull off.
Two pockets, one week of errands
Start with the west pocket. ArchPoint at 1485 is a new retail center with a convenience store, a gas station and about 14,000 square feet of retail space, as Community Impact reported in a September roundup. Here is how it fills out:
- Roadtrac, 19255 FM 1485: gas station and convenience store, opened in August.
- Booma Boom Tacos, inside the same Roadtrac: run by Roadtrac and serving burritos, gorditas and quesadillas, also opened in August.
- Texan Mattress, 19261 FM 1485, Unit E: owned by Derrick and Dionne Jones, with an opening date of Oct. 1 listed by both the company and Community Impact.
- Lee Psychiatry, 19261 FM 1485, Suite C: owner Tarnesha Lee is a psychiatric nurse practitioner. The clinic offers psychiatric and ADHD evaluations along with treatment for anxiety, depression and mood disorders, and its grand opening is set for Oct. 5.
- State Farm, 19261 FM 1485: an office expected to open in December. The suite number hadn't been announced as of late September.
Look at what's on that list. Fuel, a quick lunch, a mattress, an appointment and an insurance agent all sit within two addresses. That's routine business, the stuff people used to plan a separate trip for.
The east pocket fills in the rest of the week:
- Mavis Tire, 20450 FM 1485 in Caney Crossing: opened Nov. 24, 2025, offering tires and auto service.
- Eagles Nutrition, 20195 FM 1485 W., Suite A1: opened Sept. 9, with a grand-opening party Sept. 19.
- The Back Nine, 20470 FM 1485, Suite E: indoor golf simulators. It soft-opened July 15, held its grand opening Aug. 8 and is open 24/7, according to Community Impact.
The Back Nine is the odd one out, and it's the most useful sign of where the road is going. Community Impact describes it as a spot for serious and casual golfers and business groups alike, with leagues, tournaments, clinics, kids' camps and parties. A kids' camp or a league night isn't an errand. Whoever signs up for one comes back every week on a schedule, and that kind of repeat visit is how a strip of storefronts starts to feel like part of the neighborhood.
The pads still waiting on paperwork
The east pocket has two restaurant sites that keep showing up in local coverage. Neither is open, and the details matter if you've been watching the dirt.
Tacos La Bala is planned for 20460 FM 1485, Suite A. It would sit between Mavis Tire and The Back Nine on the address map. A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in late July projected construction on the 2,482-square-foot Mexican restaurant from September through Jan. 30. Community Impact's August story was based on that filing alone and said it would be updated when more information came in. Treat the January date as an estimate.
Waffle House at 20498 FM 1485 has been in the works longer. A July 2025 report forecast construction from January through June 2026. By Jan. 29, 2026, the project was still pending review by City of Houston officials, and the forecast had moved to an April construction start and a September opening. No newer public update has turned up. September has passed, so check before you plan a late-night stop.
Together these two pads would bring a sit-down meal and an all-hours diner to the east pocket. Right now that pocket offers tires, smoothies and golf. Once both restaurants open, the 20400 block would handle a meal along with the errands.
The park changes what the road is for
So far everything on FM 1485 is a business. The next project isn't. The East Montgomery County Improvement District, or EMCID, plans a 200-acre park along FM 1485 near Caney Creek, and construction on the first phase is set to begin in November, according to HKA Texas.
Phase one is mostly about dogs and young kids:
- Separate large and small dog parks, totaling nearly 33,000 square feet
- Interactive water features and shade structures
- Artificial turf play areas
- Restrooms and a covered canopy
- 33 parking spaces
A children's playground is planned for later, with more features added in future phases. The announcement gives a construction start but no opening date. Back in May 2025, a dog-park groundbreaking was reported at FM 1485 and Gene Campbell Boulevard. The November start is the next milestone after that.
Thirty-three parking spaces is a modest number for 200 acres. It points to a first phase meant for short neighborhood visits: a dog walk, a turn in the splash area, then back to the car. It isn't built as a regional destination. That fits a road whose new businesses are mostly the 20-minute-stop kind.
The road itself is on a much longer clock
Here's the gap between the businesses and the pavement. TxDOT has a proposal to widen about 5 miles of FM 1485, from SH 242 to Kidd Cemetery Road, from two undivided lanes to four divided lanes. The plan includes a raised median as far as Caney Drive, a continuous center turn lane beyond that, and shared-use paths. The estimated cost is about $67 million. TxDOT's project page expects right-of-way acquisition to begin in late 2026 and construction in 2035. The page also still lists hearing and environmental milestones from 2025 and early 2026, so its timeline may not be fully current.
In practice, every business in this post will spend years on a two-lane road. A turn in and out of ArchPoint or Caney Crossing works the same way it does today, and the shared-use paths that could someday link these stops on foot are a long way off.
Closer to home, there's smaller progress. Precinct 4 lists the traffic signal at Gene Campbell Road and FM 1485 as completed. Gene Campbell is planned for widening to five lanes between FM 1314 and FM 1485, including improvements where it meets FM 1485. As of an Oct. 1 Community Impact update, the start still depended on scoping and approval of a consultant contract, and the timeline and cost were still to be determined. North of FM 1485 and SH 99, Precinct 4 says work on a future Galaxy Boulevard extension began in April 2026. That work covers survey, alignment and right-of-way, not paving. If you live off Gene Campbell, the new signal is the change you can use today.
The same hand behind the next few months
The park is an EMCID project, and so are several of the other big East Montgomery County updates this fall. The Rusty Buckle Craft BBQ and Texas Cuisine reopened Sept. 25 in a larger new building behind its original site at 22664 Community Drive. It's nearly three years after a Thanksgiving Day fire, and the EMCID board approved a grant and a low-interest loan to help owner Allen Rhoden rebuild and keep his staff. The new space seats up to 125 inside, has an outdoor patio and live music, and displays historical artifacts from East Montgomery County. EMCID is also behind Caney Pines Convention Center, a 210,070-square-foot venue at 21714 Valley Ranch Blvd. with a grand opening planned for December.
Off the corridor, October is busy:
- Oct. 10: Valley Ranch Fall Fest, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at The Grove, 11985 N. Grand Parkway E.
- Oct. 10: Houston Metro Go Texan Committee New Caney/Splendora Fall Festival, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Bull Sallas Park, 21675 McCleskey Road. Precinct 4's free Pumpkins & Popcorn screening of Coco is at the same park that evening, with activities starting at 6:30 p.m.
- Oct. 24: Pickle Festival vendor market, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Bull Sallas Park.
- Through Nov. 1: Halloween at Big Rivers Waterpark, 23101 Hwy. 242, with the family-friendly Boo Rivers and the PG-13 Voodoo Bayou haunted trail.
Community Impact notes that event schedules can change, so check with organizers before you go. For a wider look at commutes and shopping around town, our everyday guide to Porter covers the basics, and our post on how SH 99 shapes demand in Porter explains why the Grand Parkway side of town keeps growing.
If you live off FM 1485 and want to know how the new stops, the planned park and the long widening timeline affect a home on this side of Porter, The Hometown Team is happy to walk through it with you, whether you're staying for years or getting ready to list.
