‘Nobody really wants a toll road’: Fairchilds residents fight proposed highway that could displace families | Houston Public Media

For a little over two years, Gail and Michael Pearce have lived on three and a half acres of land in the Village of Fairchilds.

They own hundreds of animals, producing their own eggs, meat and vegetables. Michael runs a business from their property, repairing boats and jet skis.

“I grew up in the countryside, and we basically got fed up with living in a concrete jungle with our neighbors six feet away from us, so we decided to buy our property out here,” he said.

But the couple could now be forced to move. Fort Bend County is looking to extend a toll road through Fairchilds that could go through their property.

“It would be replacing me and Michael’s home,” Gail Pearce said. “We worked really, really hard and thought this was going to be the dream home where we were going to live for the rest of our lives. He’s losing his business.”

Natalie Weber / Houston Public Media

The county is considering three routes: one along Psencik Road, another near Fairchilds Creek and a third hybrid route that combines the other two options. Up to 10 families could be displaced.

Still, the toll road has faced broader backlash in the community. Many residents fear it will interrupt their quieter, rural way of life, even if they’re not forced to move.

After her Houston home flooded during Hurricane Harvey, Erin Burrell moved to the countryside with her family. She worries about her children’s safety if the toll road is built.

“My kids are not going to be able to ride down the road anymore or get off the bus,” Burrell said. “I’m going to be worried about them walking home.”

David Nunnally also lives near one of the proposed routes. He’s concerned some of his aunts and uncles who live nearby could be displaced.

“They’re in their 70s, they’re retired,” he said. “Who wants to start over at 73 years old?”

Fairchilds residents have proposed their own route for the toll road, which would loop north of the village. Jenifer Scanlin has started a petition asking the toll road authority to adopt this path.

“We’ve walked door to door and spoken to people and told them about it,” Scanlin said.

To date, more than 2,200 people have signed it. Pam Moss, who lives near one of the proposed routes, is among them.

“We all have county roads. Just make them wider,” she said. “I don’t understand the toll road situation.”

Moss’s neighbor, Debbie Galvan, also signed the petition. She is worried she could be forced to move if the county chooses a toll road route along her street.

“I just would hope they would just change their mind and kind of help out in getting this to where it doesn’t have to affect so many people,” she said.

Natalie Weber / Houston Public Media

Residents are also pushing for answers from the Village of Fairchilds City Council.

In early July, Fairchilds Mayor Lance Bertolino and Mayor Pro Tem Matthew Chastain held a town hall to answer questions about the toll road. Dozens of residents crowded into the Fairchilds fire department for the meeting, quickly filling the seats. Village leaders said they have little control over the toll road because the county has the power of eminent domain – and that it’s inevitable that it will be built.

The mayor told residents the village is looking for ways to decrease the impacts of traffic and flooding from the toll road.

“Let’s just be clear, nobody really wants a toll road, other than investors out here, and land is going to be snatched up by investors,” Bertolino said.

In a statement, he told Houston Public Media that “negotiations are ongoing and pending additional information from our experts.”

The toll road authority’s leaders said they’re working with the city council to determine what’s best for Fairchilds.

“We’re waiting for the village leadership to continue their communications with their residents and to decide what’s best for the village of Fairchilds,” said David Gornet, the toll road authority’s executive director.

Photo courtesy of Jenifer Scanlin

However, Gornet said he would not recommend residents’ proposed route to the toll road authority’s board. The board, which is appointed by members of commissioners court, will vote on the toll road’s route, though it’s unclear when.

Gornet said he would not recommend the route because it could cost up to $42.1 million more than the other paths that the county is considering.

“Based on the cost and the length, I would consider it unreasonable,” he said.

County authorities have been looking to extend the toll road into the western part of Fort Bend since 2007.

The expansion also comes as developers prepare to open Austin Point – a master-planned community nearby that’s expected to house about 50,000 people.

Austin Point’s developer, the Signorelli Company, has negotiated with the county as it determines the portions of the toll road’s route. That includes the point at which the toll road will cross Big Creek, entering Fairchilds.

“The tollway alignment is determined by Fort Bend Toll Road Authority, who conducts thorough due diligence, including a variety of environmental studies,” Todd Hamilton, Austin Point’s director of land development, said in a statement. “The tollway will enhance access, provide much-needed mobility improvements, and accommodate the projected growth of Fort Bend County.”

County Judge KP George, who appointed the board’s chairman, said in a statement that he and the other commissioners are “committed to transparent, community-centered planning.”

“We work to find common ground with residents and ensure all infrastructure projects are developed with the best interests of the entire county in mind,” he said.

County Commissioner Grady Prestage, whose precinct includes Fairchilds, declined an interview request.

The toll road authority said it will be years before this section of the toll road is built and the county likely won’t hire construction firms until late next year, or even early 2027.