Conroe council wants revived planning commission to give citizens greater awareness of developments coming

Conroe council members want the planned comeback of the city’s planning commission to focus on giving citizens better awareness of development projects proposed in their neighborhoods.

The backstory

Conroe had a planning commission that the city council voted to dissolve in July 2025. In October, the city council told staff it wanted to revive the body to bring an extra set of eyes before certain development proposals make their way to the council.

What they’re saying

Brandy Taylor, Conroe’s director of municipal development, said at the city council's Nov. 5 meeting that staff brought the item back for discussion at Thursday’s meeting to gather more input from the council. 

Taylor said current changes for bringing back the planning commission included the body no longer having approval power but meeting solely to give recommendations for approval or denial of variances, ethics training, and removal of members who miss three or more meetings in a year. 

Council member Shana Arthur said long-range planning will be an important factor for the revived planning commission. 

“This is something really worth looking at to do,” Arthur said. “I do believe we ... need some type of oversight but it needs people that are really looking out for the best interests of what this does for Conroe.”  

Council member Kristin Hoisington said citizens are “craving the ability” to see development projects early on and have the opportunity to give input. 

“I have a CarMax in front of my neighborhood,” Hoisington said. “I would have loved to have some input on that, as well as many of my neighbors.” 

Mayor Pro Tem John Sellars echoed that sentiment. 

“I think it does serve a very important function for our citizens, our residents, to have some input on where the city is going,” Sellars said. 

Council member David Hairel expressed concerns about bringing back the planning commission and asked that it not be a technical group, saying “What will a reinstated commission accomplish that our professional city staff cannot?”

“I think we are the ones ultimately that have to decide variances,” Hairel said. “I don’t think citizens should be involved in that at this point.” 

Items worth mentioning

• Conroe will replace its 21-year-old hazmat truck. The city will pay $1.59 million for the replacement truck that’s expected to be delivered in fiscal year 2028-2029. Fire Chief Paul Sims in a memo said the current truck “has experienced several extended out-of-service periods.”

• Conroe police's SWAT team will be getting $227,500 in new night vision gear. Police Chief Jon Buckholtz said on a recent SWAT search warrant operation he accompanied, he discovered “that we didn’t have equipment to have an advantage at nighttime. They didn’t have anything other than a flashlight.”

• Conroe has selected a contractor to repave three-quarters of a mile of South Pine Lake Road. It’ll cost $1.1 million. 

• The City Council has appointed nine members to the downtown advisory council made up of business leaders connected to downtown. Jodi Willard, the executive director of downtown development and tourism, said the purpose of the council will be to promote events and advise on projects downtown.