Conroe reserves 36.45-acre tract for possible future senior center

Conroe City Council approved a resolution April 9 to reserve a city-owned tract near Grand Central Park for a possible future senior center.

City leaders said the move does not approve construction, but keeps a city-owned site near I-45 in play as officials study what a long-term senior facility could look like.

The gist

Nancy Mikeska, deputy city administrator and community development director, told council the tract originally totaled 37.93 acres when the city bought it in August 2013 from the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America. The property was appraised at $416,900 and purchased for $428,703, according to a presentation. Mikeska said 1.68 acres were sold in 2024, leaving about 36.45 acres.

Per the resolution, Conroe’s current senior center is at capacity, has limited activity options and poses a safety concern if seniors need to be evacuated quickly. During the meeting, Mikeska said the city is moving senior programming to the Oscar Johnson Jr. Enrichment and Recreation Center for now, but said that building was not originally intended to permanently house the senior program.

“This is simply a preliminary reservation,” Mikeska said.

She said that the city is trying to plan ahead for a growing senior population, and reserving the land would give staff room to continue environmental review and other due diligence without committing the city to a final project.

In January, the council backed a similar resolution reserving 42 acres inside the city’s Deison Technology Park for a future “venue” concept that staff compared to regional draws like The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and Houston’s Discovery Green, as previously reported.

A closer look

Mikeska also said part of the property is not developable, but that area could still be used for trails and other outdoor features. Early renderings discussed during the meeting showed the idea of a senior-focused complex with activity space and outdoor amenities, although city officials said the concept is still years away and would likely require voter approval through a bond election if it moved forward.

Some questions were raised before the vote. During public comment, resident John Sellars said he supports investing in seniors but questioned whether the tract’s floodplain conditions could create challenges.

Council members also discussed whether the land could someday be sold instead, with proceeds potentially used toward a senior center elsewhere. Mikeska said the resolution could be changed by a future council and does not permanently lock the site in.

Mayor Duke Coon asked staff to look into the site’s flood zone details and fair market value as the city continues studying the property. Mikeska said staff already knows a portion of the land is in the floodplain and that previous work on the tract—once considered for wastewater use—gave the city a head start on some background analysis.

Council ultimately approved the resolution, 4-1, with Mayor Pro Tem Howard Wood voting against, keeping the land reserved for now as staff continues looking at whether the site could work for a future full-purpose senior center.