Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved the $16.5 million deal Sept. 26 after several months of negotiations with Howard Hughes.
Efforts to revitalize the Grogan’s Mill Village Center have been underway since Randalls left as the anchor store in 2020. Howard Hughes will fund and manage the construction of the new library and community center, according to the deal.
The big picture
Grogan’s Mill residents have expressed concern over the loss of an anchor store at the Grogan’s Mill Village Center to The Woodlands Township board and at other public meetings since 2020. Since then, vacancies at the center have proven difficult to fill.
“We knew that an anchor needed to be at Grogan’s Mill, and the viability of a large-scale grocer does not exist,” said Jim Carman, president of Howard Hughes Houston region, during the Sept. 26 Montgomery County Commissioners Court meeting. “So in order to revitalize the whole village center and the retail components, an anchor has to be there, and we thought that it was a tremendous idea to have a library [and] community center.”
The new facilities will be situated in a shared space formerly held by Randalls. While a majority of the current building will be demolished, Carman said parts of the existing building will be used in the new structure.
The new community center and library is set to be 48,000 square feet with a number of rentable rooms ranging from ballroom size to study rooms. It will include:
- A 5,000-square-foot ballroom
- 11 rentable study rooms
- A full-service conference room
- 100-person capacity theater-style classroom
- A rentable podcast room
- A film-producing room
While Howard Hughes is funding $16.5 million of the project, the county will be responsible for any additional costs over the budgeted amount, according to the approved contract.
What else?
The new library and community center will be surrounded by revitalized retail centers, which will stay under the ownership of Howard Hughes, Carman said. The centers will be built concurrently with the new library and community center, but completion may vary depending on extraneous factors.
“We put a million additional dollars into the retail adjacent to bring it up to a great Class A center,” Carman said.
Carman said the existing retail stores within the shopping center will stay active. New retail will likely fill current vacancies in the shopping center once construction is complete, but Howard Hughes will manage the leasing for those areas, Carman said.
The retail space will also keep components of the existing center such as the clock tower.
Carman said the goal is to keep as much of the traditional feel of the centers while also upgrading existing infrastructure and making room for new retail.
The Woodlands Farmers Market, which is held weekly on Saturdays, will also receive a covered area within the center to allow for a more permanent setup. The new space for the farmers market will be part of the 7.8 acres of the village center which will be transferred to the county.
The farmers market will continue to host weekly events at the Grogan’s Mill center until construction begins and is completed, said Bruce Cunningham, president of Grogan’s Mill Village Association, a board that acts as a liaison between residents and the township.
The timeline
At the Sept. 26 meeting, Carman said Howard Hughes is expecting construction to take roughly a year to complete once started, and it aims for a mid-2025 finish date. Howard Hughes will move into construction in 2024 following final design and bidding processes.
- May 12: Howard Hughes announces acquisition of village center
- May 16: County proposes trade of land
- May 23: Negotiations approved to begin
- Sept. 12: County posts notice accepting offers
- Sept. 26: Swap approved
“The next step is to work with the Grogan’s Mill Village Association and the county to connect our existing trails and pathways," said Brad Bailey, a member of the The Woodlands Township board of directors.
“I think this will help bring the revitalization that’s been necessary to the center. ... I think this is a very good deal," said Bruce Cunningham, president of Grogan’s Mill Village Association.
What’s next
Officials said the existing South County Library and Community Center will stay operational until ownership of the facilities is transferred to the county, at which time the 5.27 acres will be transferred to Howard Hughes for future use and development.
Carman said Howard Hughes does not have plans for the 5.27 acres, and the company is focusing on developing retail at the Grogan’s Mill Village Center. Noack said the county will shift personnel and operations to the new buildings once the exchange is finalized in 2025, at which time it is unclear what service delays may arise during the move.
