Fire Chief Palmer Buck said the building is “moving apart” because of soil issues. It is located at 10100 W. Branch Crossing Drive and serves the villages of Carlton Woods, Indian Springs, and Sterling Ridge, according to township materials.
Board Chair Gordy Bunch said at the meeting one of the sites being examined for a new station, located on Ashlane Way near a park and ride location, will not be available until 2023.
Bunch said the township has worked with the The Woodlands Fire Department to develop a site plan, noting developer The Howard Hughes Corp. has the right of first refusal on the site the township wants to build on, and that right expires in 2023.
Bunch said at the meeting the township is waiting until that right expires to ensure its plans can move forward.
“The developer, Howard Hughes, has the right to the site we want to build on, and they’re the ones blocking the timing of us moving forward with our site," Bunch said.
Asked by Director Ann Snyder if the township had talked to the developer, Bunch said Howard Hughes had initially reached out.
“They reached out to us when we started talking publicly about building on that site to remind us [of] their first right of refusal rights; ... they made sure we knew we couldn’t build something until 2023 without them," Bunch said at the meeting.
The right of first refusal is only triggered if the township moves forward on the property before that right expires, Bunch said.
Jim Carman, president of Howard Hughes’ Houston region, said in a statement he believed the board had mischaracterized the company’s intentions.
“At the Jan. 20, 2022 meeting of The Woodlands Township board of directors, Chairman Gordy Bunch falsely claimed that The Howard Hughes Corporation has stood in the way of constructing a new fire station,” Carman said. “As I informed Chief Palmer Buck on Friday, Howard Hughes has never been approached by the township about constructing a new fire station on the land in question. Had a new fire station been proposed, we would have immediately offered our support and, upon receipt of a formal request, released our right to acquire the site and facilitated its construction. It is unacceptable that the chairman of our township board would distort the truth to hide his lack of responsiveness to a long-running community need. Chairman Bunch should be seeking opportunities to bring The Woodlands together to solve problems, rather than divide us with finger pointing and dishonest attacks.”
In addition to Station No. 5, Station Nos. 3, 4 and an emergency training center are due for upgrades. A 2020 study indicated improvements at all facilities, including a rebuilt Station No. 5, would cost $14.7 million.
Stations 3, 4 and the emergency training center also have needs that will need to be addressed, Snyder said. She said in a subsequent statement she believes collaboration will be necessary to move the projects forward.
“The construction of a new fire station is a priority that has been considered and discussed over the past several years,” Snyder said. “A priority with such broad community support should inspire us to come together as leaders, businesses and neighbors to get the job done. Rather than making excuses for why we can’t, it’s time for a renewed focus on collaboration and mutual respect, with which we can accomplish anything.”
Vice Chair Bruce Rieser said at the meeting a new station is in the budget, and movement on the project can be expected this year.
“We’re looking at the right site at the right price in the right time frame,” Buck said.
The department is also applying for a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant to pay for 12 firefighters for their first three years to add to the station.
