Harris County parks study looks to Spring Creek Greenway expansion

Not included within the scope of the Harris County parks study is the potential South Gosling park space. Chris Nunes, the chief operations officer of The Woodlands Township, said the 208-acre tract of lands must undergo its own study before it can be considered for future partnerships or public amenities. Nunes said the space could only prove to have a fraction of useable space, which will be analyzed once the study is completed.

What residents should know

The existing Spring Creek Greenway trail ends just east of Gosling Road in The Woodlands. However, two expansion projects will take the trail west across The Woodlands from Gosling Road to Kuykendahl Road and from Kuykendahl Road to the Tomball Parkway.

The first extension will travel from south Gosling Road toward the George Mitchell Nature Preserve and the Carlton Woods golf course, ending at the Ann Snyder Trailhead. Phase 2 of the extension will complete the trail system spanning from Kingwood to Tomball.

In addition to the trails project, the master plan includes $21.38 million for park renovations, including Rothwood Park off Gosling Road, which is slated for a trailhead, a boardwalk system and a fishing pier.

Spring service area:

• Existing park space: 779 acres
• Existing greenway: 1,456 acres
• Population growth by 2045: 59%

“The two closest parks in the plan to The Woodlands Township are Burroughs Park and the Spring Creek Greenway, for which we believe our collective residents have access to and will enjoy any improvements,” Nunes said.

“We know the value because we have a 15-mile trail in The Woodlands area, our Spring Creek nature trail, and we have trail counselors at several of the different access points, and we know our trail hosts over 60,000 users a year,” said Jill Boullion, executive director of the Bayou Land Conservancy.

What’s next

The projects are on a 10-year time frame but could be pushed back depending on economic and weather conditions, officials said. The funding for the projects at Spring Creek will mostly be funded out of the 2022 Harris County $1.2 billion bond package with $5 million in joint funding by the township.

Construction will be managed and overseen by Harris County, and The Woodlands is not expected to have any obligation besides the joint funding on the project, officials said.