What you need to know
During the Sept. 19 meeting, the board received an overview of the history of the township's purchase and planning regarding the GE Betz property—located at 9669 Grogans Mill Road—from President and CEO Monique Sharp. GE Betz was a water and wastewater treatment solutions company.
Board Chair Ann Snyder said prior to the presentation that the board had not made any official decisions regarding the use of the property.
"No decision has been made regarding this property and action, the only action was requesting staff to develop a [request for proposals] slash marketing plan for the best property," Snyder said.
How we got here
In June, the board requested township staff to begin crafting a request for proposals regarding the GE Betz property and possible uses for the 11.6-acre tract of land:
- June 2015: Board authorized $15.2 million purchase of GE Betz property
- September 2015: Final purchase agreement approved
- June 2018: GE Betz lease ends and company vacates property
- September 2015: Board approved seeking bids for building demolition and asbestos abatement
- March 2022: Bid for demolition and abatement approved
- June 2024: Board approves seeking guidelines for requests for proposals on GE Betz property development
One of the main uses considered for the property includes the construction of a new performing arts center, according to previous township discussion. However, Sharp said the official use of the property will be based on the feasibility and mobility studies done.
In their words
- "This is an amazing parcel of land that is not being used to the benefit of residents, nor is it generating any taxes," board member Brad Bailey said. "The township has not made any ultimate decisions about this valuable piece of property. We welcome feedback and believe this needs to be fully transparent process."
- "I want to make sure that we really think through this thoroughly," board member Cindy Heiser said. "We need a mobility study done ... so that we know what the traffic flow would look like when we have an additional 5,000 people coming to The Woodlands on the night of a performance or something like that. ... I feel like all the homework hasn't been done quite yet."
- "We all would love to have this big, wonderful 11 acres filled with items, but the public-private partnership is something that is worth exploring," board member Linda Nelson said. "Our wish list may be different than what our funding opportunities are, so we have to keep that in the back of our mind."
Sharp said the RFP would not be completed until October, at which point it would be presented to the board for review. However, the board is under no obligation to take action or begin work on the property. Board members also agreed there were no plans to outright sell the property.
