As The Woodlands nears residential build-out, more commercial projects are occurring adjacent to neighborhoods, drawing vexation from residents who believe the quality of their lives is being disrupted.
Over the past year, residents from several villages have asked the township board for help with noise, debris and clear-cutting caused by commercial projects under construction both in and outside of The Woodlands.
“The [Woodlands Development Company] will tell you most of the time they’ve done major development they’ve had similar activities go on, but there was no residential [area] adjacent,” township board Chairman Gordy Bunch said. “People are now seeing how the sausage is made, and it’s pretty ugly.”
The township board has considered forming a new community task force to deal with development and construction issues over which it does not have oversight, Bunch said, as he believes more residents will come forward with similar issues this year.
“We want [residents] to bring issues to us,” he said. “Everybody who moved here paid a premium to live in The Woodlands for the quality of life they expected.”
Development issues
Residents from all parts of The Woodlands—Creekside Park to Alden Bridge to East Shore—have asked the township directors for help with construction-related issues in the past year.
The most recent issue to come before the board in December involved resident concerns over an upcoming townhome development in East Shore, the Waterway Landing townhomes. Resident Edmund Chapman, who brought the issue to the board, said the problems have regarded safety, environmental effects, noise levels and cleanliness of the work site.
“On the outset, we have no issues with the development, we’re very excited about it,” Chapman said. “However, the project management so far has been incredibly disruptive. Most importantly, the vast majority of the issues could be alleviated entirely by prudent management and commonsense neighborly manners.”
For the past several months, the township board has also heard from residents about another ongoing construction project at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Residents who live behind the church expressed concerns several times regarding reforestation, lighting and construction noise from the project this fall.
In The Woodlands, residential build-out is expected to wrap up in the next four to six years as the villages of Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge are complete, Development Company co-President Tim Welbes said. However, commercial projects will still be under development.
“The higher density, that’s got a longer life,” he said. “Those will be a few developments—one to three developments a year—over the next 10 years probably.”
With commercial projects expected to continue in and around The Woodlands, township Director Bruce Rieser was selected to chair the new community task force in hopes of serving as a mediator for ongoing and future construction project issues.
“Frankly, we have kind of an unwieldy governmental structure right now where there’s an awful lot of people with authority in particular areas, but there’s no overarching authority,” Rieser said.
Lack of oversight
The Woodlands Township does not have statutory authority over certain issues, such as construction and clear-cutting, because it is not a municipality, Bunch said. Instead, the township can only issue resolutions or try to serve as a mediator, which it did in the case of the St. Anthony and East Shore projects.
Since The Woodlands is an unincorporated community, it does not have planning and zoning powers or authority over construction projects either. Instead, the Development Company reviews and approves all new construction as established by the covenants, which are standards and procedures in place regarding development in the community, according to the township’s website.
Bunch said the Development Company is typically always responsive to residents’ concerns regarding development or construction projects.
“We’ll ask them to come to board meetings and represent their side, and they have,” he said. “They are their own entity, but they are willing to come even though we don’t have oversight over what [they do].”
One board in The Woodlands with authority over construction projects is the Development Standards Committee. The DSC is responsible for adopting and enforcing the standards that govern property use and maintenance in The Woodlands. It can also grant final approval or disapproval of property improvement projects in the areas of The Woodlands in which it has authority.
“The [township] board has the authority to appoint members to the Development Standards Committee, but we have no oversight over processes,” Bunch said.
DSC Chairwoman Deborah Sargeant said the committee has discussed the church expansion project at every recent committee meeting and performed routine site visits. However, like the township board, it does not have the authority to address every resident concern.
“In the 14 years I’ve been on the DSC, I’ve never spent as much time and consideration on a project as I have this, as my committee has,” Sargeant said of the St. Anthony expansion.
Long-term solution
One potential solution to gain more control over development and construction issues would be incorporation.
“As we talk about flooding concerns or clear-cutting, today as a township we don’t have direct authority over those issues,” Bunch said. “That would become a potential benefit [of becoming a city].”
The township board had its first incorporation workshop Jan. 19 to discuss information disseminated on the subject and the next steps.
Bunch said living through a construction project is not always a short-term issue.
“I think folks moved to The Woodlands because it’s a peaceful community and it is so well-planned,” he said. “When [that] gets disrupted, people react.”
