“One of the most consistent challenges in preserving The Woodlands’ [design] standards has been balancing homeowner preferences with the original community vision,” DSC Chair Arthur Bredehoft said. “Keeping the standards current to address trends in architecture, outdoor living and redevelopment is paramount.”
How it works
Many new homeowners are looking to redesign their homes, but Bredehoft said he believes they face challenges to adhere to design standards in The Woodlands.
“New homeowners in The Woodlands are typically eager to personalize and adapt their property to reflect their individual style and preferences,” Bredehoft said. “This enthusiasm for customization is often reflected in a high volume of applications for property modifications within the first year of residency.”
According to data from the Residential Design Review Committees–subcommittees of the DSC–over the last three years the villages of Alden Bridge, Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge have seen the greatest number of variance requests for home renovations.
Among the requests, residents are most interested in:
- Exterior paint and facade changes
- Addition of pools and spas
- Expanded patios
- Summer kitchens
Committee structures
Development Standards Committee (6 members total)
- Reviews all property use and maintenance variance requests
- 3 township appointees
- 3 The Woodlands Development Company appointees
Residential Development Standards Committee (1 per village, 3 members each)
- Subcommittee of DSC
- Reviews home design and renovation requests by village
- 3 elected property owners in each of the 9 villages
- Submit an application for destruction of current structure.
- Submit application and plans for future structure.
- The Woodlands Township Covenant Administration staff reviews applications.
- Requests presented to DSC board.
- Variance approved or denied; or alterations are required.
Zooming in
Bredehoft said new rules are being used as of June to help speed up the variance process, such as ensuring township design standards supersede neighborhood-specific design criteria. This comes as township residential design committees have already seen over 4,000 variance requests for 2025, while previous years only saw over 6,000 variance requests in total.
According to data from the Residential Design Review Committees, the villages of Alden Bridge, Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge have had the most requests for home improvements. However, Bredehoft said some village standards are more strict than overarching design standards from the DSC.
“Sometimes neighborhood criteria can have a rule about a type of roof or a color of a roof, and the overall standards for The Woodlands can permit that color,” Bredehoft said. “The second part of that process would be to update the neighborhood criteria, so the neighborhood criteria matches the overall standards [of The Woodlands].”
Some variances are approved by township covenant staff before being brought to the DSC, but the DSC still sees over 900 additional variances a year requiring further consideration regarding full rebuilds, which are primarily concentrated in the villages of Grogan’s Mill and Panther Creek.
“I know the [Grogan’s Mill] RDRC members understand some of these shifts within the community, and are very open to modernization as long as plans still meet other [design] criteria,” Aaron Hoffstadter, president of the Grogan’s Mill Village Association, said.
According to the data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the majority of homes within The Woodlands were built prior to 2009, with 19,350 out of 42,657 homes in The Woodlands now over 25 years old. According to the National Association of Realtors, homes begin requiring a higher level of maintenance after 15 years.
While new homeowners seek to update their homes, existing homeowners tend to favor maintaining existing standards, Bredehoft said.
“Long-term and existing homeowners are more focused on preserving their homes, maintaining their property values, and want priority toward the enforcement of the deed restrictions,” Bredehoft said. “However, they are also looking to expand and accommodate growing needs [like] an addition needed to care for a family member. We’ve also seen a growing interest in home office spaces and home additions that accommodate office space.”
“These improvements are...key steps in transforming a newly purchased house into a personalized home," Bredehoft said.
“Rebuilds and renovations in the area have been very tasteful, and continued modernization...is welcome if we can continue to strike this balance," said Aaron Hoffstadter, president of the Grogan’s Mill Village Association.
Measuring it out
The average age of homeowners in The Woodlands has also shifted slightly, with the population of homeowners 65 and older growing more than any other segment of homeowners. However, recent redevelopment efforts in areas such as Grogan’s Mill have local leaders hopeful for revitalization amid an influx of younger residents.
The redevelopment of the Grogan’s Mill Village Center, which held a grand opening of its retail portion June 25, is planned to help create new community hubs for residents.
“Hopefully this is the catalyst that really gets all of our other village centers upgraded and remodeled and redefined to attract new restaurants and retail outlets and such,” said Brad Bailey, chair of the township’s board of directors.
Despite an increase in the older population of homeowners, residents age 35-64 continue to comprise the largest portion of homeowners in The Woodlands, according to census data. The number of homeowners age 35-64 still maintained a 13% market share even with the nearly 4% growth of older homeowners.
Next steps
Bredehoft said the next area of improvement will be developing the township’s generator standards for residential properties. Their use has increased due to the number of power outages and severe weather events in The Woodlands, he said.
“We could also determine that maybe what we have is good, it’s working well and you may not have to make any changes; but we want to take a look at [generators], as this is in the top three number of applications that we deal with,” Bredehoft said.
Bredehoft said new rules are also being created and aim to be in effect by the end of 2025 to help speed up the process for a resident to apply for a variance to design standards, such as ensuring township design standards supersede neighborhood-specific design criteria.
“It’s critical for the quality of life in our community to ensure we have good investment in both people and technology resources so we can continue to maintain this community as the number one community,” Bredehoft said.
