The Harris County Engineering Department requested that the city of Houston consider long-term plans for realigning, reclassifying and preserving additional right of way for nine Tomball roads: Brown, Lutheran School, Fred Petrich, Kobs, Lutheran Church, Telge, Tomball Cemetery and Holderrieth roads as well as an unnamed east-west roadway.
Why does the city of Houston care about roads in Tomball?
Proposed improvements to a series of Tomball-area roads are included in the city of Houston's Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan.[/caption]The city of Houston’s extraterritorial jurisdiction stretches throughout Harris County to the Harris-Montgomery county line at Spring Creek in some places. Although residents may have a Tomball address, Houston’s ETJ includes much of the land west of Telge Road north and south of FM 2920 in Tomball. Therefore, Houston city officials—not the city of Tomball—have the ability to address transportation needs within the ETJ.
The ETJ boundaries are shown in the MTFP Amendment map.
What is the MTFP?
Houston City Council first adopted the thoroughfare plan in 1942 as a long-range plan to improve mobility. According to Houston’s Planning and Development Department, the plan is reviewed annually, and projects are added to, removed from or modified in the plan each year. This year’s review includes amendment requests for more than 80 street segments within the city of Houston’s jurisdiction.
What do the Tomball amendment requests include?
The Brown Road Collector Network includes the area from Brown and Lutheran School roads west from Tomball’s ETJ boundary to Kobs Road and south to FM 2920. A notification package with details about each proposed road improvement was sent to each affected property owner.
Brown, Lutheran School and Fred Petrich roads
The amendment reclassifies the east-west string of roads as a major collector west from Tomball’s ETJ boundary to Kobs Road. According to the Harris County Engineering Department, major collectors are public streets that accumulate traffic from local streets. The two-lane roads have 60 feet of existing right of way. With reclassifying the roads to a major collector, the plan requests increasing the right of way to 80 feet, according to a report from the city of Houston. Additionally, the amendment proposes realigning Brown Road to eliminate sharp curves.
Kobs Road from Brown Road to FM 2920
The amendment reclassifies a segment of Kobs Road as a major collector. Additionally, realignment of the south end of Kobs Road at FM 2920 is proposed to align the roadway with the existing intersection of Cedar Lane and FM 2920. According to a report from the city of Houston, 10 feet of additional right of way would need to be acquired from property owners on both sides of Kobs Road should the roadway be widened.
Lutheran Church Road from Brown Road to FM 2920
The amendment reclassifies the roadway as a major collector, increasing the existing right of way from 60 feet of 80 feet—acquiring 10 feet of right of way from property owners on both sides of the road.
Telge Road north of FM 2920
The amendment would extend Telge Road north of FM 2920 as a major collector with 80 feet of right of way. However, Harris County has no plans to construct the road at this time, according to a report from the city of Houston.
Proposed east-west road between Tomball Cemetery and Kobs roads
The amendment proposes constructing a new roadway stretching 1.29 miles between Tomball Cemetery and Kobs roads as a minor collector. According to the Harris County Engineering Department, minor collectors are public streets that accumulate traffic from local streets for distribution into a major roadway. However, Harris County has no plans to construct the road at this time, according to a report from the city of Houston.
Tomball Cemetery Road between Brown Road and Houston’s ETJ
The amendment reclassifies Tomball Cemetery Road as a major collector, increasing the existing right of way from 60 feet to 80 feet. The amendment also proposes realigning the roadway to eliminate sharp turns.
The plan also outlines a future Holderrieth Road from east of Mason Road to the proposed Cypress Hill Road near Rosehill Reserve.
Proposed improvements to a series of Tomball-area roads are included in the city of Houston's Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan.[/caption]Holderrieth Road
The amendment requests realigning the future Holderrieth Road to allow for a stormwater detention basin just south of Harris County’s Kleb Woods Nature Preserve, according to the Harris County Engineering Department. The existing MTFP shows the future road crossing the 106-acre tract on which the Harris County Flood Control District’s detention project is located. According to county officials, realignment of the roadway would increase the detention storage volume and enhance opportunities for recreation facility connections between the detention basin and the nature preserve.
When will these projects begin?
According to Loyd Smith, Harris County manager of transportation and planning, the county has neither designated funds for the Tomball-area projects nor set a specific construction timeline. Smith said during an open house June 1 in Tomball that road improvements are determined by the volume of development that occurs. He said as the MTFP is a long-term mobility plan for the area, Tomball projects are likely 10 years from fruition unless larger-than-expected developments come to the area.
“We don’t get ahead of development typically; we’re usually playing catch up across the county,” Smith said. “It’s a number of years before any of these projects [begin] in my opinion.
According to officials with the county engineering department, Harris County wants to be proactive in planning for preserving additional right of way for roads in anticipation of future development. Construction of proposed improvements would be initiated by county commissioners.
Who does this affect?
According to the Harris County Engineering Department, 185 property owners may be directly affected by the Brown Road Collector Network projects. An additional 60 property owners may be affected by the future Holderrieth Road alignment.
How can the public participate in the amendment process?
Individuals can submit written comments online until Friday, July 7. Additionally, the city of Houston and Harris County officials host an open house 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, at the United Way Community Resource Center, located at 50 Waugh Drive, Houston. Attendees can learn more about the proposed amendments. The City of Houston Planning Commission hosts a public hearing at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the City Hall Annex Chambers, located at 900 Bagby St., Houston, for attendees to comment on the proposed amendments.
Planning and Development staff will present recommendations regarding the amendment requests to the City of Houston Planning Commission on Aug. 17 for a vote by Sept. 1. Approved amendments will then be passed onto the Houston City Council for inclusion in an updated MTFP.
Information regarding other amendment requests can be found on the city of Houston's website.
