At its Oct. 17 meeting, the Tomball City Council voted 3-1 to approve the first reading of a zoning request to remove the proposed extension of Medical Complex Drive to FM 2920 west of Hwy. 249 from the Major Thoroughfare Plan. The second and final reading will come at a future city council meeting.

The zoning request was submitted by Calvert, LLC, represented by Louis Smith.

“According to information provided by the applicant, the intent is to develop a multi-family complex at the planned intersection of Calvert Road and Medical Complex Drive,” Community Development Director Nathan Dietrich said during the meeting. “The proposed minor arterial street would be a hindrance to the development of this tract.”

This zoning request comes after the Tomball City Council voted to deny changing the extension of Medical Complex Drive between Hufsmith-Kohrville and Mahaffey Roads at its May 16 meeting.

Additionally, the extension of Medical Complex Drive from the intersection of South Persimmon Street and Agg Road to Hufsmith-Kohrville Road was completed this past spring, Community Impact previously reported.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to deny the zoning request as a recommendation for what council should do. City staff also recommended denial of the request.

"Although the initial plan to utilize Medical Complex Drive as a bypass to FM 2920 may be out of the question...it may still provide useful alternative east-west connections from FM 2920, which would likely help to alleviate some traffic congestion possibly in the future," Dietrich said.

Caitlin Craig, a resident who lives on Treichel Road, came to the meeting to speak in support of the zoning request.

“I don’t want your traffic to go down this land and just to make it easier for [FM] 2920’s traffic,” Craig said at the meeting. “We like our quiet road. We walk our dogs down this road. We walk with our children on our bikes on this road.”

During the discussion of this zoning request, council member Dane Dunagin spoke about the ramifications of the removal.

“If we take this road away, it can never be put back,” Dunagin said.

Council member Derek Townsend spoke about the lack of need for the extension.

“Why are we trying to go in and do something we don’t necessarily need to do right now?” Townsend asked. “That’s not developing over there. We don’t have a big push over there to develop.”

After discussion ended, council members John Ford, Randy Parr and Townsend voted for the removal while council member Dunagin voted against it. Council member Mark Stoll was absent from the meeting.

View the zoning request documents below.