The Woodlands Township is developing new guidelines that may help mitigate traffic issues during special events that cause road closures in the community. A special events operational plan will be presented to the board of directors in mid-June with proposed criteria to review, approve or deny events that cause major road closures. 

“I think we all recognize that over the years not only has The Woodlands grown in population, but it has also grown in terms of activities that, little by little, add to the calendar,” township Chairman Ed Robb said. “There comes a point when it seems like it may be a tipping point, and as we’ve added [events] we need to reassess, and that’s what we’re doing. I think we have good considerations that we need to take into account.”

The proposed guidelines provide criteria for the approval, review or denial of events that require road closures, which is primarily nine major races in the community.

Bruce Cunningham, 27-year resident and vice president of the Grogan’s Mill Village Association, said The Woodlands Marathon and the Memorial Hermann Texas Ironman are the two race events that cause the most disruption for residents.

“I think most residents still favor having the Ironman as a prestigious event but would like to see the route changed and get much better information on how the roads will be impacted,” he said. “If they did a better job of communicating information—closures by lane, if necessary—life would be made a whole lot easier. So many people I know feel they are locked down by the Ironman [race].”

Special events criteria

Last August, the township board of directors voted to transfer the production of special events produced by The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau to the Parks and Recreation Department. Township staff was then tasked with reviewing every event produced in The Woodlands to determine if there was a need to streamline, merge or adjust events.

There are four core markets for special events in The Woodlands: community events, environmental programs, live music and races/athletic events, the latter of which cause the majority of road closures.

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“There are nine large events that close lanes or roads, and some of them have significant closures like The Woodlands Marathon and Ironman,” Parks and Recreation Director Chris Nunes said. “We want to talk about what type of criteria is used to approve or deny these events.”

There has been a slowdown in the number of requests for races in The Woodlands, which is due to a two-pronged factor, Nunes said.

“The requirements to host a race in the community are pretty stringent,” he said. “Before you even get started, you incur thousands of dollars [in fees]. We’re also starting to see a slowdown in the amount of runners, so it’s not as lucrative to throw out a race, especially with the threshold to get in.”

In lieu of race requests, the township has received more requests for commercial events, Nunes said, such as The Woodlands Margarita Festival and Texas Throwdown Burger-Beer-Music Fest that were held this spring.

In April, the township board voted to revise its special events policy so that commercial, for-profit events will only be allowed at Town Green Park and three sports complexes after resident complaints regarding noise and temporary restrictions on entering community parks like Northshore.

Race events 

Part of the drafted criteria includes questions regarding the effect of races on township roads and if the date or route could be changed to minimize effects on residents, which township Director John McMullan said he believes the board should evaluate.

“They’re a part of what life is like in The Woodlands today, but [the races] inconvenience a lot of people,” he said. “We’ve always said, ‘They keep your taxes low,’ but I think before we take action, it would be good to know what the true tax impact is.”

Two of the events—the Ironman and The Woodlands Marathon—have a significant effect on tax income, township General Manager Don Norrell said.

In 2015, the Ironman race’s economic contribution in The Woodlands was $15.9 million, according to the township.

“The other events are more for activity in the community for our residents,” Norrell said. “They really don’t generate additional activity in terms of room tax or sales tax.”

Township Director Gordy Bunch said hosting major events like the Ironman helps build the brand of The Woodlands.

“It’s not just about the tax revenue that’s received over those weekends,” he said. “The Ironman is a world championship qualifying event, and it brings prestige to the community.”

The township is working with Ironman on rerouting the bike portion of the triathlon south of The Woodlands, Bunch said.

“One option we’re looking at involves taking the bikes on to the Grand Parkway, which will eliminate going through residential areas,” he said. “We’re also looking at how the Spring Creek recreational corridor is being developed.”

The nature corridor is about 40 miles long. When completed, a lot of the longer distance events could also be redirected there, Bunch said.

“We have options,” Bunch said. “I think the longer distance events are starting to take more action to alternative routes.”

Township Director Laura Fillault said residents may modify their position on the issue if feedback is given about why the Ironman is a prestigious event.

“It feels like there is a lot of patting on the head and hearing, ‘The Ironman is good for us, just deal with it,’” she said. “It would be good to demonstrate that in a way with a little more communication. If we have a community that’s invested in the outcome, it’s a little easier to not leave your house all morning.”